LGBT topics and Taoism

Taoism neither accepts nor condemns homosexuality, people do. Taoism does not condemn people who accept homosexuality, nor those who do not. . Taoism is concerned with harmony and bringing people's energies into balance, including sexual energy; this involves people having healthy sexual relationships.

There is no single official position on homosexuality in Taoism, as the term Taoism is used to describe a number of disparate religious traditions, from organised religious movements such as Quanzhen to Chinese folk religion and even a school of philosophy. The vast majority of adherents live in China and among Chinese Diaspora communities elsewhere, and so attitudes to homosexuality within Taoism often reflect the values and sexual norms of broader Chinese society (see Homosexuality in China).

The Taoist tradition holds that males need the energies of females, and vice versa, in order to bring about balance, completion and transformation. These energies thought to be best obtained through heterosexual relations. Passionate homosexual expression is usually discouraged because it is believed to not lead to human fulfillment.

Taoism stresses the relationship between yin and yang: two opposing forces which maintain harmony through balance. Heterosexuality is seen as the physical and emotional embodiment of the harmonious balance between yin and yang. However, the practice of Qi Gong is said to align and balance yin and yang energies. This practice is especially important if the person engages in continuous homosexual relationships.

Homosexuality is not unknown in Taoist history, such as during the Tang dynasty when Taoist nuns exchanged love poems .

See also

• Taoist sexual practices