Reform Jews approve far-reaching transgender resolution

A word from our sponsor:

Printer-friendly version

Author: 

Blog About: 

http://www.post-gazette.com/news/nation/2015/11/06/Reform-Je...

Reform Jews approve far-reaching transgender resolution

Reform Judaism movement in US approves far-reaching resolution supporting transgender rights
November 5, 2015 11:37 PM

By Mike Schneider / Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. — The largest movement of Judaism in the U.S. passed the most far-reaching resolution in support of transgender rights of any major religious organization, saying Thursday that it’s a continuation of a tradition of inclusion in the Reform Jewish movement.

Members of the Union for Reform Judaism attending its biennial meeting in Orlando approved on a voice vote the resolution, which calls for congregations and camps to have gender-neutral bathrooms and encourages gender-neutral language at Reform Jewish institutions. It also suggests training on gender issues for religious school staff and encourages advocating on behalf of the transgender community.

There was no opposition, although three conference attendees who said they were in favor of the resolution asked if preschools and religious schools would be affected. Union for Reform Judaism leaders said they would be, but they weren’t asking congregations to spend extra money on new facilities.

After the resolution passed, most of the 5,000-attendees in the meeting hall stood up and applauded.

“Your reaction in this room shows what this movement is about. It makes me very proud,” said Stephen Sacks, chairman of the Union for Reform Judaism’s board.

Rabbi James Gibson of Temple Sinai in Squirrel Hill — one of several Pittsburgh-area rabbis attending the conference — said he was not surprised by the overwhelming support the measure received.

“In general, the Reform movement is in favor of transgender rights because we believe that every person who has a unique sexual identity is made that way because of the way God makes human beings,” he said in a telephone interview Thursday night. “And we don’t discriminate against people because of the way God made them.

“The Reform movement has always worked to harmonize the demands of our tradition and the challenges of modernity.”

He also said the timing of the resolution was right.

“The last year and a half there has been a lot more understanding of the challenges and struggles of the transgender community in a way that is similar to but distinct from lesbian, bi and gay individuals,” he said. “I think that people had to do some learning about the challenges facing the transgender community so that they could adequately respond to them.”

Rabbi Gibson said he did not want to speculate how the resolution would manifest itself in Pittsburgh, but some aspects, such as training on gender issues for religious school staff, are already in place.

Other religious bodies — such as the Episcopal Church, the United Church of Christ, the Unitarian Universalist Association and the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association — previously approved resolutions affirming equality for transgender and non-gender-conforming people. None, however, go as far as the one offered by the Reform Jewish movement, which counts 1.5 million members.

The Union for Reform Judaism is offering a one-page pamphlet to help congregations adopt the goals of the resolution. It suggests dividing kids by birth month rather than gender in youth programming and avoiding using gender titles such as “Mr.” or “Mrs.” on nametags or in emails. It also will ask congregants by which pronouns they would prefer to be called.

The resolution doesn’t mandate congregations to do anything, so it will be up to individual synagogues to implement policies to meet the goals of the resolution.

“One of the key components is it calls for resources, development and training so we get into the congregations and do training with their leaders, youth professionals, rabbis, lay leaders, and then supply them with materials on how do you deal with bathrooms? How do you deal with language? How do you deal with prayer?” said Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, a senior vice president with the Union for Reform Judaism.

Some adjustments may be trickier than others. In Hebrew, nouns are either masculine or feminine. Congregations can alternate between using male and female pronouns in their prayers and when possible use gender-neutral substitutes, such as the Hebrew word “guardian” instead of “king” in certain prayers, Rabbi Pesner said.

The resolution was approved in a year when transgender issues have never been more visible, thanks to Caitlyn Jenner and others.

Just this week in Houston, 60 percent of voters rejected a city measure that would have outlawed discrimination against gay and transgender people. Opponents called it the “bathroom ordinance” and argued that restrooms could be used by everyone regardless of gender.

But Union for Reform Judaism officials said it has been in the works for some time and is part of a tradition of inclusion that dates back decades. The Union of Reform Judaism in 1977 passed a resolution affirming the rights of gays and lesbians.

In 2003, the movement admitted its first openly transgender person to rabbinical school, and in 2015 required congregations to consider all candidates for rabbinical jobs, regardless of gender identity, according to the resolution.

Although many of the 900 affiliated Reform congregations already are welcoming to transgender people, others will now address the issue for the first time, said Barbara Weinstein, associate director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, a Washington-based advocacy center.

More than 6 million Jews live in the United States, less than 2 percent of the nation’s population, and more than a third of all Jews in the U.S. identify with the Reform movement, according to a 2013 survey by the Pew Research Center. Less than a fifth of them identify with Conservative Judaism — sort of a middle-ground ideologically between the more liberal Reform movement and traditional Orthodox Judaism. Orthodox Jews account for 10 percent of U.S. Jews, and Reconstructionist and other smaller movements make up 6 percent.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette staff writer Dan Majors contributed, along with Reuters and Los Angeles Times.

Comments

Things are improving

Angharad's picture

across a spectrum of people and is to be applauded. I'm sure Shalimar would agree - has anyone heard how she is?

Angharad

Unfortunately, what I've

Unfortunately, what I've observed about Americans who follow Islam is that they refuse to stick their heads up, for fear of them being cut off by the radicals.

Jews - such as these - are willing to stand up and take risks.
Christians do the same. For every one you see standing up and preaching a radical stance, you can find three more that will stand in front of them and say "No!"

