#LGBTQ Orthodox Jews

[ask-a-queer-jew]

Today is Yom Kippur

Shout out to all the queer Jews who have to explain this holiday to their queer friends.

Shout out to all the queer Jews who have friends that respond with laughter, or calling fasting child abuse, or asking why you even bother.

Shout out to all the queer Jews who feel conflicted over this holiday.

Shout out to all the queer Jews forced to participate (you deserve to make your own choices).

Shout out to all the queer Jews who are in traditional communities, and will read in tomorrow's torah reading that being queer is wrong

Shout out to all the queer Jews who feel the need to repent for their queerness (you are perfect the way you are).

Shout out to all the queer Jews who are tired of lying, and tired of repenting for lying.

Shout out to all the queer Jews who can only think of all the times and all the people they are lying to every time they read Al Chet (על חטא)

Shout out to all the queer Jews who think of how many less sins they'd commit if only they weren't queer.

Shout out to all the queer Jews who do not feel safe today.

Shout out to all the queer Jews who do not know if or when they will ever feel safe on Yom Kippur.

You are all accepted here. You deserve a voice. My DMs are open if you need someone to talk to. This holiday can be challenging, but you will make it through.

[my-jewish-life]

Now it's finally up and live!

Welcome to my Jewish Discord Server, Tikkun Olam! Me and a friend wanted to create a safe space for Jewish people after October 7th. After a while we finally were able to create it. Some things are still being worked on but feel free to join^^

[tamamita]

I've been hearing a lot of Zionists claim that Neturei Karta is an anti-lgbtq group (see pink-washing, homonationalism), and while it's obvious, considering they're well... Ultra-orthodox Jews, it doesn't matter, because even if we consider the most progressive of Jewish organizations, like Jewish voices for peace, they're still being accused of being self-hating Jews or out-right defamed as non-Jews, so Zionists don't really discriminate between Anti-Zionist Jews. As long as you're a Jewish person who is against the settler state, they'll look consider you their enemy.

Lastly, who cares what a Zionist has to say, they support a genocide.

[scrumpster]

LGBTQ+ Jewish Resources and Organizations

Happy Pride! Here's a few links I've collected to hopefully reach whoever in the Jewish community may need them. If you're considering donating a bit of money or volunteer time this Pride, please consider looking into these efforts (at your own discretion, as many of these may be local to specific areas). Please feel free to add on to this list, and any queer Jews reading are welcome to link their personal donation posts in the comments.

The SMQN, an organization for LGBTQ+ Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews

Keshet, a group for LGBTQ+ Jews

JQY, a group for LGBTQ+ Jews with a focus on those in Orthodox communities

Queer Jews of Color Resource List (note: this list is way more than just resources, there’s a LOT of helpful stuff in here) JQ International: In their own words, "JQ celebrates the lives of LGBTQ+ Jews and their allies by transforming Jewish communities and ensuring inclusion through community building, educational programs, and support and wellness services, promoting the healthy integration of LGBTQ+ and Jewish identities."

Ritualwell (check out their blessings related to gender identity!) 

Guimel, an LGBTQ+ support group for the Jewish Community in Mexico. The site is in Spanish. I’m not a native speaker, but I was still able to read a little bit of it. 

SVARA: In their own words, “SVARA’s mission is to empower queer and trans people to expand Torah and tradition through the spiritual practice of Talmud study.”

TransTorah is definitely an older website, but there are still some miscellaneous pdfs and resources up on the “Resources” page.

SOJOURN: In their own words, "The Southern Jewish Resource Network for Gender & Sexual Diversity (SOJOURN) is the American South's resource for Jewish & LGBTQ+ programming, education, support, and advocacy."

[disgruntled-detectives]

A question for people who've been screaming at Jews for the past ten months. Pretend for a moment that you win. Pretend for a moment that Israel gets wiped off the map, and all 7 million Jews that live there either get displaced or murdered. Pretend for a second that you win. Pretend Israel is gone. It's now just Palestine. Okay. Now what? What's your plan? I haven't seen a single "pro-Pal" discuss this. Your glorious revolution is over. You won. The evil Je...I mean (((zionists))) have been defeated. What comes next?

