Share

World's only shrine for gays in Taipei

accreditation
Lanterns in a Chinese temple from Shutterstock
Lanterns in a Chinese temple from Shutterstock


A young man sporting a rainbow pendant stands before the altar of the Wei-ming temple on the outskirts of Taipei, holding aloft a football-sized box full of prayers written on pieces of paper.

A priest sets the box ablaze, reciting Taoist chants as it burns to ashes. Flames leap up in quick bursts, an apparent sign that the Rabbit God has received his adherent's petitions.

Watching over homosexuals

Wei-ming temple is a house of Taoist worship with a twist – almost all of its congregants are gay. The shrine, down a narrow alleyway in a bustling district of New Taipei City, is dedicated to a deity who has watched over homosexuals for four centuries.

"In Chinese history, 'rabbit' was a derogatory term for homosexuals," said Lu Wei-ming, who founded the temple in 2006, at a time gays were excluded from most religious ceremonies.

Lu, who has taken a vow of celibacy and declined to answer questions about his sexuality, said he wanted to create a welcoming environment for a flock that had long been ostracized.

Image: Taoist priest Lu Wei-ming at the shrine of the Rabbit God in Taipei. Photo: Ho Yi, Taipei Times.


gay

"This was a group with no one to look after them, and I wanted to fill that void," said the 28-year-old priest, adding that Wei-ming is the world's only shrine for homosexuals.

Initiation over, Lu poured a small cup of rice wine on the smouldering ashes of the devotee's prayers.

"Rabbit God loves this kind of liquor," he said.

Pleasing the deity could lead to a match made in heaven. The nearly 9,000 people who seek Lu's counsel each year have one common goal – to find a suitable partner.

Read:Straight, gay or bi?

Space for queer people

A expert on Taiwanese culture said it's a Taoist precept to beseech the gods for a lover, but not usually of the same sex.

"What's interesting about this temple is that sexuality is particularly marked," said DJ Hatfield, a visiting scholar at Taiwan's National Taitung University. "It signifies that there's an emerging public space for queer people in Taiwan."

Read: Docs still trying to cure gays

Liberal attitudes have led to the flourishing of gay culture on the island nation, with Taiwan's parliament debating a bill that would make it Asia's first to legalize same-sex marriage.

Lu said mainstream Taoist society remains stuck in a conservative mindset, although the most vocal opposition to Wei-ming temple has come from members of Taiwan's small yet active Christian community.

Lu described instances of Christian activists protesting in front of the temple, including one pastor who attempted to perform an exorcism before the altar of the Rabbit God.

Read more:

What makes people gay

Uganda drops gay death penalty
Kids adopted by gay couples thrive

Image: Lanterns in Chinese temple from Shutterstock

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE