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johannestevans · 9 months

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Yentl: A Trans Man Studying Talmud is Distracted by Gay Thoughts

Yentl (1983, dir. Barbra Streisand) and Yentl the Yeshiva Boy by Isaac Bashevis Singer.

Any of us would be distracted from study by Mandy Patinkin. Via IMDb.

It’s a sad thing, hearing cisgender people talk about Yentl — especially the short story — and think they understand it, that they’re getting everything from it, while at the same time, they can’t conceive that transgender people even exist.

It’s a strangely joyful short story to read as a trans man, as sad and complex as it is, and the film has a similar bittersweet warmth to it.

“Yentl — you have the soul of a man.” “So why was I born a woman?” “Even Heaven makes mistakes.”

From Yentl the Yeshiva Boy, by Isaac Bashevis Singer

At the beginning of Yentl (1983), we see Barbra Streisand as the titular Yentl walking around in Yanev, ostensibly to buy groceries — including a fish — for dinner. She’s bored and distracted as the other women discuss how to study a fresh fish or how to distinguish between the different types — the bookseller is coming through town, calling out that he has novels and picture books for women and sacred books for men.

Yentl approaches the bookseller and surreptitiously takes one book from the men’s shelf, a book exploring the mysticism of creation and the similar mysticism of language that was being discussed by some yeshiva students a moment ago, and the bookseller interrupts her — “You’re in the wrong place, Miss. Books for women are over there.”

He tells her it’s the Law that women can’t study such books; she retorts, “Where is it written?”; he says, “Never mind where: it’s a Law.”

She says the book is for her father, Reb Mendel, and the bookseller finally relents, whereupon she goes home and reads the book herself.

Mendel is a widower, and although he scolds Yentl gently for not being an adept cook and tells her that studying is for men and not for women, he studies with her anyway and teaches her — it makes Yentl the subject of gossip in town, with one of Reb Mendel’s students remarking that his father says a woman who studies Talmud is a demon — it doesn’t help that Yentl is unmarried.

From the short story:

But Yentl didn’t want to get married. Inside her, a voice repeated over and over: “No!” What becomes of a girl when the wedding’s over? Right away she starts bearing and rearing. And her mother-in-law lords it over her. Yentl knew she wasn’t cut out for a woman’s life. She couldn’t sew, she couldn’t knit. She let the food burn and the milk boil over; her Sabbath pudding never turned out right, and her challah dough didn’t rise. Yentl much preferred men’s activities to women’s.

From Yentl the Yeshiva Boy, by Isaac Bashevis Singer

As a trans man, I’m always keenly aware of the things many of us cite in childhood of the first things we knew weren’t right for us and the things that were — Yentl has no skills that should be right for a woman, mentions that she cannot sew or knit or cook, and she prefers to study.

Many of us played with “boy’s toys” or took interest in “boy’s activities” instead of girl’s ones, wore “boy’s clothes” and did “boy things” — the label as to the boyishness or girlishness to most of these being arbitrary.

But Yentl’s first thought here is the rebellion in it — not only will she be forced to begin bearing children and raising them by the circumstances of her marriage, but she’ll be forced to submit to her mother-in-law’s will and orders.

In my experience as a trans man, cis men are rarely the biggest enforcers of the gender binary, nor the ones who most policed my incorrect or flawed gender expression as a child.

When cishet men do complain and correct gendered behaviour, it’s often to do with what they perceive as a desirable woman or girl being kept from them — their complaints are far more to do with dress or physical appearance because, to a cishet man, the first thing that matters in a woman is her sexual availability and her aesthetic value, particularly in regards to her sexual appeal.

Cishet women’s aggressive and virulent desire to correct what they feel are gender transgressions are more subtle than that and are far more about the deeper social value a woman holds — about her ability to cook and clean, to raise children, to exist in a space with other women, to manage the men in her life and to willingly submit to parenting adult men as if they’re also her children.

What would Yentl experience from her mother-in-law? Picks not just at her appearance but at her behaviour, her priority, and her thoughts. It’s not enough to perform gender correctly — they want you to internalise it and to be entirely beaten down with it.

All your thoughts as a cishet woman, especially in a traditional M/F marriage, should be about the men around you and their needs — sacrificing your own needs and desires should come naturally to you. A lot of cishet mothers will completely confidently say that sacrifice of the self, of personal identity, of privacy, of rest, is an integral part of motherhood, and they will become very angry at the idea that it isn’t, or that it shouldn’t be — pointing out that the same expectations are not made of fatherhood will if anything make them angrier, and they’ll say blandly that men and women are different, and refuse any further word about it.

Why are men and women different?

They just are.

Why do they have to be?

They just are.

There was no doubt about it, Yentl was unlike any of the girls in Yanev — tall, thin, bony, with small breasts and narrow hips. On Sabbath afternoons, when her father slept, she would dress up in his trousers, his fringed garment, his silk coat, his skullcap, his velvet hat, and study her reflection in the mirror. She looked like a dark, handsome young man. There was even a slight down on her upper lip.

From Yentl the Yeshiva Boy, by Isaac Bashevis Singer

Obviously, trans men and mascs’ gender shouldn’t be judged by the extent of their ability to pass, but a thing that I really like about this aspect of Singer’s short story is that it puts aside the argument of sex essentialism.

“Men and women are different, and you can tell they are different because they look different — if they were meant to be the same, why wouldn’t they look the same?”

And here, Yentl has the soul of a man, and his body is not wholly that of a woman’s and can easily be “disguised” as a man’s because it already has some men’s characteristics — tall, thin, bony, not much to the chest, without the wide, child-bearing hips people often want or expect of a cisgender woman. Once Yentl is dressed in the right clothes, she looks like a dark, handsome young man.

If men and women are truly so irrevocably different, if they are truly two sides of a wide binary with a great chasm between them, everyone would always be able to tell trans people and crossdressers and intersex people and anyone else outside or in-between from a line-up, and you can’t.

Read on Patreon / Read on Medium

#musings #yentl #barbra streisand #trans #trans man

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benevolentbirdgal · 3 years

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A “brief” reference guide to modern Jewish denominations / Jewish Writing Advice / Jewish Identity / Jewish Reference Guide [graphic at bottom]

Writing a Jew or Jewish family? Aware that Judaism is not a monolith and want to honor that? Great! Need help with that? 100% cool - I’m here as your friendly (virtual) neighborhood Jewish professional to help. Just want to know more about Jewish denominations in comparison to one another? Also great! Fair warning - this is a long one. At least I included a graphic at the bottom?

Quick notes to acknowledge: As always, this is an American and Americanish perspective (and denominations as discussed here are MOSTLY relevant in the U.S. anyways). Additionally, the modern denominations as we think of them today really sprung from Ashkenazi communities in the 19th and 20th centuries. Most extant U.S. synagogues, day schools, and groups follow Ashkenazi customs and align with a denomination born of Ashkenazi tradition (aligning with the approximately 90% of Jewish-Americans who are Ashkenazi or Ashkenazi plus another community). Sephardi, Mizrachi, and other Jewish communities have their own traditions and jurisprudence. Most organized non-Ashkenazi communities in the U.S. identify as nondenominational but most closely compare in practice to orthodoxy, and many non-Ashkenazi Jews (especially outside of major population centers that may have other specific subgroup’s synagogues) are members of and very involved in Ashkenazi-originating movements, institutions, and synagogues.

For the purpose’s of today’s discussion, we’ll start in the 19th century, because Karaites vs Pharisees vs Sadducees is a (his)story for another time. This also isn’t a history of how these denominations came to be-with the exception of some ultraorthodox groups, which may have sprung from the shtel a little earlier, all the below movements popped out of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. I’m also going to list approximate percentage of the American Jewish population, and I’m going to (kinda) go in order from most to least strict/traditionally observant.

Ultraorthodox (aka Haredi): The strictest, more traditional and expansive observance of the Torah, Talmud, and minhagim (customs). About 1% of American Jews are ultraorthodox. Ultraorthodox is not a unified movement.

1a. Haredi, Satmar, and most other groups generally isolate themselves from the wider Jewish world and secular world.

1b. Chabad is also ultraorthodox, but specially seeks to interact with less observant Jews. I wouldn’t call it proselytizing, because they don’t seek to make gentiles Jewish, but they do try and find less observant Jews and bring them closer to Judaism, also establishes small synagogues around the country and world in isolated place.

1c. Ultraorthodox are the most visibly Jewish attired group, wearing Kippahs for all men and boys and tichels (headscarves) and/or wigs for married women. Very modest attire for all. In Ashkenazi Ultraorthodox communities, men also tend to only wear black and white, hats in addition to their kippah (for grown and married men), and wearing tzitzit (a garmet with four corners with strings attached worn under a shirt with the threads sticking out).

1d. Most likely to speak Yiddish or Hebrew as first language.

1e. No gender equality, very strict kosher, and intense community adherence to particular brand of Judaism.

1f. Communities generally led by a Rabbi and a Rebbetzin (Rabbi’s wife) as pair (rabbis are generally expected to be married).

1g. No female Rabbis, same-sex marriage, or intermarriage. Lots of children. Pretty much all boys have Bar Mitzahs, rarely do girls have Bat Mitzvahs.

1h. Services entirely in Hebrew (except maybe the sermon).

1i. Only count matrilineal Jews and converts-Jewish father and gentile mother doesn’t count for them.

1j. Very strict observance of prohibitions and commandments pertaining to Shabbat and holidays.

Modern orthodox: Orthodox, but with some adaptations to modern life. Roughly 9% of American Jews. Also some division within modern orthodoxy (with some congregations being more liberal than others, particularly in regards to women and LGBTQ+ folks), but there are a couple of major organizations that most modox rabbis and congregations affiliate with one another through larger denomination movements (i.e. the Orthodox Union and the Rabbinical Council of America).

2a. Modern orthodox Jews regularly interact with other Jews who are more liberal. They tend to live in more Jewish communities but no issues with interacting with outside world.

2b. Modest clothing and men wear kippot everywhere (when safe). Married women also usually cover their hair (with wigs or tichels). Men also typically wear tzitzit.

2b. Gender roles, but progress being made. Handful of female rabbis emerging in 2010s/2020s. Whether women count in a minyan depends on the specific congregation and many modern orthodox shuls will have separate women’s prayer groups. The prevalence of Bat Mitzvahs also varies wildly congregation to congregation.

2c. Like ultraorthodox, communities are typically led by a Rabbi and his wife the Rebbetzin. Some acceptance of homosexual individuals as members of the community, but no same-sex marriage (some alternate ceremonies emerging). Like one out gay male rabbi. No intermarriage.

2d. Very strict adherence to kosher, would likely not eat at someone less kosher’s home.

2e. Usually have on the higher end of a “normal” amount of children. Services entirely in Hebrew (except sermon).

2f. Only count matrilineal Jews and converts-Jewish father and gentile mother doesn’t count for them.

Less traditionally observant than this is often known as “liberal Judaism” - around 90% of American Jews.

2g. Very strict observance of prohibitions and commandments pertaining to Shabbat and holidays.

Conservative: Brands itself as middle of the road Jewish movement. about 18% of the American Jewish population. No connection to conservative politics, most Conservative with a C Jews are liberal or moderate politically. Often called “Masorti” outside the U.S and hypothetically a unified movement under several connected organizations (i.e. the Masorti Olami and the Jewish Theological Seminary).

3a. Gender equality. Female rabbis and LGBTQ rabbis definitely an acceptable thing, but not as common as with Reform or Reconstructionist.

3b. Formally sanctioned ceremony for same-sex couples to wed under Jewish law since 2012 and affirmation ceremonies since 2006.

3c. Modesty in synagogues but comparable to regular American attire otherwise.

3d. Generally comparable family size to other American families.

3e. Kosher, but not as strict as orthodoxy. Many Conservative Jews have kosher homes but are willing to be more lax when eating out. Synagogues are always kosher.

3f. Services mostly in Hebrew, sermons and some prayers definitely in local language.