What's your next target? I'm super curious. The revolution machine surely must keep turning. It worked! There are other shitty right wing governments out there! And you've proven that screaming at random people on the street, defacing houses of worship, targeting businesses owned by people oceans away from the conflict and have nothing to do with it other than are all on the table. As well as gang raping twelve year old girls in France, stabbing random men on the street in NYC, screaming at young teenagers on trains, protesting hospitals, blocking and threatening and preventing college kids from entering their buildings on campuses are all on the table.

You won, after all. The evil (((colonizers))) have been defeated. So you've proven that all these tactics work. So what's next? Do you start graffitiing terrible slogans on Russian Orthodox churches here in the US? Do you go after Chinese restaurants owned by Chinese people? Why not? Their governments all have done and are currently *still doing* terrible things. And it worked last time. Do you start protesting at colleges, not allowing random Chinese students into the building? Accosting that barista because you heard what you think might be a Russian accent? How about your professor of Middle Eastern Studies that is from Iran. Do you demand he answer for his government's horrendous treatment of women and LGBTQ people? How about the local guy who you think may be from Turkey. Do you target his home? Stab him in the street? Gang rape his twelve year old daughter? No? Because that's horrible right? that would be wrong right? it's wrong to target random people who have nothing to do with their government's actions....right?

Right?

Then why is it okay for you to do all this to Jews?

Oh. Right. We know why.

[deconstructingchabad]

The Rebbe and LGBTQ Rights

Warning for: extreme homophobia, transphobia, conversion therapy, medicalizing language, etc etc

Chabad is nothing if not an expert in PR. Unlike other Chassidic factions, or, indeed, other Chareidi (what you might call "ultra-Orthodox") factions in general, Chabad has spent a lot of effort into disguising their true politically conservative views until you've already been sucked in. This had led to the very false belief, especially among younger generations who aren't so familiar with Orthodox Judaism as a whole, that Chabad is on the progressive side of Orthodoxy.

This couldn't be further from the truth.

While Chabad doesn't hold any views unique to Charedi Judaism with respect to the rights and respect of LGBTQ individuals, they have done a better job at hiding them.

You may think that perhaps this isn't such a bad thing- after all, isn't it a good thing that Chabad isn't picketing at Pride parades or outright throwing queer people out of their Chabad houses? And while of course it's good that Chabad isn't engaging in those types of homophobic and transphobic behavior, that doesn't mean that what Chabad does engage isn't just as harmful.

Chabad will be intentionally vague to outsiders about their true opinions of LGBTQ people, while in reality they fund and campaign for conservative political leaders and agendas and make life a living Hell for those unlucky enough to be born as queer into the movement.

Since Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, or 'The Rebbe' as he is better known, is the axial power within the Chabad movement (despite being dead for decades now), lets take a moment to unpack what he actually believed about LGBTQ people.

I (OP) am a transgender man. In January of this past year, I was lucky enough to be able to get a gender affirming double mastectomy, something that I had been yearning for for years and something that I, seven months later, still do not regret. But the months leading up to my surgery were fraught with emotional battles with my parents, who are deeply involved in the Chabad movement. They felt that what I was doing was wrong and went against, if not Judaism as a whole, then their values within Chabad. As part of my parents' attempts to dissaude me from continuing my medical transition, my mother sent me a letter the Rebbe had written to a seemingly trans (if not, at least, gender questioning) individual. Followers of the Chabad movement place immense value onto responsa letters by the Rebbe, even to the point of almost placing as much value on them as Torah, so it was no surprise that my parents held this letter, written in 1985, to such a high pedestal and as something to base their current beliefs upon.

Here is the scan my mother sent to me:

RABBI MENACHEM M SCHNEERSON Lubavitch 770 Eastern Parkway Brooklyn, NY 1123 493-9250 Mr. Chabad of Northern California 2340 Piedmont Ave. Berkeley, Ca. 94704 Greeting and Blessing: By the Grace of G-d 22nd of Av, 5745 Brooklyn, N.Y. This is to acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 7th of Av. There is surely no need to point out to you at length that one of the basics of our Torah, Toras Chaim, is that Hashem is the Creator and Master of the Universe, whose benevolent Providence extends to each and everyone individually, and that He is the Essence of Goodness, and it is in the nature of the Good to do good, particularly in regard to our Jewish people, to whom. he has given His Torah, Toras Chaim, of which it is stated that it is "our life and the length of our days," together with its Mitzvoth whereby Jews live. As you know, and indicate also in your letter, there are Mitzvoth which apply to Jewish males, and those that apply to Jewish females, and the distinction in regard to the fulfillment of the Mitzvoth, is a far-reaching one. In light of the above, it is not clear why you should want to interfere with HaShem's blessings and contemplate a change of sex; especially as it would immediately bring in complications regarding Torah and Mitzvoth, even assuming that there would be no problems in other areas. And since this is quite plain and understandable, there is no need to elaborate on it. As for your writing that you have sometimes had the desire to have been born a female, etc. it is not surprising that a human being cannot understand the ways of HaShem, Who surely knows what is best for every individual. If it is somewhat troublesome to you, it would be advisable that you However, if this desire should talk things over with a Torah-observant psychologist. I suggest that you should have your Tefillin checked to make sure they are Kosher. With blessing,, M. Schneerson

