Rainbodhi is growing and you can help!
Time for a little Rainbodhi update. 🌈❤️🥰
New Rainbodhi Groups🥳
Rainbodhi began in Sydney in 2019 (see above) and has since grown into an international community of LGBTQIA+ Buddhists.We now have groups in:
- Canada
- Melbourne (Naarm)
- Poland
- Spain
- Sydney
- USA.
Visit our Find a Group page to learn more about Rainbodhi’s international groups and their activities.
Community Events, Resources and Advocacy
Over the last four years Rainbodhi has done a lot!
We’ve created an international community of LGBTQIA+ Buddhists through dozens of in-person and online events.
We’ve advocated for our community by producing our inclusivity resource, Welcoming the Rainbow, which has been translated into Dutch, French, Polish, Spanish, and Thai languages. More translations coming soon!
We have also advocated for awareness, inclusion and safety within Buddhist organisations and written submissions for religious discrimination legislation.
We’ve done a lot but there’s still a great deal of work left to do to create safer and more inclusive Buddhist spaces.
Help us Overcome Hate Together
Image: Ven Yodha
Content warning: queer-bhobia
Some Buddhists still don’t understand the need for Rainbodhi.
We exist because LGBTQIA+ people continue to face violence, discrimination, prejudice and oppression all over the world, including in our Buddhist spaces.
In the past, I’ve received death threats for the work I do with Rainbodhi (yes from Buddhists!!).
Only recently, after sharing a Rainbodhi post on my public page, I received a barrage of spiteful messages from people saying that being queer was against the Buddha’s teachings and that queer people are “defective”, “deranged” and “sick”. (Yes, again, from “Buddhists”)
A few other experiences from our Rainbodhi groups in the last few months:
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Rainbodhi Singapore won a national Buddhist prize for a project proposal but the sponsor refused to provide the prize money because it would “make more people LGBT”
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Rainbodhi Poland received toxic trolling from Buddhists after advertising their inaugural event
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Rainbodhi España posts shared to Buddhist groups on FB were declined for being “political”
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Rainbodhi Naarm (Melbourne) keeps their events private because of concerns of anti-trans vigilante protestors disrupting their sessions.
Recent interviews with queer Buddhists by Dr Stephen Kerry for the Australian LGBTQIA Buddhist Research Project showed that our community regularly experiences harmful ignorance and prejudice in Australian spiritual communities, including being told their identity is inconsistent with Buddhist teachings, and being silenced about queer issues.
Unfortunately, similar things are experienced by our queer Buddhist family around the world.
We are Stronger Together
That’s why Rainbodhi exists; we provide a safe and inclusive place where every part of people’s identity is welcomed, affirmed and loved. We do this together so that people don’t have to face these things alone. As a community we can confront and overcome these challenges collectively, supporting each other to walk on the spiritual path.
Support Rainbodhi's Work
Organisations like Rainbodhi can only exist with the goodwill and support of our community members. It’s what gives us purpose and makes us strong.
In the past, support from queer Buddhist and allies around the world enabled Rainbodhi to produce and distribute our resource, Welcoming the Rainbow. It’s now been translated into five languages. The booklet played a large role in helping Rainbodhi grow into an international organisation. The generosity our community has shown in the past has truly gone a long way!
This year, Rainbodhi is raising funds through GiveOUT Day, a day of philanthropy for LGBTQIA community organisations.
Help Rainbodhi continue to provide events, resources, and advocacy for LGBTQIA+ Buddhists around the world by donating or sharing our fundraiser
Donations to Rainbodhi will be doubled by GiveOUT.
Visit our fundraiser page below
(Fundraiser posted with permission)
Positive and supportive comments only thank you