3g. Intermarriage is frowned upon, but many otherwise Conservative Jews will be married by a less traditional rabbi or justice of the peace to non-Jewish partners. Although Conservative rabbis do not perform interfaith marriages, many interfaith couples are in Conservative synagogues. In the 90s/2000s it was way less friendly to interfaith couples/families (laughs in having a goyish dad) but that has improved in the past 3-5 years substantially.

3h. Observance of prohibitions and commandments pertaining to Shabbat and holidays is regulated but less strict than orthodoxy. Varies a bit by community. A good example to illustrate this is getting to synagogue on Shabbat:

By the book (not necessarily reflected by attendees): Orthodoxy says you have to walk there (no driving), Reform says it’s no issue to drive on Shabbat, and Conservative says you can drive but only to get to shul and back.

3i. As with orthodoxy, only matrilineal Jews count. Most interfaith families with non-Jewish moms (or moms who converted post-birth of the kid), particularly those who want to participate in Conservative communities will convert the child as a baby so they can have a normal Jewish upbringing (beyond an extra blessing/prayer in the Bnai Mitzvah process and social awkwardness that oft accompanies interfaith families in Jewish spaces).

3j. Most dress comparably to others in geographic area (synagogue notwithstanding, see my other post). Men on the higher end of observant might also wear kippahs all the time as well. Outside of explicitly Jewish contexts, similar lifestyles to surrounding populations. Around the same number of children as in gentile families.

Reform: Not at all traditionally observant. About 35% of American Jews. More or less a cohesive movement linked by organizations (i.e. Women of Reform Judaism and the Union for Reform Judaism).

4a. Reform Judaism is the largest group. It generally views Judaism through the lens of social justice, repairing the world, and cultural heritage as opposed to religious mandate.

4b. Very big on personal choice in what one observes, I like to call it “choose your own adventure” Judaism.

4c. Keeping kosher is uncommon. Some shuls aren’t even kosher.

4d. Reform services use the least Hebrew, although this is changing in some places.

4e. Reform’s standard of Jewishness is 1+ Jewish parent(s) and raised doing Jewish things, regardless of which parent is Jewish.

4f. Very feminist/egalitarian and welcoming to LGBTQ+ folks. Highest number of not-straight rabbis and female rabbis.

4g. Intermarriage very common and can be performed by Reform rabbis.

4h. Reform Judaism was way ahead of the curve in terms of LGBTQ+ rights and religion. The movement has had members advocating for homosexual rights (protection in housing, employment, civil marriage, and other nondiscrimination protections) since 1965 (finally passing formal resolutions in 1977), began proactively including/welcoming out gay rabbis in 1990, created same-gender marriage Jewish ceremonies in 1996/7, and has made resolutions explicitly including bi and trans people as well since 2004 (stuff earlier than that generally specified “gay and lesbian”). An additional resolution was passed in 2015 regarding trans and nonbinary inclusion, alongside guides to help congregations do so.

4i. See #3j - also applies here.

Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform, are the biggest and “standard” movements people will most typically list and identify with, most likely to appear in surveys and studies, are older than everything listed below. Modern Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform all started in the 19th century and some Ultraorthodox groups trace back further than that. I’ve outlined some practical differences, but the basic theoretical difference is that Orthodox considers traditional Jewish law (Halacha) binding and you can’t change it, Conservative believes it it’s binding but the community can change it, and Reform believes that it’s nonbinding.

Some smaller movements:

Reconstructionist - Newest even remotely well-known and organized movement, founded in the 1920s as an offshoot of the Conservative movement. I would describe it as “build your own adventure but Halacha matters (or at least some of it).” The first thing almost every recon Jew I’ve ever met has told me when describing reconstructionism is that they invented the bat mitzvah in 1922, which basically translates to “tradition matters but also egalitarianism.”

Maybe 2%-5% of American Jews today self-ID as Reconstructionist, but I would argue that a lot of nondenominal practitioners have philosophies fairly aligned with the recon ethos.

Jewish Renewal: very small and relatively disorganized movement started in the 1960s. Attempts to bring Jewish tradition and modern sensibilities, hippie Jews who care about Halacha. Big on mysticism and music, doing Jewish enthusiastically, and a tendency towards more traditional observance in conjunction with progressive politics. Kind of the laid-back cousin of reconstructionism, although neither sprung from the other.