And here is a letter from 1986 that is often shared around that is the Rebbe's response to a man "struggling with homosexuality":

RABBI MENACHEM M. SCHNEERSON Lubavitch 770 Eastern Parkway Brooklyn. N. Y. 11213 493-9250 By the Grace of G-d 25th of Shevat, 5746 Brooklyn, N. Y. Greeting and Blessing: This is to acknowledge receipt of your letter of Jan. 26th, in which you write about a serious problem. As requested, I will remember you in prayer for the fulfillment of your heart's desires for good. While all blessings come from HaShem, a Jew is expected to do what is necessary in the natural order. In the matter of the said problem, you surely know that there are doctors and psychiatrists who treat it, and have been successful in many cases. I know of a number of cases of people who had this problem but eventually overcame it, married and raised a family. While on this topic, I would like to clear up a misconception that has led some individuals into confusion and wrong conclusions. The misconception stems from the argument that since some individuals are born with this problem, it must be a "natural" thing; hence it cannot be designated as a wrong, or a sin, and there is therefore no need to do anything to change it, or at any rate, it is not a serious problem at all. That this approach is entirely without foundation can be seen from the fact that the Torah (called Toras Chaim and Toras Emes because it is our true guide in the everyday life) declares that to indulge in it, or even to dwell on it mentally, is a grave transgression of HaShem's commandment. Hence, it is also clear that the problem is controllable, for if it were beyond human control, HaShem would not have made it a sin. The fact that the problem may largely be congenital does not alter the situation. Every day children are born with particular natures and innate tendencies or drives, some of them good and some of them bad. This is why human being have to be trained and educated, so as to develop and strengthen the positive characteristics and eliminate the bad ones. The Creator endowed human beings with the capacity to improve, indeed even to change, their "natural" (i.e. inmate) traits. A case in point is kleptomania. It is generally recognized that kleptomania is a very compulsive drive. But no one will suggest that because it is probably inborn and extremely difficult to resist, the kleptomaniac should be told that it is okay for him to steal, or that there is nothing he can, or should, do about it, and so on. Similarly in the case of one who is born with a drive to destroy things, or with a quarrelsome or aggressive nature, or with a propensity to cheat or lie, or any other inmate trait that is considered reprehensible. No normal society would declare that since one was born that way, one should be allowed to go through life according to his natural desires and tendencies. Such an

attitude will help neither the individual, nor the society. On the contrary, everything should be, and is, done to help individuals to overcome their neurological problems, whatever they may be. Needless to say, the person who is afflicted with this or other neurological problems, may well ask, 'Why has HaShem created such a compulsive drive, which is in direct contradiction to His moral Code? Why has He afflicted me, who desires to comply fully with His commandments?" No human being can answer such questions, which only HaShem, the Creator, can answer. One observation that can be suggested in relation to the question, "Why me?" If an individual experiences a particularly difficult, or trying, situation, it may be assumed that HaShem has given him extraordinary powers to overcome the extraordinary difficulty. The individual concerned is probably unaware of his real inner strength; the trial may therefore be designed for the sole purpose of bringing out in the individual his hidden strength, which, after overcoming his problem, can be added henceforth to the arsenal of his revealed capacities, in order to utilize both for infinitely greater achievements for the benefit of himself, and others. Maimonides, the "Guide of the Perplexed" of his generation and of all subsequent generations, who was also acclaimed as the greatest physician of his time, declares in a well known passage in his famous Code, Mishneh Torah (Yad Hachazaka): "Every person has the option (power), if he so desires, to direct himself to do only good and be a Tzaddik, or, if he chooses, to follow the bad road and be a Rasha. Do not ever think that a person is predestined from birth to be a Tzaddik or Rasha. Nor is there any inner compulsion to make a choice, but one has the capacity to choose the right behavior, and it is entirely a matter of one's own will and determination" (Free translation from Hil. Teshuva, ch. 5. See it there at length). A final remark from the scientific viewpoint. To say that the human mind and neural system are unimaginably intricate, is to say the obvious. Only the Creator knows His handiwork. But the Creator has endowed the human mind with wonderful qualities to probe the mysteries of nature, to research and experiment and steadily gain more knowledge about himself and his physical and mental capacities. Considerable progress has been made by scientists in their studies of the brain cells and hormones. It is now clear that a wide range of human emotions and sensations can be stimulated artificially with the aid of electronic and biochemical techniques. It is now generally agreed that most, if not all, neurological disorders, including deviant sexual behavior, probably proceed from chemical(hormone) deficiencies or irregularities during the period of youth. Some neurological disorders are already being treated successfully in certain areas involving the neural system, and it is to be hoped that the range will expand and eventually include the whole spectrum of neurological disorders, both of individuals and of nations.

