Discrimination against Trans people in the Sangha

[Rosie]

@Mat

but when you say I’m a bit different from you, is it ok to come into xyz - the immediate knee jerk response (you can’t always assume you will receive the most compassionate response from a random person who claims to be a Buddhist…) is to get a bit defensive. They might start to think ‘hmm is there something I don’t know about this, that I should know’, and they might just delay you by saying they will ask someone else

Yes…indeed it does sound like the reality as I perceived it. And my reaction is that I don’t think a ‘reactionary’ response is the appropriate one for a Buddhist sangha of integrity. I did not become a Buddhist to be a test case for discriminatory practices. I came to Buddhism for refuge, and I don’t feel as if refuge was offered. And yes, I have experienced bigotry and discrimination in almost every aspect of my life. And discrimination almost always hides behind a proper sounding motive.

@Mat

. It’s best not to jump to conclusions about what people are thinking about Trans people, as we cannot be mind reading.

I did not jump. The contact person immediately responded to my declaration as if it was a legitimate qualifier for admittance to their sangha which de-legitimizes their claim to be Buddhists as there were no trans people documented as such in Buddha’s life.

@Lookingforpeace

I understand why you felt the way you did. The person on the phone should have been more careful with their reply. With a name like “Rainbow sangha” You would think sexual orientation or gender wouldn’t be an issue.

Thank you so much for understanding. I believe that name ‘Rainbow’ is precisely what lured me into thinking that it was an all-inclusive Buddhist group. And ironically…shouldn’t every Buddhist and their ‘group’ be all inclusive? They really failed the test in my humble opinion.

@Lookingforpeace

There are many meditation centres that have no issues with this at all. You might have to take a trip and make connections, make some freinds

Thanks but I live 50 miles from anywhere, and I have already taken a poll of Buddhists in my county to find there are ZERO Buddhists here. Is that a record? Probably not, but daunting none the less.

@sujato

I’m sorry about your experience with the rainbow group. It seems that the more marginalized and excluded the group, the more people feel somehow justified in putting even more on their heads.

Dear Sujato, this is precisely the response for which I have been waiting .

@sujato

I would be delighted to welcome trans people, or anyone else, to our group. In fact I would take it as a badge of honor that they felt safe and respected. The whole point of spiritual communities is to help each other, give support, and make friendships so we can grow and help each other. Love knows no boundaries, and when boundaries are going up, it’s something other than love at work.

These words lift me up, and offer the loving compassion which I have come to expect from a true Buddha.

@sujato

Anyway, if you do end up in Sydney, know you can find a group of people here who will love you!

Thank you, thank you Thank you. It’s a long way to go for a sangha, but I’m sure it would be worth it!
Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!

With Love and gratitude for your compassionate response. METTA!