(Cultural) Humanistic Judaism: “Non-theistic” Judaism for atheist Jews who still want a connection to their history, culture, and celebrations.

Nondenominational - Nondenominational and post-denominational Jews are the fast growing group. Variety of liberal/non-traditionally observant beliefs and practices, but most will still contextualize themselves around the denominational scale.

#writeblr #jewish writing advice #jewish writing help #writing jewish characters #writing jewish spaces #jumblr #jewblr #writing advice #ref #reference #jewish ref #jewish reference #jewish denominations #judiasm #another long one still not sorry #info dump

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lapis-yam · 3 years

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With that established, let's move on to the most open-ended question: why? Don't feel like you have to be concise or anything-the longer the better.

I'm certainly anything but concise.

I can't remember the exact moment I became interested in Judaism. It was more of a gradual buildup until I genuinely felt like I could not continue pursuing any of my other goals in life until I contacted a rabbi.

I believe I first became acutely interested in Judaism because I had been making an effort to be a better advocate for Jews. I was very active and vocal in my support of Jews and my contempt for antisemitism and vowing to fight it to the best of my ability and by any means necessary. My interest in being a better ally to Jewish people led me to learning more about Judaism as a culture and as a religion. I started studying Jewish beliefs, analysis of important Jewish texts (Torah, Talmud, etc.). The first value I found that I deeply resonated with was the importance of questioning. Questioning what your told, and even crazier, questioning G-d, was something I didn't think any religion allowed, let alone encouraged. But Judaism was different in that respect, and I deeply admired that. I thought that all/most religions (especially Abrahamic religions) were very rigid and encouraging of blind faith, something I've never been good at.

Then there was the emphasis Judaism/Jewish culture puts on learning. The idea that there's always something new to learn and your education is never truly finished was deeply appealing to me. I love learning, reading, analyzing, studying, annotating. I love it all, and knowing that no matter how much a learn, there's always a deeper understanding you can gain of the Torah, there's always an infamous rabbi you've never heard of before that you should learn about, there's so many holidays with their own traditions and stories and rituals, theres mountains and mountains and mountains of books to read to give you a deeper understanding of any topic you could think of. Every question I had, I was encouraged to seek out the answer on my own, no matter how small. Why do Jews sway back and forth while praying, why can't you turn lights on and off on Shabbat, why is Israel so important to Jews, what's [insert holiday] about, why is circumcision required for Jewish boys, why can't Jews eat pork, why was the Talmud written, when will Mashiach arrive, why, why, why, why? There was always a new question to be asked, something I didn't know the answer to, something I had never thought to ask had I not been encouraged to do so. I have never run out of questions, and I doubt I ever will.

Then there's the encouragement of disagreement. How common it is for Jews to argue honestly caught me off guard in the very beginning. But it soon became one of my favorite things about Judaism. There's always an argument going on. This ties back to the first two. Whenever I would ask a question, I would either be told to search for the answer on my own, or my rabbi would give me his answer. I learned very quickly that I was expected to disagree with him, to argue with him. Otherwise, had I truly understood his answer? This became apparent during Torah study as well. The first Torah study class I went to, the entire class we spent more arguing than actually reading Torah. I was very nervous to participate, bc at the time I could barely follow along, but being encouraged to ask questions, and then have to defend whatever my interpretation of the verse we were reading was, definitely strengthened by ability to comprehend Jewish texts, as well as strengthen my bonds with other Jews. Nothing was passive. I have to be active constantly. I have to argue, celebrate, learn to cook Jewish recipes, learn Hebrew, write, study, etc.

Judaism turned everything I knew about religion on its head. Everything I loved about religion, Judaism had. A monotheistic belief in one creator, a large well of material to learn from, a sense of community, thousands of years of tradition, a beautiful culture, a welcoming and nurturing environment. It was everything my "ideal religion" would have.