In the meantime, we can only put our trust in HaShem, and strengthen our adherence to the Torah and Mitzvoth, of which it is written, "They are our life and the length of our days." With blessing, M. Schneerson

With the above two letters, you can see the Rebbe recommending seeing a "Torah-observant psychologist" (this is a euphomism for conversion therapist, as you will see) to someone questioning their gender identity and comparing homosexuality to kleptomania and neurological disorders.

In 1987, the Rebbe was quoted as saying the following about homosexuality: (I had to dig a little to find this because. PR experts. But. Thank you so much to The Canadian Jewish News for reprinting his statements in 1987 and saving all their scans.)

"Any bill that proclaims that the 'rights' of these people must be protected and supported, should be seen for what it really is: It is taking away their right to be really protected (also -- from themselves); it is depriving these people of the vitally needed help! In simple physical terms it will bring even more suffering and pain to them, to their loved ones and to all society. Certainly all must be done to assure that this will not occur." "We are not dealing with the inalienable right of freedom of choice; we are not dealing with the innate and sacred, democratic right of free will; we are dealing with an issue of abnormality." ''In simple language, (homosexuality) is a sickness. And just because the patient proclaims he is normal does not make the malady any less dangerous." "there is no insult intended and no derogatory attitude suggested. . . . When a person is ill and someone volunteers to help him get well, there is no disrespect involved at all. "A special responsibility lies on the parents, educators and counselors to educate those afflicted . . . with a loving and caring attitude." When one acknowledges that homosexuality is destructive, he will realize "that it is no different from a child who is born with the tendency to tear out his hair or bang his head against the wall. But there is a very tragic difference in that this trait when practiced is much more devastating because it destroys both body and soul." "One person may stay only to lick the sugar and ' 'swear the pill is sweet." Another may come along and say: "I don't care if there is poison under the sugar, so long as I can enjoy the momentary pleasure of the sweetness .'.. . I don't care what the consequences will be." "Is it truly satisfying after the act? Or does it only provide momentary gratification . . . Are all his (or her) protestations about 'the great pleasure' and 'satisfaction' really true? Or has he Just been saying this for so long that now he is not willing, or is ashamed, to admit that he is wrong." -

Now, you may say that the Rebbe was only repeating what was the scientific and social consensus of the time, but homosexuality was officially removed from the DSM in 1973, over ten years before the Rebbe made his statements. The mid-1980s, when the Rebbe made these statements, were marked by the deaths of thousands upon thousands of Americans from the AIDS epidemic, and yet the Rebbe thought it appropriate to compare homosexuality to kleptomania or a poison pill. This isn't me singling the Rebbe out for his homophobia and transphobia- his ideas certainly weren't unique, especially among other fundementalist religious leaders- but I am holding him to a higher scrutiny because of the way in which the modern Chabad movement has attempted to whitewash his ideologies and market themselves as any less than the religious fundementalists that they are.

But what about the modern Chabad movement? Surely, even if modern adherents of Chabad didn't hold the Rebbe's words to such esteem as they do, perhaps the movement's ideologies have progresses with the times, and, dare I say it, modernized?

Well, they have. Sort of.

