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"At FEZANA (Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America), we would love to share the opinions and voices of our community and our young adults. At times the fine line between opinion and academic interpretation of texts and statements thereof gets blurred. Our intention is always to do the right thing, for the organization, its members and the community at large,” noted a clarification from FEZANA president Arzan Wadia to explain why one of the posts was removed from the feature on "The Rainbow Fravahar: Stories Of The Community: Love Out Loud with Pride” that appeared in the FEZANA Bulletin of July 2021. The feature included a series of articles by some LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, plus) Zoroastrians curated by Maya Joshi, a member of the Zoroastrian Youth of North America, a FEZANA committee.
One of the posts "just stops short of calling Asho Zarathushtra a homosexual because in the Hom Yasht our Prophet is complimenting the angelic form of Hom Yazad.  Such nonsense is abhorrent to many, if not most, members of our community and we in FEZANA should definitely not be propagating such thoughts, otherwise you will be alienating a large section of the community,” complained Ervad Jal Birdy of California.

 

 

 

 

 

According to Birdy, "Our Avesta, Pahlavi and Pazand texts categorically castigate all unnatural sexual activity in the strongest possible terms and here we are openly propagating and even celebrating such irreligious practices… The last time I checked the FEZANA constitution, we are not supposed to veer outside the religious or charitable bounds and we should not be jumping on board with any irreligious activity going on in the country at large. We know that gay people do exist in our community, some of whom may even be our friends, but they have never tried to justify their choices by misrepresenting our religion. Expressing one-sided opinions on social issues like this one only fractures the community and should be avoided at all costs. Moreover, FEZANA risks losing its credibility and neutrality with its members… I hope you will find the above in the spirit in which it is written, i.e. not as a criticism but something we all must be cognizant of when putting out.”
Yet another disapproval was voiced by Ervad Zarrir Bhandara, officiating priest of California, who wrote: "We respect and accept LGBTQ individuals, but that does not mean that any individual can manipulate our revered scriptures and thereby disrespect our religious sentiments by demeaning our prophet, which is not acceptable. Our prophet has been given the status of Yazata, a spiritual being worthy of worship… therefore, it is not right to reduce his existence to that of just a physical being.”
Even more critical was Ervad Hoshang Bhadha who stated, "Shame on those FEZANA officials who have encouraged these writers and their radical viewpoints defaming our Prophet Zarathushtra and divinities of our religion… Those who prefer to be a part of the melting-pot of acceptance of such radical viewpoints, I suggest you resign from your religious institution anywhere in the world… When it comes to our community, it is our primary responsibility to defend our identity, faith and beliefs, and to all ervads… we have a religious responsibility above anything to support Zarathosti daena…”
Joshi noted that she "started the Pride Project 2021 because queer Zoroastrians need to know that not only are we not alone, we have a whole community within the religious community who we can relate to and share our unique struggles with…  We must all recommit ourselves to the Zoroastrian values of education, compassion, truth, light and love. We must choose to better our understanding and acceptance of our world and the lovely people in it, and fight for the justice and equality that all human beings find so dear to us.
"Now, in 2021, there are plenty of examples of successful queer Zoroastrians, from influential gay poets and award winning lesbian astrophysicists to gay mobeds who do drag and respected college professors… But are we accepted?... Will the same people who came to my navjote come to the wedding if there are two brides and no groom? I have to hope that they will, that other Zoroastrians outside of my loving family will celebrate my love and life no matter the gender of the person I join it to. Because the other option is that the religion I believe in and love with all my heart is hateful and divisive, and not at all the virtuous source of truth, love and light I’ve always thought of it as.”
Joshi curated the voices of some queer Zoroastrians from around the world who reflected on the intersection of religiosity and queerness. All three of them reiterated that "embracing” their sexuality has made them more Zoroastrian. A gay doctor from Bombay remembered that as an adolescent he had turned to prayers to resolve his homosexuality. "When I saw that my prayers weren’t being answered, I almost cut off with everything Zoroastrian from my life and became a rebel… Over time I found other Parsi LGBTQ members and started to exchange stories and life experiences. When I told my parents finally, they were a little taken aback but they bounced right back and support me wholly. Soon after this I started my spiritual journey again, this time to find my place in this community as a gay Zoroastrian. Around that time I found the Zoroastrian LGBT-Straight Alliance group. When, during the World Zoroastrian Youth Congress in 2019, the first LGBTQ discussion panel was held, I stayed up late all night just to watch it…Soon I found myself on a journey to help other young Zoroastrians, who like me are feeling lost and want a safe space to speak their mind. I created an LGBTQ group on Facebook called QueerZ … I hope someday I find a nice Zoroastrian guy who I can marry and raise our kids within this very faith.”
For Fereshteh Dinaz Balsara, "Being Zoroastrian and being gay are not mutually exclusive. After all, being Zoroastrian is a way of life, a way of thinking, a way to exist. Propagating good in the world; seeking the truth… My relationship with Ahura Mazda strengthened as I reasoned and struggled and accepted my own reality… Ahura Mazda gave me this family, this religion, this mind and this body. Where is the contradiction between my sexual orientation or gender expression and our religion?”
Almithra Daroga commented, "Our faith has always taught us that compassion, kindness and love for others is of the utmost importance… I have always appreciated that our religion allows us to practice free will. I feel as though this has created a safe environment for LGBTQ+ Zoroastrians to practice our faith… At first I was terrified. I didn’t know how being bisexual would affect me… Many religions spoke harshly about the issue. They preached on its wrongness and said that people who identify within that community had no place in the religion… I realized that I did not feel as though I would be treated that way. Instead, I felt that while some in our community may disagree with who I am, I would still be welcome to practice the religion… I have come to be proud of my sexual identity as I am how Ahura Mazda made me to be. It has taught me to be a more accepting and understanding human being. I now know that I can live as my true self and still be strong in my faith with a community that supports me.”