Social Acceptability of Gay Monks in Thai Theravada Tradition

Abstract

Controversies over “gay monks” have lately become widespread among Thai Theravada Buddhists. In social media, gay monks and novices are often condemned by conservative groups as destroyers of Thai Buddhism, while at the same time they are defended by human right activists and social liberals on the grounds that religion should open opportunities to LGBT individuals. Some people seek to resolve this question by looking to the wording of the canonical Pali Buddhist scriptures concerning ordination. This paper chooses to leave that particular issue of textual hermeneutics unresolved. Instead, it attempts to outline the degree to which gay monks are accepted in Thai society. However, the majority of Thai Buddhists today do not view gay monks as problematic. This paper argues that the general acceptance of gay monks among the less “fundamentalist” and “elite” classes stems partly from the way that Theravada Buddhism has been localized in Thailand. Moreover, the secular idea coming with the global stream facilitates Thai Buddhists to open up for the sexual equality. Specifically, according to local belief and practice, monks are normally expected to function primarily to serve their patrons’ needs through ritual performances such as funerals, ceremonial chanting, and receiving alms. Interestingly, gay monks can serve these functions just as well as non-gay monks. In addition, many of these monks are good at managing interpersonal relations with lay devotees and high-ranking monks.