The answer is emphatically "Yes!" Gay men can do sādhanā. This swami does not care one little bit whether it is dicks or tits that catch your eye. Somebody who is attracted to men is no less entitled to experiencing the nature of the common Self of all. This Self is theirs as much as it is anybody elses'. We are all equally the manifestations of That.
It is not sex in itself - homosexual or otherwise - that is sinful. The fundamental error - that of all individuals who do not know themselves as the Self of all - is the seeking of happiness outside of the Self. When your awareness is fully trained on the Self, the ever-present bliss of jñāna utterly outshines the appeal of transitory pleasures of the world (although they are but a piece of That). At this level of realization, bumping uglies is not high on one's list of priorities. Sexual orientation is irrelevant because the goal is beyond distinctions of male and female, or one who is doing things to another. It is irrelevant because sex naturally falls away from one's life at a certain point in their development.
So how to reach this point? Sādhanā. And even if the goal isn't fully realized in this life, "Even a little of this yoga is never wasted," As Krishna reminds us in the Bhagavad Gītā. This swami can tell you from experience that any spiritual practice that you engage in whole-heartedly will make your life better in whatever way is appropriate for you. Scriptures tell us that anyone who dies prior to mokṣa, but while engaged in sādhanā, will be granted an even more auspicious birth in the next life.
Therefore, let those who hunger eat their fill. The time to search for God is precisely that moment that one is stricken with a longing to know Him/Her. One need not wait until they can abandon their home to go live in the woods. One need not wait until one feels worthy. The longing to know God is the sole standard by which to measure one's worthiness. "Ask and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened to you." So said Jesus. Let no one dissuade you from finding abiding happiness in the one place that it is possible to find it. It is yours if you will but claim it. Let us not waste time. Make use of your auspicious human birth!
I welcome you with great love and great respect. OM Nāmo Nāyrāyaṇa!
Your own,
Swami Anantananda Giri
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