Jainism isn’t some exclusive, members-only club. At its core, this faith rejects hierarchies, defines the soul (jīva) by consciousness rather than by the body, and demands radical nonviolence (ahiṃsā). These principles were never meant to prop up oppressive norms; they were meant to dismantle them.
Yet over the centuries, through colonial influence, Brahmanical patriarchy, caste-based discrimination, and capitalist pressures, many Jain institutions have strayed from this liberatory essence. They often exclude queer and trans people, ignore caste injustices, and reduce ahiṃsā to a narrow question of personal diet. This is not “tradition.” It’s a distortion.
Exclusion is the import, not queerness
For anyone claiming Jainism only acknowledges two genders, the scriptures say otherwise. The Tattvārtha Sūtra (2.8) defines the soul by consciousness (upayoga), not by the body. If the soul is defined by consciousness rather than by sex, why would Jain institutions cling to binary norms? The same sūtra (2.50–52) recognizes three sexes, male, female, and napuṃsaka (neuter or mixed): hell-beings and spontaneously generated beings are napuṃsaka, gods are not, and every other being may be any of the three. This is not a modern innovation; it’s fundamental to Jain philosophy. The sūtra assigns sex partly by kind of being, but it counts three, and Jain texts never insisted on a rigid gender binary.
When contemporary communities claim queerness is a “Western import,” they’re ignoring their own scriptural heritage.
The exclusion of queer, trans, and other marginalized groups within Jain circles didn’t happen spontaneously. Colonial administrations imposed strict binary gender norms, policing sexuality and criminalizing queer behavior, and Jain communities, like many others, internalized these oppressive frameworks, often mistaking them for “tradition.” Jainism originally challenged caste-based oppression and patriarchal structures, yet over centuries, cultural blending and social pressures led many Jain communities to adopt the very Brahmanical hierarchies they were supposed to oppose. An obsession with wealth, status, and “respectability” has made some Jain institutions more interested in social clout than spiritual integrity, and queer and lower-caste Jains suffer the brunt of that exclusion.
A once-radical tradition that preached equality and nonviolence has too often devolved into a gatekeeper of normative respectability.
Ahiṃsā is more than a diet plan
Many Jains reduce ahiṃsā to personal dietary choices (vegetarianism or veganism). While these can be valid expressions of nonviolence, ahiṃsā demands so much more. Excluding queer and trans Jains from rituals or forcing them into heteronormative marriages is violence, plain and simple; harm isn’t limited to physical acts. If ahiṃsā truly means no harm, then tolerating systemic poverty, caste-based discrimination, or exploitative labor is hypocritical. Jain ethics warn against parigraha (attachment), yet many wealthy Jain donors invest in industries that ravage the planet. That is not nonviolence; it’s complicity in large-scale harm.
“All living beings wish to live. None should be harmed.”
—Ācārāṅga Sūtra (1.2.3)
If we take this seriously, dismantle every institution, norm, and system that perpetuates suffering, even when it’s not as simple as changing what’s on our plate. Jainism Began as a Refusal of Wealth and Power traces how patronage shrank ahiṃsā to personal conduct and argues for extending it to structural violence.
Reform the institutions or build new ones
- Inclusive Leadership: Temples, monastic orders, and community boards must open their ranks to queer and trans Jains as equal leaders and decision-makers, and nothing less.
- Overhaul Gender Norms: Dismantle gender-segregated rituals and patriarchal language that contradict a soul defined by consciousness rather than by sex.
- Lay-Led Sanghas: Form local or virtual study groups that interpret Jain teachings through a justice-oriented lens.
- Queer-Affirming Rituals: Conduct ceremonies that honor diverse identities, including those historically erased or sidelined.
- Intersectional Activism: Link Jain principles with anti-caste, anti-capitalist, and environmental movements to drive real change.
Refuse any compromise on inclusion. If mainstream institutions won’t change, start new communities. Starting new communities betrays nothing; it returns Jainism to its original spirit. Any Jain practice excluding marginalized people is a hollow performance of Jainism.
A Jainism worth fighting for
Right-wing nationalism (Hindutva) tries to subsume Jain identity under a majoritarian, anti-minority agenda. That’s a direct contradiction of Jainism’s core ethics. Similarly, unchecked capitalism exploits both humans and the environment, clashing with the Jain ideals of non-harm and moderation. If you value nonviolence, you can’t support an ideology that demonizes Muslims, Dalits, or other marginalized groups. If you believe in non-attachment, you must oppose the glorification of billionaires and profit-at-any-cost policies. Jainism should stand with the oppressed and refuse any part in their oppression.
Today, Jain communities stand at a crossroads: either they live up to the radical potential of their own scriptures, or they continue hiding behind a distorted notion of “tradition” that serves the powerful.
Jain philosophy defines the soul by consciousness, and I take that to mean a soul unbounded by gender. To deny anyone’s spiritual worth because of their gender identity or sexual orientation is heresy against the faith’s most basic tenets. We can either push existing institutions to reform or create new, inclusive communities ourselves.
Jainism belongs to everyone who recognizes that no being’s suffering is acceptable. If you claim to follow this tradition yet won’t stand by the queer, the trans, the Dalit, the laborer, the exploited, then admit you’re not practicing ahiṃsā.
Because real Jainism is about fighting harm in all its forms. It’s about challenging every system that profits from another’s pain. It’s about living with integrity, not just reciting ancient verses.
That Jainism deserves our defense. Let’s honor that, or stop pretending this faith still stands for liberation.
For further reading, I recommend Jainism-Says.