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People with a History: An Online Guide to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Trans* History

Section VI: Africa, Asia, Latin American, Oceania

Editor: Paul Halsall

Contents:

Section VI: Africa, Asia, Latin America, Oceania

Go to the following pages for other parts of People with a History

 

Chapter 26: Ancient China, Japan and Korea

Discussions:

Texts

Websites:

Back to Contents

Chapter 27: Ancient India

It has proved to be extraordinarily difficult to find much infromation about South Asian homosexuality. Some relevant documents are under "Islam", (including Richard Burton's Terminal Essay, in which he claims that homosexual activity was common in Indo-Muslim culture but not Hindu cultures). See also the Buddhist references collected under "China and Japan).

Discussions:

Texts:

  • Vatsyayana: Kama Sutra, Part 2. Chap 9, 1883 trans. by Richard Burton. [At Bibliomania.com]
    On "Mouth Congress" and "different types of eunuchs".
  • The Vinaya [Buddhist Monastic Precepts]

Websites:

  • Shri Krishna as Kali and Lalita [At Shivashakti.com]
    Although the sexual relationships of Indian gods often follow heterosexual expectations, the individual God/dess may change form and be incarnate as another. This story could be read as gay, lesbian, or multiply transgendered.
  • Tantrik Links [At Shivashakti.com]
    Tantricism was the "short path" to Enlightenment in Hinduism and Buddhism. Sexual ecstasy was a particularly important feature, often represented by heterosexual "yab-yum" figures.
  • Samalinga
    Collection of South Asian Queer Writings on the WWW

Back to Contents

Chapter 28: The Lesbian and Gay Movement in Australia and New Zealand

Discussions:

Texts

Websites:

Back to Contents

Chapter 29: Gay and Lesbian Politics in Latin America

Discussions:

  • None as yet

Texts

Websites:

Back to Contents

Chapter 30: The Impact of LGBT Identity Politics Outside the West

Discussions:

  • Dennis Altman: On Global Queering [Australian Humanities Review]
    With Responses from Gary Dowsett, Michael Tan, Donald Morton, Christopher Lane, David Halperin and Fran Martin
  • Seiichi M. Sunday: Tokyo's 1st Gay Parade, from Outrageous Tokyo: Japan's English Language Gay magazine, Nov 1994, [At Internet Archive, from shrine.cyber.ad.jp/~darrell/]

Texts:

Websites:

Back to Contents

Chapter 31: Cross Cultural Themes and Studies

Discussions:

  • Eugene Patron: Heart of Lavender: In Search of Gay Africa, from Harvard Gay and Lesbian Review, Fall 1995.
  • Molefi Asante: Interview on Homosexuality, on THIS WAY OUT [At QRD]
    Asante, a leading proponent of Afrocentrism, had long called homosexuality a western deviation. He has now publically changed his mind, as more information about African gender/sexuality has come to light.
  • Matthew Quest : Afrocentricism vs. Homosexuality: The Isis Papers [At Spunk.org]
    A critique of Frances Cress Welsing's The Isis Papers.
  • Gays: Guardians of the Gates, An Interview with Malidoma Som, M.E.N. Magazine, September 1993 [At Afrinet]
    Malidoma Som is charged by his elders of the Dagara tribe of Burkina Faso with bringing the wisdom of his tribe to the West. His book Ritual: Power, Healing and Community. Malidoma notes "among the Dagara people, gender has very little to do with anatomy. It is purely energetic. In that context, a male who is physically male can vibrate female energy, and vice versa… And this is something that also touches on what has become known here as the "gay" or "homosexual" issue. Again, in the culture that I come from, this is not the issue. These people are looked on, essentially, as people. The whole notion of "gay" does not exist in the indigenous world. That does not mean that there are not people there who feel the way that certain people feel in this culture, that has led to them being referred to as 'gay'…The gay person is looked at primarily as a 'gatekeeper.'"
  • Alex Bruzzone: Erections and Ejaculations: Overcomming the taboo [At Internet Archive, from Carleton.ca]
    Cross-cultural considerations, including some coments on Herdt's work with the Sambia of Papua New Guinea.
  • Love In World History. An H-Net Discussion [At H-Net]

Texts:

  • None as yet

Websites:

  • None as yet

Back to Contents

This page is part of  People with a History. People with a History is a www site presenting history relevant to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered people, through primary sources, secondary discussions, and images.. People with a History: An Online Guide to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Trans* History is part of the Internet History Sourcebooks Project.

Unless otherwise indicated the specific electronic form of the document is copyright. Permission is granted for electronic copying, distribution in print form for educational purposes and personal use. If you do reduplicate the document, indicate the source. No permission is granted for commercial use.


The Internet History Sourcebooks Project is located at the History Department of  Fordham University, New York. The Internet Medieval Sourcebook, and other medieval components of the project, are located at the Fordham University Center for Medieval Studies.The IHSP recognizes the contribution of Fordham University, the Fordham University History Department, and the Fordham Center for Medieval Studies in providing web space and server support for the project. The IHSP is a project independent of Fordham University.  Although the IHSP seeks to follow all applicable copyright law, Fordham University is not the institutional owner, and is not liable as the result of any legal action.

© Site Concept and Design: Paul Halsall created 26 Jan 1996: latest revision 28 April 2019 [CV]