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m I am restoring this article because it is not an essay nor did I hijack the page. I'm a vodou practitioner, Haitian, black and I also study the topic as an anthropologist. I provided classic studies on Vodou for th. The previous versions are clearly written by white people who are non-haitians but want to push an erroneous understanding of Vodou. Vodou is not a religion. It is a culture and it is everything that structure life for Haitians. Previous version smack of cultural appropriation.
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{{Haitian Vodou}}
{{Haitian Vodou}}


'''Homosexuality in Haitian Vodou''' Contrary to what most people think, Vodou is not a religion, it's much more than that. vodou, Haitians would often say, is life. It does not come with rules on how one should live their life or not but about understanding the consequences of one's actions in relation to the Loas. Vodou does not have a mandate on one's sexual orientation one way or another. There may be people who identify as homosexuals who practice vodou but this in no way implies that Vodou condones homosexuality or the idea of sexual orientation. Vodou is based on the principle of polarity and therefore is guided by the idea of the positive - negative which in terms of gender can translate into male-female polarity as basic to nature and life. Vodou spaces are inherently tolerant and there is no one at the door asking about one's sexual orientation or personal activities as pre-condition to enter that space. There are no vodou sunday Masses to attend nor prominent temples etc. Rather, a vodou space is defined by kinship ties and it is those ties that would define who get admitted to a ceremony and the rituals that give it life year round.
{{Haitian Vodou}}

'''Homosexuality in Haitian Vodou''' is religiously acceptable and homosexuals are allowed to participate in all religious activities.{{Citation needed|date=February 2008}} However, in countries with large Vodou populations (such as [[Benin]], [[Togo]] or [[Haiti]]), some [[Christianity|Christian]] influence may have given [[homosexuality]] a social stigma (see [[homosexuality and Christianity]]), at least on some levels of society.{{Citation needed|date=February 2008}}

[[Haitian Vodou]] itself has remained open to people of all sexual orientations.<ref name="Briefing2011">{{cite report |title=The Impact of the Earthquake, and Relief and Recovery Programs on Haitian LGBT People|publisher=International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission and SEROvie |work=Briefing paper |url=http://iglhrc.org/sites/default/files/505-1.pdf|date=2011}}</ref> It is common knowledge in Haiti that a significant number of Haitian Vodou are gay.<ref name="Briefing2011" /> Many LGBT people in Haiti believe that it is easier to be open about one's sexuality and gender expression within Vodou culture, in the face of open hostility by mainstream Haitian society.<ref name="Briefing2011" />


== Haitian views of homosexuality ==
== Haitian views of homosexuality ==
Vodou is an ancestral spiritual practice and is lived at the level of the family, at the kinship level especially in the countryside of Haiti, the bedrock of Haitian vodou. Because it is an ancestral practice, giving birth and furthering the family line from generation to generation is essential to the immortality of ancestors. Children are central to most African spiritual practices. They are the future. In Haitian vodou there is even a loa for children, the marassas (twins) who embody the divine nature of children. Vodou as ancestral worship does not pressure women to reproduce and children are seen as a blessing: a child is an ancestor returning to this reality. In that way, while vodou may be accepting of a homosexual person, homosexuality itself defies the very principle of ancestrality in vodou as in other African spiritual practices. Westerners should be careful not to impose and project their views on gender and sexuality onto vodou, a practice that has been and continues to be persecuted and mis-represented in the media.
Vodou is an ancestral religion, and viewed by some Western anthropologists as an [[ecstatic]] religion. It is not a fertility-based religion {{Citation needed|date=February 2008}} (see ''[[Fertility rite]]s''). This means that the majority of its members are not required by any religious law to reproduce, and homosexuals are not pressured to do so.{{Citation needed|date=February 2008}} Haitian Vodou views [[sexual orientation]] as a part of the way God makes a person; homosexuals are free to pursue members of the same sex just as [[heterosexuals]] are free to pursue members of the opposite sex.<ref name="rara">{{citation |title=Rara!: Vodou, Power, and Performance in Haiti and Its Diaspora |first=Elizabeth A |last=McAlister |year=2002 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=0-520-22823-5 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9790520228237/page/75 75–77] |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9790520228237/page/75 }}.</ref>


