Is Tantra homophobic?

In this section, CRITICAL ANALYSIS, we’re examining the problems and distortions in how Tantra is practiced in the West—the racism, heteronormativity, commercialization, and individualism that have corrupted these teachings.

This isn’t comfortable. But it’s necessary.

The teachings vs. the practice

Are tantric teachings homophobic? Absolutely not.

Is the way that Tantra is practiced often at the very least heteronormative, if not homophobic? Yes. And it makes me deeply upset.

It saddens me deeply when sex and gender and polarity are conflated. And I’m told when I go to a tantric workshop that I should be grounded and centered and calm and I’m told that I should follow all of these gender qualities because I embody masculine energy—God knows what that is.

Or when women are told that they need to be shaky and wild and fulfill all of these gender qualities. And even at its worst, when you’re told that you can’t do tantric practices with the same sex. And that happens. And it’s got nothing to do with tantric teachings.

Bodies are different

Are there differences between bodies? Is my body the same as Lorenzo, one of my best friends, who’s also got a dick? No, our bodies are different. All bodies are different.

And energy moves differently between different bodies. And does a body that has a womb move differently than a body that doesn’t have a womb? Yes. And does that have energetic differences also? Yes.

But within the tantric canon of techniques, there are techniques that work with all bodies. It is entirely possible to circulate energy within your own bodies and within the whole constellation of other bodies that exist—actually both human and non-human. We can literally circulate energies with rocks and trees.

So for me, it’s a ridiculous notion to say that this is only possible between the union of someone with a penis and a vagina.

Where it went wrong

I think that at the root of it is this corruption of the teaching of polarity—so this mixing of form and awareness and practice around that with notions of gender and association with genitalia.

And I think it is also problematic that there was too little emphasis on teaching us how to use our various energetic points, our chakras, to both receive and give energy.

My apologies

And my apologies to anybody out there that has really been pushed away from Tantra because they have basically been met with heteronormative or homophobic attitudes.

Maybe a last thing to say: Tantra was really radical when it rose in India. It broke apart the class and the caste system there. It broke apart this idea that the body was a problem. Tantric disciples went to graveyards, embracing the decaying body, embracing the corporeality of who we are.

I’m really sorry that in some cases, Tantra in our modern world has really lost its way here.