Any reference to homosexuality or gender divergence as being a disease has been virtually scrubbed from Chabad's public records (of course, this doesn't mean that the previously shared letters don't get passed around in private circles, such as the letter my mother sent to me in an attempt to dissuade me from persuing life-affirming medical intervention), but you can easily find what today's Chabad religious minds have to say with a quick little Google search:

"The issue is marriage. Marriage is, and always was, a religious idea: the idea that a relationship between a man and woman can be sanctioned as a holy union, as a partnership in which G‑d takes part. Does the California Supreme Court believe that their ruling will obligate G‑d to enter a relationship He does not condone? Marriage is not a civil institution; it is a religious one. The Court's intervention in this matter is, in my opinion, a dangerous precedent. This is a decision that should be left to the clergy." -Naftali Silberberg, 2008

"How do you navigate that journey? Thank G‑d, we have a Torah that provides a map, given to us by the One who gave us life. It tells us which desires we can embrace and elevate, which longings we can subdue and tame, and which we must reject or re-channel entirely. The Torah tells us unequivocally that the homosexual act is of that last category. Even if it burns inside for a lifetime, the best thing for you, for your health, and for your ultimate satisfaction in life is to subdue and re-channel that desire........ .......So yes, just as we don’t judge a fellow Jew for breaking Shabbat or eating non-kosher, so we don’t judge for the type of sexual life they are practicing and certainly not for the desires they never chose to have in the first place. In all cases, we look deeper, to the divine soul within. Encourage such people in the good things they are doing. Help them grow in the realms of Jewish practice and spirituality where they wish to grow. Let that soul shine." --Tzvi Freeman

It's pretty hard to find any official statements regarding LGBTQ issues made by Chabad because the devil works hard but Chabad's PR team works harder; however, I have the advantage of coming from within the community, and I know where to look.

So here are a few anecdotes from people such as myself, and what they've heard and dealt with due to Chabad:

(TW: extreme homophobia, sexual violence, conversion therapy)

Chabad is by no means a progressive branch of Orthodoxy. It is not unique in its queerphobia in comparison to other Orthodox Jewish movements, but it has spent a great deal of time and energy generating an illusion of being "milder" than other Charedi wings, when in reality it engages in just as much suppression and exclusion, even to the point of conversion therapy, as other Charedi groups do.

Just because you've seen that one photo circulating around Tumblr of a Chabad shliach putting Tefillin on a rainbow-flag caped individual does not change reality. A Chabad shliach putting Tefillin on an individual they view as undeniably a man (even if that person identifies as a woman or nonbinary, which they could have) is not the progressive win you think it is. It is no different from the refrain you hear from fundementalist Christian groups that preach to "love the sinner, hate the sin". They still view LGBTQ people as inherently sinners, whether they're doing so with a smile or not. And while I believe everyone is entitled to their beliefs, it is the deception that is most insidious to me, and young queer people have a right to know who it is they're endorsing when they endorse Chabad.

If you are in a similar situation as I once was, here are some resources:

JQY.org

Eshelonline.org

[hindahoney]

It’s odd. I grew up chabad but i’m gay. I don’t know what to do as i’m only 15, i’ve always been supportive of lgbtq but now i’m stuck (for the past 4 years) I want to keep judaism as much as possible but chabad or other orthodox movements aren’t accepting and i’m worried where i’ll find a community or if i’ll stay observant…i’m also kinda resentful of gender roles being pushed upon me ss i was always kind of feminine

There are orthodox communities who are more open than most people would think. Modern orthodox or open orthodox are for sure more accepting, and certainly in Israel. Chabad I'm not so sure, it really depends on the chabad couple. But there ARE orthodox communities who are more accepting. The good news is that even if it takes you some time to find a community you feel that you fit in, being gay does not prevent you from being observant or fulfilling any mitzvot. You can do everything anyone else does, even fulfilling the mitzvah of having children (adoption counts, and it's a man's mitzvah to fulfill, IF that's something you would want to do) and you have no obligation to enact gender roles in your home. That's a personal choice. So you don't have to choose between being gay or being observant.

There are also support networks of gay frum/orthodox Jews. Multiple actually, at least in the New York and LA area (though I'm sure any orthodox community would have one). They do shabbat meals and torah study together. Here is a link to an article about them.

You are not alone. For all of history there have been gay orthodox jews, whether they were open about it or not. People are becoming more accepting every day. Never for a second do I want you to feel ashamed or like you're defective or that anything is wrong with you just because your community isn't open. I'm also in a chabad community and attracted to women, though this doesn't get brought up or addressed in conversation much except by friends I trust, so I haven't faced any sort of discrimination in my community.

