Queers make good shamans? (priest, rituals, moral, tradition, homosexuality)

[Flappycat]

I'll entertain the possibility that gay men actually do have a natural tendency to be slightly androgynous, though I remain steadfast in that the drag queen stereotype is ludicrous. Anyway, on I go to the subject.

In many societies, androgynous males are often selected to act as shamans. These shamans often have a tendency to be homosexual. It happens to be a fact that females tend to have a higher proficiency with language, as do gay men, in spite of the male brain being proportionally larger in size. This would be a highly valuable trait in a moral and spiritual leader. Even in many Christian traditions, spiritual leaders are expected to remain chaste, which may also lead us to the possibility that part of their value is that they would be unencumbered by offspring. The survival advantage in this? Well, depending upon how much importance you place in spirituality in regard to primal societies, this could very well have been a very important aspect of our survival as a species, at least during our formative years.

If there is a survival advantage in having a certain number of homosexual male offspring, however, it would be unlikely that homosexuality would be caused by a gene. It is probably more likely that sexuality is determined either during conception or during development in the womb. This is certainly a very interesting sidetrack, but I digress.

I, personally, can boast that I am a fairly talented writer, and I also admit to having the affection for high drama that seems to turn up fairly often in tribal shamans. I also seem to have a strong sense of empathy, believe it or not, which would also be useful for someone acting in the role of a spiritual leader. Though I am using myself as a comparison, these traits supposedly appear rather often in other homosexual males.

However, is this an explanation for homosexuality in our species or merely one of possibly many ways that homosexuals have historically and prehistorically made a comfortable niche in their societies? Homosexuality is actually quite common among primates, so we might be best suited to opt for the latter. However, it remains that the role of shamans in primal cultures is an important one. Perhaps homosexuals were actually highly important to our development as a species and as a culture. Who knows? They might have even been partially responsible for the origin of religion, and, as much as I disapprove of Abramic religions, I like how the rituals and dances of primal religions and traditions bring people together in celebration. Besides, weren't holy days part of the reason we developed complex calandar systems?

In any event, I just wanted to share my thoughts on this.

[Scott1]

Am I the only one who finds the description of homosexuals as "queers" offensive?

[Darkdale]

Originally Posted by Scott1

Am I the only one who finds the description of homosexuals as "queers" offensive?

No, but that's just his style. He didn't mean to use the word in a negative way.

[Jaymes]

I only get mad if people use it in a derogatory way. Some people do identify as 'queer,' though, so I don't really have too much of a problem with it.

I really wish Jamaesi had more access to the internet... she knows more about homosexuality than I do.

[mr.guy]

Flappycat, you subversive thing, you. Would you say that homophobia, at root, is an uncounscious acultured hatred of the priestly cast?

[Malus 12:9]

It happens to be a fact that females tend to have a higher proficiency with language, as do gay men, in spite of the male brain being proportionally larger in size

So basically non-gay males are ruled out?

[Flappycat]

Originally Posted by Scott1

Am I the only one who finds the description of homosexuals as "queers" offensive?

The word is rarely used offensively anymore. Get with the times.

[Flappycat]

Originally Posted by Malus01

So basically non-gay males are ruled out?

Not necessarily. Very right-brained straight males would also fit the bill, I would think.

[Malus 12:9]

Haven't seen the show "Queer as Folk"...Flap?

[Feathers in Hair]

Originally Posted by Flappycat

The word is rarely used offensively anymore. Get with the times.

You may want to reconsider "Get with the times". When someone is simply trying to make sure that others aren't being offended, I think it's best to be kind to them. If you'd responded that way to me, I would have been crying.

In some First Nation tribes, women are seen as being more closely attuned with the spiritual world. (Men have to use an external source- the sweat lodge- to do what women do naturally during their 'moon time'.) Thus, in some traditions (not all) shamans would wear women's clothing in order to connect with that attunement. (Which is not to say that all gay people cross-dress.) I imagine that, since the shaman is the person who walks in both worlds, that gay people would be seen as having that same intrinsic spiritual connection. (I am speaking only of certain cultures and traditions.)