In Haitian Vodou, [[Gay|male homosexuals]] are seen as under the protection of the [[Erzulie|Erzulie Freda]], the [[loa]] of love and beauty.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Queer Magic: LGBT+ Spirituality and Culture From Around the World|last=Prower|first=Tomás|publisher=Llewellyn Worldwide|year=2018|isbn=9780738755649|location=Woodbury, MN|pages=83}}</ref> She is very feminine, allowing gay men to exhibit stereotypical traits during religious ceremonies. The documentary ''"Des hommes et dieux"'' presents interviews with several people who feel Erzulie Freda made them gay.<ref name="deshommes">{{IMDb title|title=Des hommes et dieux |id=0391059}}</ref> [[Erzulie|Erzulie Dantor]] is seen as the patron of [[lesbians]],<ref name=":0" /> although she is herself bisexual{{Citation needed|date=February 2008}} having a lot of children and two husbands, [[Simbi]] Makaya and Ti Jean Petwo, though she is said to prefer the company of women.
Some people would like to believe that in Haitian Vodou, [[Gay|male homosexuals]] are seen as under the protection of the [[Erzulie|Erzulie Freda]], the [[loa]] of love and beauty. <ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Queer Magic: LGBT+ Spirituality and Culture From Around the World|last=Prower|first=Tomás|publisher=Llewellyn Worldwide|year=2018|isbn=9780738755649|location=Woodbury, MN|pages=83}}</ref> However, this is not an accurate interpretation. The loas are above sex and gender. They are spirit and/or energies. Erzulie Freda expresses the divine feminine and can possess both males and females regardless of whether they are gay or not, black or not, children or adult. The documentary ''"Des hommes et dieux"'' presents interviews with several people who feel Erzulie Freda made them gay. It is interesting that there is no one claiming that the hot, more rigid and disciplinarian Petro loas like Bossou and Lenglensou made them gay or lesbians. <ref name="deshommes">{{IMDb title|title=Des hommes et dieux |id=0391059}}</ref> [[Erzulie|Erzulie Dantor]] is not the patron of [[lesbians]]: she loves all of her children regardless; she is a fiercely protective mother and the experience with Erzulie Dantor whether one is male or female, gay or not, is the same. The loas do not have sexuality, nor gender. They are Spirits that operate on the masculine-feminine polarity or positive-negative polarity. All attributions of sexuality to the loas come from westerners who project their own ideas onto a non-western ancestral practice that they do not understand.

=== Attacks after the 2010 earthquake ===
Following the [[2010 Haiti earthquake]], there were verbal and physical attacks against vodou practitioners in Haiti, perpetrated by those who felt that, like homosexuals, vodouists were immoral and [[LGBT rights in Haiti|bore some responsibility for the country's catastrophe]].<ref name="Briefing2011" />
It is common knowledge in Haiti that a significant number of Haitian Vodou are gay.<ref name="Briefing2011" /> Many LGBT in Haiti believe that it is easier to be open about one's sexuality and gender expression within Vodou culture, in the face of open hostility by mainstream Haitian society.<ref name="Briefing2011" />

== Opposing views in non-Haitian based Vodou ==
There are, however, views among other Vodou practitioners that overt identification as homosexuals has no place within the tradition. The leader of Le Peristyle Haitian Sanctuary in Philadelphia, [[Pennsylvania]], asserts that there is no connection between the loa and gender complexity, and states that "...your gender identification is your business. But you cannot evoke God to satisfy your sexual desires. We have suffered this kind of abuse of African-based religions long enough. It is time for it to stop."<ref>Quoted in Randy P. Conner, David Hatfield Sparks, ''Queering Creole Spiritual Traditions: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Participation in African-Inspired Traditions in the Americas'', Haworth Press, 2004, pg 98.</ref>