If you want to keep in touch, feel free to message me privately.

[schraubd]

Jews Against Jews Who Discriminate

This is an interesting story about a New Jersey kosher bakery who refused to bake rainbow-frosted cupcakes because the baker decided Pride-themed events violated his conception of Jewish values. This decision, in turn, has led to a furious backlash from the rest of the local Jewish community, who are livid that the baker is citing Jewish values as justification for homophobic discrimination:

Multiple rabbis have accused the baker of bigotry, and some local Jews are boycotting his shop. The area’s Jewish federation privately said it would stop buying from Mittel before publicly walking back its position. And Eshel, an advocacy group for LGBTQ Orthodox Jews and their families, announced an “ally training” in West Orange this coming Sunday in response to the incident.

[....] 

The issue blew up as other rabbis in the area learned about what happened and commented publicly.

“When we refuse basic Jewish services to members of our community who are articulating who they are, we are excluding and dividing,” wrote Robert Tobin, rabbi of the Conservative B’nai Shalom in West Orange, in a blog post on June 22. He highlighted the Conservative movement’s recent strides toward LGBTQ inclusion, and an interpretation of the Torah that holds “humans are created in the image of God with a variety of potential gender identities and with the possibility of gender fluidity.” Tobin also reportedly addressed the incident in a sermon, according to the New Jersey Jewish News.

David Vaisberg, senior rabbi at the independent Temple B’nei Abraham in Livingston, New Jersey, tweeted that he was “so disappointed” in the bakery, which is located in a strip mall next to a kosher Chinese restaurant.

“They make great baked goods but have shown themselves to be against the LGBTQ+ in canceling orders of rainbow baked goods in Pride month,” he wrote, adding that he was letting the bakery know why they had lost his business and advised followers to “please do the same.” 

This reminded me of a working paper I heard about from years back (which I don't believe has been published, unfortunately), where the author asked Jewish, Christian, and Muslim respondents to give their views regarding government accommodations for Jewish, Christian, or Muslim business owners who for religious reasons did not want to serve gay customers. The most fascinating finding, as I recall, was that Jews were least likely to support an accommodation if they were told it was a Jewish business seeking to discriminate.

At one level, that was a surprising finding -- we'd naturally expect Jews (like all other groups) to display some level of in-group bias, being more sympathetic to claims made by their coreligionists. But on another level, this result made perfect sense to me. Ask me in the abstract about whether business owners can claim a religious exemption from having to serve gay customers, and I'll generally answer no, but I'll acknowledge the important religious freedom and pluralism concerns blah blah blah. 

But if somebody asks to do that while carrying my flag and representing my people? Oh, hell no. Screw that guy. You get your ass back into line and stop embarrassing the tribe with your homophobic nonsense. And I suspect something similar is going on in this community of New Jersey Jews.

via The Debate Link https://ift.tt/MnOubxC

[probablyasocialecologist]

There are queer people in Palestinian society fighting for their freedom – check out the website of alQaws, one such organisation, which has existed for years now. AlQaws stresses that, before anything else, their organisation is part of the struggle for Palestinian freedom – as they put it, when a queer Palestinian goes through an Israeli checkpoint, the IDF doesn’t care about their sexuality. Queer Palestinians face Israeli bombardment in Gaza right now, face attacks on the West Bank right now. Missiles and settler attacks don’t bring them liberation. Claims that Palestinians experiencing homophobia find refuge in Israel don’t match up with reality either. Since 2018 Israel has defined itself as ‘the national home of the Jewish people’, making the second-class status of non-Jewish people clear. Palestinians from the West Bank can only enter Israel with a military permit. Al Jazeera reported last year that ‘Palestinians from the West Bank living on stay permits in Israel cannot get health or social benefits, cannot work in many professions, and until recently were not allowed to drive.’

[...]

What about ‘LGBT-friendly Israel’? Netanyahu’s ruling coalition includes United Torah Judaism, which back in June declared that the ‘LGBTQ community poses greater threat to Israel than Hezbollah or Hamas’. Vicious homophobia is a strong political current in Israel – increasingly so, as the religious right gains in influence. In 2015, an Israeli settler attacked Jerusalem Pride, stabbing three marchers and killing 16-year-old Shira Banki. Reactionary views on sexuality and marriage in Israel go far beyond queer people. The only Jewish marriages conducted in Israel are those by Orthodox rabbis. No interfaith marriages are possible, nor marriages for non-Orthodox Jews. Since 2001, more than 66,000 Jewish Israeli couples have had to go to other countries to get married. Only this August, Israeli women in Tel Aviv protested against gender segregation in Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) areas of the city which literally forces them to sit at the back of the bus. So much for Israel, a haven of sexual liberation.

