Queer In: Mythology
A lot of my art is about queering spaces, and I think an important aspect of that is looking to the past and acknowledging that queer has always been present in pockets of history that we can salvage. It’s easy to forget that the definitions of ‘heterosexual’ and ‘homosexual’ were only defined as we know them today in the late 19th century. There have been many points throughout human history and across all cultures when sexual identity and gender were much more fluid than recent history would portray.
It is relatively hard to find detailed information on queer figures in ancient mythology. After all, history is dictated by those in power, it is their story and such queer figures have been marginalized or eradicated all together, being a threat to a world that has been dominated by patriarchal societies. I feel mythology plays an important role in our collective consciousness. It is important for LGBTQ+ people to see themselves represented in mythology and history as powerful deities, as ‘imago dei’. Too often religion is associated with negativity for queer people. It has rejected us, made us feel weak, as though there is something inherently wrong with us. It is easy to forget that the 2000 or so years such religions have dominated the world is the equivalent of a small thread in the rich tapestry of mythology across millennia. And this is not to be overlooked; although western society is now largely secular, this is a very recent development and religious teachings and beliefs still form the groundwork for our sociological values- we cannot ignore, for example, the atrocities that still take place in America in conversion centers in the name of religion (just one example close to home of how secular societies are still plagued by archaic systems).
There may not be a fluffy gay rabbit up in the clouds watching over all of us, but these figures, symbolically, can empower us and remind us that we have a special place in the world. Every month i’m going to illustrate a different mythological figure that represents a section of the LGBTQ+ community. If you have any suggestions for the next one, please leave a comment below. Its time to queer up history and repopulate our iconography with some cute, good old diversity. So, with no further ado, my first mythological figure:
Click to enlarge
Tu’er Shen 兔兒神
Tu’er Shen was once a human man named Hu Tianbao who was in love with a handsome imperial inspector of the Fujian Province. He longed for him secretly, and often watched him from afar. One day, Hu Tianbao was caught spying on the inspector through a hole in the bathroom wall, and the attraction he had tried to keep secret was revealed. The inspector, disgusted, had Hu Tianbao sentenced to a painful death by beating. Upon his death, the underworld officials took pity on him, as his crime was one of love. They corrected the injustice by deifying him, making him the guardian of all homosexual affections. Tu’er Shen later appeared to a man in his hometown in a dream, and afterwards the man built a shrine devoted to the rabbit god. This shrine was to be a safe heaven for homosexual couples who were persecuted for their sexuality.