For years, people have lived in a world where perception and actions toward homosexuality are largely influenced by the ripple effects of colonial rule. What many do not realize is that the majority of places that were colonized once nurtured cultures that embraced diverse expressions of love and gender.
We still live in the shadows of a colonial moral code, which leads us to question how much of our prejudice against homosexuality is derived from colonial groups who sought to control not only lands far and wide but also the identities of those living within them.
To begin, it is important to understand the cultural significance that homosexual relationships and diverse expressions of gender had on areas of the world before they were colonized. By observing this, we can begin to paint a picture of what to do next.
When speaking of colonialism, we must delve into the history of Africa, a place largely impacted by European colonialism.
Contrary to popular belief, homosexual relationships were not brought over to Africa by Europe during colonial times. Rather, there is a rich history of diverse gender and sexual expression within Africa before the colonial era.
One can see this in action by looking at the practice of African cosmology. There is an extremely close relationship between sexuality and spirituality in African cosmology, most easily observable in the spiritual powers associated with each sex. This opens the door to the idea of “gendered men” and “gendered women,” as well as their association with certain spiritual forces.
For example, a man who exhibited spiritual forces that were perceived as more feminine could be considered a “gendered woman.”
In pre-colonial northern Congo, it was common for Azande warrior-men to temporarily marry other men, who operated as “temporary wives.” This practice was normalized and was even operated similarly to marriage between a man and a woman. Often, a “bride price” was paid for these men, too.
Another culture that expressed diverse gender and sexual orientations before colonization was that of Native Americans.
Some may be familiar with the Native American identity known as “two-spirit,” an identity in which the person combined the activities of both men and women and was recognized as their own distinct gender within their tribes.
Often, these two-spirit people formed same-sex relationships with other members of their tribe. They were considered to be lucky in love and were supposedly able to pass this luck on to others.
During colonial times in both Africa and the Americas, European colonizers significantly impacted the cultural landscapes of the areas in which they conquered. In Africa, many countries would not recognize marriage between people of the same sex, and same-sex relationships became taboo.
Native American groups lost touch with their roots in gender expression and sexuality as the United States urged them to assimilate to live comfortably with their conquerors. Recently, there has been some controversy within tribes, urging them to allow same-sex marriages again.
Knowing this, what can we do to begin to stray away from these colonial concepts?
One of the most important ways to begin this journey is to educate people on the history of queerness in cultures across the world. This combats the notion that being queer is unnatural, as humans across time have expressed their gender and sexuality in different ways.
To combat stigma, we must create safe spaces for open conversation about sexuality and gender, particularly in regions where these colonial notions still prevail.
College is the perfect place to begin to expand the horizons of people across the world. NC State offers courses that detail the history of both Africa and pre-colonial America, as well as the impact that colonialism had on both places.
Courses such as HI 419: Modern European Imperialism detail the worldwide impact of European intervention in other countries. It is also possible to take courses in the Anthropology department that detail Native American culture, such as ANT 310: Native Peoples and Cultures of North America.
By taking these courses, students can further understand the cultural impact of colonialism.
Before colonial times, cultures across the world promoted and uplifted diverse expressions of gender and sexual orientation. This came to a screeching halt as European colonialism forced Western ideologies that promoted harmful conceptions toward those who deviated from heteronormativity.
In order to break this cycle, we must work to understand each other, our rich history of gender expression and sexual orientation and work together to squash these preconceived notions of homophobia that are so deeply entrenched in our societies.