[unbidden-yidden-deactivated20240]

Anyway, just for anyone following along at home, here are some orthodox organizations that are working on gender and sexuality issues within the broader orthodox community:

[gay-jewish-bucky]

I am not a religious person myself and i wss wondering how to approach writing jewish bucky. do you have any pointers for representing that part of him authentically?

i'd love to help!

my biggest pieces of advice:

don't treat being an observant/religious jew as oppressive, this is what nearly every single non-jewish writer does and it automatically signals to jewish readers this story isn't for us just like the majority of jewish "representation", come at this from a love/respect for judaism or don't write it

ask jewish bloggers who are open to questions for more specific advice

understand that there is no universal experience, every individual jew has a unique relationship with judaism

denomination of judaism does not dictate level of observance, there are heavily observant reform jews and secular orthodox jews

to give you a jumping off point so you have an idea of what to ask, here are some articles and posts detailing do's and don'ts

Don’t Jewish There Was Better Representation?: A Guide to Writing Jewish Characters

Writing Jewish characters, and what to avoid

Writing Jewish Characters

#writingjewishcharacters

Writing Jewish characters, and what to avoid

“Thirteen” Tips on Writing Jewish Characters (note on the point about Judeo-languages, if you are writing canon-verse Bucky, historically he almost certainly would have spoken Yiddish)

A guide to 13 Jewish holidays

Thirteen tips to writing about kosher

Three Types of Jews I’m Done Seeing Goyim Write and Six Ways to Write Better Jewish Representation

“36″ Jewish OC Questions (for oc's but works for this too)

A “brief” reference guide to modern Jewish denominations

some other resources

18Doors

My Jewish Learning

Ritualwell

Chabad Lubavitch

Reform Judaism

Reconstructing Judaism

Keshet - For LGBTQ Equality in Jewish Life

New additions

The Open Siddur Project

Jewish Virtual Library

Jews for Judaism

Home | AJC

American Jewish Historical Society (ajhs.org)

ADL

Center for Jewish History

YIVO Institute for Jewish Research

[ravenssunshine]

please respond to this post!!

hello doing a bit of thinking. basically i’ve been to israel and i’ve experienced both the secular lifestyle and the religious lifestyle and i don’t particularly like the way the chief rabbinate controls things to orthodox standards— i am not and will never be orthodox and have great qualms with the treatment of women and lgbtq people by religious authorities in israel. the religious authority is also what prevents a one state solution with completely equal rights for palestinians in israel. so… the solution is to dismantle the chief rabbinate… except how can we trust that a country without jewish officials to continue being safe for jews. even if those jewish officials don’t exactly operate in my interest, are they needed? do i know? nope. tldr i don’t think i like theocracies all that much but how can we be sure of jewish safety without one?

[koshercosplay]

Hi!! I hope this isn't an unsolicited ask but I was hoping you might have some insight.

I'm currently speaking with the Rabbis of my local Reform and Liberal synagogues, hoping to learn more about each movement, because I want to become Jewish. I'm trying to figure out which movement I feel most at home with.

Thing is..I don't want to completely write off Orthodox, I do feel that Orthodox Judaism strongly resonates with me, just like the other denominations. I'm trans and queer and I know that there are some differences in how LGBTQ+ identities are talked about. I know there are probably many Orthodox communities out there that are 100% welcoming and accepting, but it's still something I'm scared of eventually confronting. I'm also afraid that if I do convert with a Reform or Liberal synagogue, I'll not be accepted as 'really Jewish' by Orthodox communities (I read that a non-Orthodox conversion isn't considered valid by Orthodox Jews).

