Illustration/Devdutt Pattanaik

In Greek mythology, there are many stories of homosexual love: where men love men, and women love women. Apollo falls in love with Hyacinthus, while his sister Artemis drives Callisto away when she lets a man make her pregnant. In Hindu mythology, we don’t find such stories. But we do find tales of transgenders: men turning into women, women turning into men. Vishnu becomes a damsel and Shiva becomes half-woman. So while Greek mythology reveals a comfort with queer sexuality (invisible feelings), Hindu mythology reveals a comfort with queer gender (visible body).