Similarly, the website for Mami Wata West African Diaspora Vodoun, based in the southern United States, notes that elders in the Vodoun religion are generally against initiating homosexuals. The Mami Wata organization itself followed this exclusionary practice until recently, but now welcomes all practitioners.<ref>[http://pub47.bravenet.com/faq/show.php?usernum=3951612168&catid=8683 Common Misconceptions About Vodoun: Category: Gays & Lesbians] Mami Wata Healers Society of North America Inc.</ref>


== Relationship between loa and gender identity ==
== Relationship between loa and gender identity ==
Again, the loas do not have gender identity: they cannot be reduced to current political battles about gender especially from white westerners who are seeking to validate their ideas by turning to Vodou. This is just cultural appropriation.
{{Main|Loa}}
During Haitian Vodou ceremonies, the [[houngan]]s (priests), [[Mambo (Vodou)|mambo]]s (priestesses), and hounsis (initiates) dance around a poteau-mitan until one of them becomes possessed by one of the loa. A person can be possessed by any loa, regardless of whether they are the same gender or not .<ref name="voodooinhaiti">{{citation |title=Voodoo in Haiti |first=Alfred |last=Métraux |first2=Hugo |last2=Charteris |year=1972 |publisher=Schocken Books |isbn=0-8052-0894-1}}.</ref> During possession, the possessed dancer will begin to behave like the loa they are possessed by, regardless of gender.

Reverend Severina KM Singh, a [[New Orleans]] [[Louisiana Voodoo|Voodoo]] [[priest]]ess explains,<ref name="Ferguson2015">{{cite book|last1=Ferguson|first1=Garland|title=The Esoteric Codex: Haitian Vodou|date=2015|isbn=9781329021150|page=51}}</ref><blockquote>I have gay friends who practice and I can personally attest to the closeness of the loa to them. I have witnessed wonderful and powerful rituals which they led. The intent in your heart matters more than your sexual orientation. I read for very many gay people and make offerings for them without any qualms at all. Voodooist believe in the [[reincarnation|transmigration]] of the [[soul]]. That means my soul could have been in a black male body at one time and an [[oriental]] [[female]] body at another time, not to mention the millions of lives spent in lower life forms. Some of them probably quite [[asexuality|asexual]] or [[bisexual]] or [[transsexual]]!<ref name="Some Frequently Asked">{{cite web
|last = Singh
|first = Reverend Severina KM
|title = Some Frequently Asked Questions About Voodoo
|publisher = New Orleans Voodoo Crossroads
|date = 2002
|url = http://www.neworleansvoodoocrossroads.com/voodoofaq.html
|access-date = 2007-09-08
|url-status = dead
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070922171136/http://www.neworleansvoodoocrossroads.com/voodoofaq.html
|archive-date = 2007-09-22
}}</ref></blockquote>

==Beliefs==
[[File:Samedi.jpg|right|thumb|Depiction of Baron Samedi, a bisexual lwa.]]
A large number of spirits or deities ([[loa|lwa]]) exist in [[Haitian Vodou|Haitian]] and [[Louisiana Voodoo]]. These lwa may be regarded as families of individuals or as a singular entity with distinct aspects, with links to particular areas of life.

Some lwa have particular links with magic, ancestor worship or death such as the [[Ghede]]s and Barons. A number of these are further particularly associated with transgenderism or same-sex interactions.<ref>Conner, p. 157, "Ghede"</ref> These include [[Ghede Nibo]], a spirit caring for those who die young. He is sometimes depicted as an effeminate drag queen and inspires those he inhabits to lascivious sexuality of all kinds, especially transgender or lesbian behaviour in women.<ref>Conner, p. 157, "Ghede Nibo"</ref>

Ghede Nibo's parents are [[Baron Samedi]] and [[Maman Brigitte]]; Baron Samedi is the leader of the Ghedes and Barons and is depicted as bisexual dandy or occasionally transgender, wearing a [[top-hat]] and [[frock coat]] along with a woman's skirt and shoes. Samedi has a tendency toward "lascivious movements" that cross gender boundaries and also imply a lust for anal sex.<ref>Conner, p. 83, "Baron Samedi"</ref>

