The concept of Oneness is at the core of the Sikh tradition. Most commonly this is espoused as seeing everybody equally without discrimination. However when it comes to the issue of sexual preference, we find ourselves less accepting and instead we begin to draw lines in the sand in terms of what we feel is correct or incorrect.
In reality Guru Nanak Dev Ji had a very different approach to humanity. The Guru introduced concept of Ik right at the beginning of Gurbani. To describe this concept as ‘equality’ does not do it justice. This is a much deeper understanding of what makes us alive, and what links each and every one of us. In essence, the Guru describes everything as One. Duality - the method through which we begin to divide the word into distinctions - is the root cause of ego and therefore the root cause of human suffering. To say that one person is separate to another is to misunderstand Ik. To say that you identify an individual based on their differing sexuality is to use one’s own dualistic intellect to override the very fundamentals of Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s message.
In fact in terms of spirituality, sexual preference is irrelevant. It is neither good nor bad. It simply is. It exists, whether we like it or not. How we feel about other people’s sexual preferences is completely irrelevant to their existence. We can kid ourselves by saying that a particular type of sexuality is against Sikhi, but to do so is utterly pointless. Not only does this attitude highlight our own lack of understanding of Sikhi, it is an attitude which has absolutely no spiritual value. You are not going to find the Oneness within yourself by saying that part of that Oneness should not exist.
The Guru does not exclude any individual group from Gurbani’s message. In fact the message crosses the boundaries of sexual preference, gender, and even religion. The message is about something much bigger than all of these things and we are in grave danger of missing the point.
Let’s be clear. By the mere fact it exists, homosexuality is part of Ik and part of Hukam. The Guru advises us to see the world as One and to flow with the tide of Hukam.
Who are we to argue?