As my interest grew, I could not stop researching Jewish holidays, traditions, food, beliefs, ethics, etc. I literally could not stop thinking about my now burning desire to join this "peoplehood", for lack of a better word.

My reasons for wanting to convert were clear to me now. I felt a deep connection to the Jewish people, to Hashem, and to the teachings of the Torah. I wanted to do anything I could to be 100% part of this community.

When I started converting, I reached out to a Reform Temple. The reform movement is seen to be the most "progressive" Jewish movement, and also has a reputation for being the least strict and most "assimilated". I chose to start my conversion with the reform movement because I thought it was my only option. I'm a trans man and I genuinely didn't think I could find an Orthodox community that would be accepting of that fact. I found very quickly that the reform movement was not for me. I personally didn't feel it was as true to the Torah as I wanted. I wanted a community that accepted the word of the Torah and sought to follow it as much as possibly in the 21st century. I didn't feel that the reform movement did that. It seemed like they wanted to "modernize" Judaism, which I didn't like. Judaism is ancient and I wanted to be part of a movement that treated it as such, that respected its roots and tried to follow as closely as possible to the origins. Eventually, I found an organization that helped LGBT Jews and LGBT ppl looking to convert Orthodox find orthodox communities.

I find my views align far more with Orthodoxy and I feel much more "at home" in this movement than I did in reform.

That's pretty much it I think :) Obviously, feel free to ask any other questions you have. I didn't proofread this, so I might be a little unclear.

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nerdy30trans-blog · 6 years

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Transgender Acceptance In Isaiah

Throughout Church history one thing has held true, those who were cast out by tribe, country, or religion were welcomed to Jesus.

However, in our modern religious landscape we see that the Church has reverted to a position of exclusionary practices. Within the last two years we have seen religious based laws on the rise - using “religious liberty” as a cover for discrimination, and additionally many Evangelicals wrote and signed a document called The Nashville Statement that seeks to forever bar the LGBT people from entry into their churches, from marriage, the sacraments and calls to ministry. Men such as Francis Chan, David Platt and John Piper were key in this new movement that has forced many other “Christians” to sign on or be scapegoated like Rob Bell a few years ago. Additionally the Southern Baptist Convention and their “ethics” leader Russell Moore has rejoiced at the removal of protection for transgender children by the Trump Administration. In an era where trans people are targeted and killed, refugees barred from entry, and white nationalism on the rise those so called “pastors” chose to sign and post a document to discriminate and hate an act that one would call anti-Christ.

For those of us in the LGBT and faith community these moves and acts continue to state unequivocally that we are not wanted, not affirmed, and in need of change. However, it is my argument, and many others that this is wrong, and inaccurate to the heart of Jesus’ life and mission, and also a false and inaccurate view of the Bible. To demonstrate the inclusion of LGBT people, and of transgender folks in particular I want to look at the last section of the Prophecy of Isaiah, the final ten chapters demonstrate a reformation of Jewish practice, and a call to inclusion that Jesus and the Church took to heart. The book of Deuteronomy is laden with zingers conservative love to burn transgender folks with. We have verses that say “anyone with crushed testicles can not enter the temple” and that “for a man to wear a woman’s garment is an abomination.” These verses originally came from a social goal of purifying Israel and not intermingling with the traditions and religions of other countries. Castration was a practice not employed by the people of Israel but was widely used in other tribes as a way to create eunuchs, and mark slaves, to exert control. Additionally the second verse was an indictment against hiding from male tasks, such as war. So within this community gender variance was not widespread because as a small nation the leaders were keen on keeping their population thriving and growing. But Israel continually denied to follow God in other ways, such as putting their own people into service, starting various wars with neighboring countries, oppressing and taxing the poor, and inter-tribal wars that split the nation. In the midst of these war both Assyrian and Babylon would come to conquer the people, and make many of them slaves in their capitol cities. Many faced a society they did not understand, and many of them were put into roles they did not want.

It is in this society, seventy years later (after living in Babylon) we come to the final push of Isaiah’s prophecies. Many Jewish people had become eunuchs, met eunuchs, married people outside the faith and saw their entire worldview change. In this God speaks. In Isaiah 56 God speaks

“3 Let no foreigner who is bound to the Lord say,

“The Lord will surely exclude me from his people.”

