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Wei-ming temple
Taoist LGBT temple in Taiwan From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Wei-ming temple (Chinese: 威明堂; pinyin: Wēi míngtáng),[1] also known as Rabbit Temple, is a Taoist temple in New Taipei City, Taiwan dedicated to Tu'er Shen (lit. "The Rabbit God"), a Chinese deity associated with gay love and sex.[2]
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History
Founded by Taoist priest Lu Wei-ming in 2006, the shrine is explicitly welcoming to gay congregants, and draws about 9,000 attendees per year.[2] According to Wei-ming, the temple is the only shrine in the world dedicated to homosexuals, and has stated that his intent in creating the shrine was to create a welcoming place for a demographic subject to ostracism. While praying to the gods for a lover is a traditional Taoist custom, the Wei-ming temple's focus on sexuality is distinct, and a symbol of queer identity in Taiwanese society.[2][3] The temple has been the target of sporadic protests by Taiwan's small Christian community,[2] with a priest attempting to perform an exorcism of the shrine on one occasion.[4] In recent years, the temple has received an increase in visitors, mainly well-wishers of the god Tu'er Shen.[5]
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References
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