Other barons displaying gay behaviour are Baron Lundy and Baron Limba, who are lovers and teach a type of homoerotic nude wrestling at their school, believed to increase magical potency.<ref>Conner, p. 83, "Baron Limba" & "Baron Lundy"</ref> Baron Oua Oua, who often manifests with a childlike aspect, has been called the baron "most closely linked to homosexuality" by Voodoo practitioners.<ref>Conner, p. 83, "Baron Oua Oua"</ref>

Another lwa, [[Erzulie]], is associated with love, sensuality and beauty. Erzulie can manifest aspects that are LGBT-related, including transgender or amazonian traits, in addition to traditionally feminine guises. When inhabiting men, these aspects can result in transgender or homoerotic behaviour, whereas they may result in lesbianism or anti-male sentiment in women. Erzulie Freda is seen as the protector of gay men, and Erzulie Dantor is associated with lesbians.<ref>Conner, p. 135, "Erzulie"</ref>

== See also ==
{{columns-list|colwidth=20em|
* [[Bomoh]]
* [[Core Shamanism]]
* [[Hoodoo (folk magic)|Hoodoo]]
* [[Kumina]]
* [[LGBT rights in Haiti]]
* [[Louisiana Voodoo]]
* [[Mana]]
* [[Obeah]]
* [[Quimbanda]]
* [[Religion and homosexuality]]
* [[Religion and sexuality]]
* [[Sangoma]]
* [[Santería]]
* [[Shaman]]
* [[Umbanda]]
}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Sources ==
* {{Cite book |title= Cassell's Encyclopedia of Queer Myth, Symbol and Spirit|last= Conner |first= Randy P. |author2=David Hatfield Sparks |author3=Mariya Sparks |year=1998 |publisher=Cassell |location=UK |isbn=0-304-70423-7}}
*[http://www.gede.org/essays/glbt.html Essays: GLBT People in Vodou]
== Further reading ==
* AIDS, fear, and Society: Challenging the Dreaded Disease; Kenneth J. Doka; Publisher: Taylor & Francis; 1997.
* Hoodoo Mysteries: Folk Magic, Mysticism & Rituals; Ray Malbrough; Publisher: Llewellyn Publications; 2003.
* Living in the Lap of the Goddess: the Feminist Spirituality Movement in America; Cynthia Eller; Publisher: Boston Beacon Press; 1995.
* Queering Creole Spiritual Traditions: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Participation in African Inspired Traditions in the Americas; Randy P. Conner, David Hatfield Sparks; Publisher: Harrington Park Press; 2004-03.
* The Pagan Man: Priests, Warriors, Hunters and Drummers; Isaac Bonewits; Publisher: Citadel; 2006.
* The Secular and the Sacred Harmonized; Eloise T. Choice; Publisher: AuthorHouse; 2005-09-08.
* St. James Press Gay & Lesbian Almanac; Neil Schlager (Editor); Publisher: Thomson Gale; 1998.
* Male Homosexualities and World Religions; Pierre Hurteau; Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013, chapter 6: Afro-Caribbean and Afro-Brazilian Religions pp.&nbsp;157–1775
* Love, Sex and Gender Embodied: The Spirits of Haitian Vodou; by Elizabeth McAlister; in Nancy Martin and Joseph Runzo, eds., Love, Gender and Sexuality in the World Religions; Publisher: Oxford Oneworld Press, 2000; pp.&nbsp;128–145.
* Postcolonial Homophobia: United States Imperialism in Haiti and the Transnational Circulation of Antigay Sexual Politics; by Erin Durban-Albrecht, chapter 2: Delivering Haiti from the Devil: U.S. Protestant Missionaries and Religious Homophobia p.p.&nbsp;94-123; 2015.


{{Religion and LGBT people}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Vodou}}
== Reference:
[[Category:LGBT in Haiti]]
Maya Deren, Divine Horsemen: the Living Gods of Haiti (McPherson, 1983)
[[Category:LGBT and religion]]
André Rigaud, Secrets of Vodou (City Light Publishers, 2001)
[[Category:LGBT topics in the African diaspora]]
Leslie Desmangles, Faces of the Gods: Vodou and Roman Catholicism in Haiti (University of North Carolina Press, 1992)
[[Category:Haitian Vodou|Sexual orientation]]

Revision as of 02:09, 1 August 2021

Homosexuality in Haitian Vodou Contrary to what most people think, Vodou is not a religion, it's much more than that. vodou, Haitians would often say, is life. It does not come with rules on how one should live their life or not but about understanding the consequences of one's actions in relation to the Loas. Vodou does not have a mandate on one's sexual orientation one way or another. There may be people who identify as homosexuals who practice vodou but this in no way implies that Vodou condones homosexuality or the idea of sexual orientation. Vodou is based on the principle of polarity and therefore is guided by the idea of the positive - negative which in terms of gender can translate into male-female polarity as basic to nature and life. Vodou spaces are inherently tolerant and there is no one at the door asking about one's sexual orientation or personal activities as pre-condition to enter that space. There are no vodou sunday Masses to attend nor prominent temples etc. Rather, a vodou space is defined by kinship ties and it is those ties that would define who get admitted to a ceremony and the rituals that give it life year round.

Haitian views of homosexuality

Vodou is an ancestral spiritual practice and is lived at the level of the family, at the kinship level especially in the countryside of Haiti, the bedrock of Haitian vodou. Because it is an ancestral practice, giving birth and furthering the family line from generation to generation is essential to the immortality of ancestors. Children are central to most African spiritual practices. They are the future. In Haitian vodou there is even a loa for children, the marassas (twins) who embody the divine nature of children. Vodou as ancestral worship does not pressure women to reproduce and children are seen as a blessing: a child is an ancestor returning to this reality. In that way, while vodou may be accepting of a homosexual person, homosexuality itself defies the very principle of ancestrality in vodou as in other African spiritual practices. Westerners should be careful not to impose and project their views on gender and sexuality onto vodou, a practice that has been and continues to be persecuted and mis-represented in the media.

Some people would like to believe that in Haitian Vodou, male homosexuals are seen as under the protection of the Erzulie Freda, the loa of love and beauty. [1] However, this is not an accurate interpretation. The loas are above sex and gender. They are spirit and/or energies. Erzulie Freda expresses the divine feminine and can possess both males and females regardless of whether they are gay or not, black or not, children or adult. The documentary "Des hommes et dieux" presents interviews with several people who feel Erzulie Freda made them gay. It is interesting that there is no one claiming that the hot, more rigid and disciplinarian Petro loas like Bossou and Lenglensou made them gay or lesbians. [2] Erzulie Dantor is not the patron of lesbians: she loves all of her children regardless; she is a fiercely protective mother and the experience with Erzulie Dantor whether one is male or female, gay or not, is the same. The loas do not have sexuality, nor gender. They are Spirits that operate on the masculine-feminine polarity or positive-negative polarity. All attributions of sexuality to the loas come from westerners who project their own ideas onto a non-western ancestral practice that they do not understand.

Relationship between loa and gender identity

Again, the loas do not have gender identity: they cannot be reduced to current political battles about gender especially from white westerners who are seeking to validate their ideas by turning to Vodou. This is just cultural appropriation.


== Reference: Maya Deren, Divine Horsemen: the Living Gods of Haiti (McPherson, 1983) André Rigaud, Secrets of Vodou (City Light Publishers, 2001) Leslie Desmangles, Faces of the Gods: Vodou and Roman Catholicism in Haiti (University of North Carolina Press, 1992)

  1. ^ Prower, Tomás (2018). Queer Magic: LGBT+ Spirituality and Culture From Around the World. Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn Worldwide. p. 83. ISBN 9780738755649.
  2. ^ Des hommes et dieux at IMDb