Between the sacred and the stigma

gender, coloniality and sexual dissidence in contemporary Hinduism

Abstract

This article, situated within the field of Religious Studies, investigates the relationships between gender and sexuality in Hinduism in light of contemporary dissidences and the historical effects of British colonialism and Hindu nationalism. Through a critical, intersectional, and postcolonial approach, and drawing on authors such as Ruth Vanita, Maria Clara Cunha, Angelica Tostes, and Jessica Hinchy, it analyzes the marginalization and subsequent resignification of the hijra communities, Hinduism's third gender, as well as the role of ambiguous divine figures like Ardhanārīśvara and epic characters such as Śikhaṇḍī. The article weaves together mythical and ritual sources with contemporary legal rulings, such as the case Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India, to demonstrate how queer spirituality operates as a form of symbolic reenchantment and political resistance. It argues that although traditional Hinduism welcomed multiple expressions of gender fluidity, such forms were repressed by colonialism and later selectively appropriated by the Hindutva project. The article concludes that LGBTQIA+ spiritual movements, both in India and in the diaspora, reactivate these traditions through a critical and decolonial lens.