Image of Guru Nanak speaking to Sheikh Saraf, a cross-dressing Sufi Pir in Baghdad. Source: B40 Janamsakhi

Using the words 'religion' and 'sexuality' in the same sentence could very well ruffle many feathers as we speak. However, a recent book, I Am Divine, So Are You (HarperCollins) makes an attempt to arrive at a middle ground. Mentored and edited by mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik and Jerry Johnson, this book chronicles "How Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and Hinduism affirm the dignity of queer identities and sexualities". The book explores the teachings of Indian faiths as recorded in its scriptures, mythologies, rituals, practices, and temple carvings and articulates the fundamental principles of liberalism, compassion, humility, and diversity that lie at the core of Indian religions, thereby showing how they can be seen as affirming the rights and dignity of queer individuals.