And let no eunuch complain,

“I am only a dry tree.”

4 For this is what the Lord says:“To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,

who choose what pleases me and hold fast to my covenant— 5 to them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will endure forever.”

So as we reach the end of the book, God has now pronounced both the eunuch and the foreigner are included in His Kingdom and in His salvation. Even though the Bible “clearly states” what these eunuchs did was an “abomination” God now says they are his people. The Jewish people create a social code that does not occupy the heart of God.

The eunuchs Austen Hartke reminds us served a very trans and non-binary role writing in his book “transforming: The Bible & The Lives of Transgender Christians” on page 94 that “They lived in limbo between genders” a eunuch could serve as an adviser to the King and also do the makeup and care for the Harem. Many eunuchs in these societies would also come to embrace this trans role, and in the book of Esther, Esther is saved and guided by a eunuch doing the very things God calls for. Now for the first time in the Bible we see God changing the minds of his people (God speaks his heart, and the people must change). These people were to be included. Perhaps those very people that seek to exclude us should go back to these verses. Maybe instead of defending inaccurate theology they should return to the Talmud, and Mishnah and see by this time rabbi’s were recognizing six different genders in their community all loved by YHWH.

But the book of Isaiah continued with more of this call for inclusion. In Isaiah 58 God goes on to say

“If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, 10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.

Who was oppressed, who was pointed at, and sneered about? Were they not those who did not fit the gender norm, these eunuchs they encountered, were they not the poor, and trampled that the people of Yahweh had turned their back on? Again the word for the church is to cease with these exclusionary practices, or you will find yourself once again in the throes of God’s judgement.

Most boldly God goes on to say these people are now His because they found him without the aid of his people. The first call of Israel was to be a city on the hill, they failed, instead of welcoming the world, they excluded it. So God says

The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice. He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm achieved salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him.

“I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’

As we get to the close of this book we see that God saw people were not doing what he called, so he would act, and he revealed himself to the “outsider” these are not his people, and he says I am here for you.

So to close hundreds of years before Jesus walked the Earth God was calling the transgender person. And when Jesus walked the earth he said one thing about eunuchs, welcoming them to the Kingdom in Matthew 19. For a group so maligned as “wrong” and “broken” today, Jesus affirms the eunuchs and does not have to heal one of them, he never calls them vipers, or whitewashed tombs. He uses those words for those who buy and sell righteousness, run the Temple, and trample the marginalized, the “pastors” and “religious leaders.”Lastly by the time of the Church, Philip is baptizing a transgender person who was turned away still at the Temple with no further proclamation. God has been welcoming us for centuries.

As transgender and LGBT Christians we are here. We will fight and argue for justice, because God has and continues to reveal himself to us.

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nerdy30trans-blog · 6 years

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To Be Trans* is Divine

One of the biggest obstacles to those within the trans* community is the objection of people of faith within their lives. Yet, as a theologian, I find the claims of those who reject LGBTQIA+ people, to put it bluntly, absurd.

Dating all the way back to the time the Old Testament, or Torah, was compiled there was a deep understanding within the Jewish community of multiple genders. Classical Jewish texts actually recognized within the community, within humanity there were six genders.

Zachar- That is derived from the Jewish word for sword, and obviously a phallic reference that is translated into English most easily as male.

Nekevah- A term that is derived from crevice, and references the vaginal opening, classically translated as female in English.

Androgynos-A person who has both “male” and “female” sexual characteristics. 149 references in Mishna and Talmud (1st-8th Centuries CE); 350 in classical midrash and Jewish law codes (2nd -16th Centuries CE).

Tumtum- A person whose sexual characteristics are indeterminate or obscured. 181 references in Mishna and Talmud; 335 in classical midrash and Jewish law codes.

Ay’lonit- A person who is identified as “female” at birth but develops “male” characteristics. 80 references in Mishna and Talmud; 40 in classical midrash and Jewish law codes.