I've been researching my socks off but I'm finding it hard to get any real info about how true this is. You seem to know more about Judaism than me. Is this true, will Orthodox Jews not consider me to be Jewish if I convert with a different movement? Or is that just a gross generalisation?

there are multiple layers to this ask, so I'll try to answer them one by one. This got long so I'll put it under a cut.

it is true that generally, reform and conservative conversions are not accepted by mainstream orthodoxy. there are individual orthodox communities that do accept them, but yes, it's not wrong to say that as a general statement.

if you do convert with another group other than orthodoxy, one would hope that you feel strongly about being a part of that group, and feel connected to that particular community. in that case, it honestly shouldn't matter or affect your life that much about whether or not orthodoxy will "accept" you, since you will not be a part of that community.

case in point: I was born jewish, raised orthodox, and am still religious to this day. many many orthodox jews don't accept ME as orthodox, simply based on the fact that I'm queer. and, of course, many other orthodox jews simply don't give a shit. the right community will accept you for who you are. I currently attend an orthodox shul with my partner, as openly queer people. it's relatively rare, but it's possible.

that's different of course than denying me my jewish identity entirely, but I hope you see my point in bringing it up. if you like, you can try to do research specifically for orthodox queer-friendly synagogues, and contact the rabbi to see if you'd be able to work on conversion with them.

lastly, and honestly this is my most important point: once you convert, your conversion is nobody's damn business. I don't know how aware you are of how strongly the torah insists that we do not ask converts for details about their conversion. it is entirely up to you whether you reveal information about your conversion to others. if anybody asks you if you're a convert, or who you converted with, or anything like that, THEY are the ones unequivocally in the wrong according to halacha (jewish law.)

I strongly recommend what I mentioned above: reach out to an openly queer-friendly orthodox rabbi/synagogue. Rabbi Mike Moskowitz might be a good person to reach out to about this, as an orthodox rabbi who does a lot of trans and queer advocacy. regardless of where you are located, he may have some excellent resources to help you.

I wish you luck in your conversion journey anon, and I hope you find a home in the jewish community. ❤️

[librarycards]

if it's not too personal, which sect of judaism are you in?

fyi, mostly jews talk about ideological/spiritual/sociocultural movements rather than sects - bc we're all jews. (that said, this gets more complicated when considering the delegitimization of patrilineal jews and non-orthodox converts by orthodoxy)

i underwent a reform conversion. my main supervising rabbi was affiliated with the renewal movement specifically, but i'm not super attached to it.

i consider myself an observant reform jew now. i prefer services that lean more 'traditional' than i've found at reform shuls i've attended, but the refusal to 'condone' interfaith marriages (and, in practice, relationships broadly) keeps me, and until something changes, will continue to keep me, from joining a Conservative community.

though neither of my parents is jewish, as the product of an interfaith marriage, support + representation for interfaith couples is as necessary in a spiritual/cultural community for me as support + representation for LGBTQ people.

[magnetothemagnificent]

I’ve been considering converting to Judaism and I’ve been wondering, as a trans guy, would Orthodox Jews be accepting or would it be better to convert to Reform Judaism? Sorry if this is a stupid question

It's not a stupid question!

I'm gonna be honest with you, many Orthodox Jewish communities are less likely to be accepting of trans people than Conservative or Reform, and I say this as someone who grew up Orthodox. It might be very hard for you to find a community willing to allow you to convert as a trans guy.

However, Orthodox Judaism is constantly changing and evolving, and it doesn't mean it will always be this way. A lot of progress has been made on the topics of LGBTQ+ inclusion, female ordinance and empowerment, etc etc. Additionally, the official views of Orthodox legislators may not be the views of individual congregants and congregations, and in fact many Orthodox Jews support the LGBTQ+ community, and there are support networks in place such as Eshel and JQY to help empower and adovocate for LGBTQ+ Jews within Orthodox communities. Individual Orthodox Jews themselves might be accepting of you as a trans guy, however, conversion is a legal and standardized process, and it would be hard for you to find a Rabbi and Beit Din willing to allow you to convert.

If you don't want to convert to Reform Judaism, there's also Conservative Judaism. (Conservative Judaism is not the same as politically Conservative. Many Conservative Jews are politically Liberal or leftist, so don't worry about that.) Conservative Judaism formally resolved their guidelines for how Halakha pertains to trans people, and that they accept trans people for the gender they identify as. You can read the full resolution here, and it also discusses what conversion to Judaism would look like for a trans person in regards to Halakhic requirements such as circumcision, etc.

TLDR: I think it would be difficult if not impossible for you to convert to Orthodox Judaism as a trans guy at this present moment (hopefully in the near future it will change), but Conservative and Reform Judaism are viable options for you if you want to.

Best of luck!!