The New York Times has an article today, about queer Native Americans coming to urban centers such as New York City due to homophobia in their own communities.  The most interesting part of this article is the assessment that homophobia in most Native communities came about as a result of colonization and European contact—and often the religious beliefs that Europeans brought—rather than being indigenous to Native American culture: 

“Historically, in many tribes, individuals who entered into same-sex relationships were considered holy and treated with utmost respect and acceptance, said Dr. Gilley [author of “Becoming Two-Spirit: Gay Identity and Social Acceptance in Indian Country”]. ‘Prior to European contact, sexuality was not a determining factor in someone’s identity,’ he said. ‘It was the role in the community. Gender was tied to that role. Who you had sex with was not a concern. The Europeans come, Native American societies are thrust in rapid change, and some societies incorporate European ideals quickly.’

And because the European settlers, influenced in part by their religious beliefs, were largely intolerant of homosexuality, they helped reshape long-held practices among many Indians, Dr. Gilley said.”

I have heard many Native and queer activists echo this sentiment, and to me it is akin to the belief among many progressive and queer South Asians who see the homophobia that grips the subcontinent currently to be the result of European colonialism, rather than rooted in South Asian culture or religion.  People point to the Kama Sutra and other examples of liberal sexual practices in South Asia as proof that pre-European contact, South Asian culture was much more tolerant of variations in sexuality and sexual orientation.  However, as we saw with the uproar from Hindu fundamentalists over Deepa Mehta’s film about Hindu lesbians, Fire, there are those who believe homosexuality in the South Asian community comes from perverse Western influence.  This sentiment is also present in South Africa, Namibia and other parts of the Global South.

Today there is general consensus among anthropologists and psychologists that homosexuality among a sector of any population is inevitable, and biological.  But for many who come from communities that have experienced colonization, where so much of our culture and identity has been destroyed or altered forever, battling the effects of colonization is difficult and often painful.  Asserting LGBTQ rights among people of color needs to take colonialism and white supremacy into account.  As the title of the New York Times article states, one should not have to go far from home to feel at home.