Saris- A person who is identified as “male” at birth but develops “female” characteristics. A saris can be “naturally” a saris (saris hamah), or become one through human intervention (saris adam). 156 references in mishna and Talmud; 379 in classical midrash and Jewish law codes.

So why is this important?

Because, when we engage with the most prevalent religion we encounter a Christianity that is devoted to lobbying for legislation. We have elected officials, not to mention family members, that doggedly deny who we are, our given reality, and our right to transition, and live a fulfilled life. What is important is to direct them to their own history. To the books they consult, and to the faith they adhere too. If Judaism accepted and does accept us, the rejection of Christians is literally “Anti-Christ.”

Jesus was Jewish. Jesus was a trained Rabbi! He consulted the same literature, the same texts that taught the six genders. Therefore, if we take logically that Jesus knew of this, then what he does and says matters on the topic. Also, what Jesus doesn’t say, and doesn’t do matters. Jesus spoke of the Law and the Prophets over and again in the Gospels. He critiqued ritual cleaning, covered in rabbinical circles, he covered political allegiances, he covered divorce law, adultery law, Sabbath law and more. Jesus critiqued His world repeatedly on the very things he learned from other rabbis, and discussed with them. Yet in the entire span of the Gospel we encounter two stories of Jesus interacting with the LGBTQIA+ community. And we encounter him sending his disciple in Acts to a transgender person.

All threes of these encounters are not just “accepting” they are “affirming.” First, we have Jesus and the Roman Centurion. Here Jesus meets a man that has sacrificed his own money to build a Jewish Synagogue for the town, but says Jesus should not enter his house. Why? Because his pais is sick and he is unworthy. The Roman knows that one, Gentiles should not host Jews or they will be unclean, he is also concerned for what Jesus may judge. However what is the reaction of Jesus? He heals his lover, which is the direct translation, and says “I have not found such faith among my own people, Israel.” Jesus has an opportunity here to pronounce judgment on a gay couple, instead he pronounces wonder, amazement and joy.

Secondly in Matthew Jesus teaches on the “eunuchs” he says in Matthew 19:12 some are born this way, some have this done to them, and some choose it to be so. This is most clearly a teaching on gender variance by Jesus. In it, Jesus accepts it as something that one highlights God’s diversity in humanity and gender, two, shows that like the rabbincal text highlights there are multiple genders, and three, that some are born some way and transition. To deny that Jesus says this is to misunderstand the heart of the text, and the cultural setting in which He speaks. Jesus is saying all are welcomed to be near him, and experience acceptance, peace and love. Hence, Jesus says “Let anyone who can accept it, accept it.” Both the Jews and the Romans in the first century punished those who lived on the fringes of society, and Jesus welcomes us with open arms.

Lastly, in Acts 8 we have the most demonstrable story of radical acceptance in the entire New Testament. After the early Church begins to be persecuted many of the people flee Jerusalem. They are in new territories, areas and communities that do not keep to Jewish traditions, and so far there has been no mission to those of other nations. Yet Jesus sends Philip to meet a eunuch. As he meets this eunuch and engages in conversation the eunuch wants to join the church. He asks, “Why wouldn’t I be able to be a follower of Jesus?”, and Philip’s response, “If we can’t find water and you aren’t baptized.” As such this trans character is baptized and welcomed and the story ends.

So from ancient Jewish commentary, to the life and words of Jesus, to the actions of the early church to be trans is to be divine. It is to live in accordance with how God has made you, and to transition is simply part of the journey.

To close them I will end with a prayer and poem written by Qalonymos ben Qalonymos that recounts the wonders of God’s miracles and the prayer of transition of gender, a reflection on being born a Saris.

Lord in heaven, who brought forth wonders by fire and water for our Fathers, cooling Abraham’s Chaldean kiln, so in its flames he’d not be burned; who altered Dina’s fate in the womb, and made a serpent of Moses’ wand; who whited with illness Miriam’s hands and turned the Sea of Reeds into land — transforming the muddy bed of the Jordan into passable sand, and making from stone and shale a pool whose springs would not fail if only you would make me female!

We have always existed, and we have always been welcomed. Let no one shut the door on your faith. For if God has worked wonders, what a wonder you are.

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