Muslim? Not as much. I've even discussed it with some Indian muslims (specifically), and they acknowledged the problem.

I have no idea how Buddhist variants, Zoroastrians, or Greek/Russian Orthodox handle disagreements.


I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.

You keep saying that word...

You keep saying that word, I do not think it means what you think it means.

And, Bib! Honestly! I expect better from you!

Radical means "the root". It has always meant the root. It has NEVER meant extremism. I am a radical. That means I look for the root cause of a problem rather than just jumping to treat what I can immediately see, which are usually mere symptoms. I am not an extremist. Which means what you are ascribing to radicalism.

As for the so-called Reform Judaism folks... I'd like to see them call out their extremists. Unfortunately, the Orthodox are less extremist than the Reformists when it comes to what the West has done to Palestine. Only the Orthodox, as an organization, is willing to call out Israel on their crimes out of all the known Jewish sects. Sadly the Orthodox does take the more extremist view on transgender.

The real truth is that different organizations are going to have their extremism in SOMETHING, that no one ever calls out if they are inside that organization. I don't care what that is. Hell, I'm a member of the US Green Party, and our extremism that no one ever calls out is veganism. I'm not a vegan, and many Greens aren't vegans, but we don't dare call out the vegan extremists in the party because, quite honestly, they have more power than we do within the party. Though I am an exception, because, well, I don't care what the power situation is, if I see someone doing or saying something wrong, and especially if I expect better from them, I AM going to call it out.

Abigail Drew.

rad·i·cal

rad·i·cal
ˈradək(ə)l/
adjective
adjective: radical

1.
(especially of change or action) relating to or affecting the fundamental nature of something; far-reaching or thorough.
"a radical overhaul of the existing regulatory framework"
synonyms: thoroughgoing, thorough, complete, total, comprehensive, exhaustive, sweeping, far-reaching, wide-ranging, extensive, across the board, profound, major, stringent, rigorous
"radical reform"
antonyms: superficial
forming an inherent or fundamental part of the nature of someone or something.
"the assumption of radical differences between the mental attributes of literate and nonliterate peoples"
synonyms: fundamental, basic, essential, quintessential; More
structural, deep-seated, intrinsic, organic, constitutive
"radical differences between the two theories"
antonyms: minor
(of surgery or medical treatment) thorough and intended to be completely curative.
characterized by departure from tradition; innovative or progressive.
"a radical approach to electoral reform"
2.
advocating or based on thorough or complete political or social reform; representing or supporting an extreme section of a political party.
"a radical American activist"
synonyms: revolutionary, progressive, reformist, revisionist, progressivist; More
extreme, extremist, fanatical, militant, diehard, hard-core
"a radical political movement"
antonyms: reactionary, moderate, conservative
3.
of or relating to the root of something, in particular.
Mathematics
of the root of a number or quantity.
denoting or relating to the roots of a word.
Music
belonging to the root of a chord.
Botany
of, or springing direct from, the root or stem base of a plant.
4.
North Americaninformal
very good; excellent.
"Okay, then. Seven o'clock. Radical!"

noun
noun: radical; plural noun: radicals

1.
a person who advocates thorough or complete political or social reform; a member of a political party or part of a party pursuing such aims.
synonyms: revolutionary, progressive, reformer, revisionist; More
militant, zealot, extremist, fanatic, diehard;
informalultra
"the arrested man was a radical"
antonyms: reactionary, moderate, conservative
2.
Chemistry
a group of atoms behaving as a unit in a number of compounds.

Note that radical has synonyms of zealot, extremist, militant. Yes, it also has synonyms of reformer and revolutionary. It depends on context.

In this case, the radical Muslims are defined as such by the so-called moderates. Researching history, however, if you look at the Ottoman Empire, the Sultanates, and the Moor invasion of Spain, those of more extreme bent have been the norm through history. All of the major religions have gone through those intolerance and abuse zones. Jews had their period of enslaving others (and being enslaved), but it was a long time ago for the bulk of them. Christians did it. Boy, did they do it. The early so-called monks were barely better than thugs who gloried in abuse and destruction. (Library of Alexandria, anyone? Hypatia?) Abuse of the Monophysites, so they ended up converting TO Islam? Then later, the Crusades - although much of that was the various Popes using it as a way to drain the resistance ability away from the ruling class of Europe - Political, rather than purely religious. The Mormons? Their first two generations were NASTY. They even admit it, but at least they outgrew it quickly. Islam just doesn't seem to be growing out of it, as a whole. (meaning that those that you're calling 'Extremists' are actually calling the shots for the religion, as well as defining what the religion means for everyone else, world-wide. You can't call them an aberration when they control at least four countries outright, and are working hard on several others)


I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.

And you should note that

And you should note that those are an aberration and you're at least as much the student of history that I am and so you are full well familiar with WHERE that aberration came from. Hint: It came from the extremists themselves trying to paint radicals as being just the same as them. It's like the TERFS claiming "radical" feminism for themselves wresting the name away from actual radical feminists with THEIR taint. History repeats itself, constantly.

Abigail Drew.

Muslims

Actually, Shia Muslims (Minority Muslims, about 10%) do accept transgender folk, almost without reservation. They are one group of people who actually do realize that a post op MtF woman can not be a sexual threat.

Sunni Muslims not so much, but in their isolationist culture it is possible for a careful T woman to make it.

All religions

Wouldn't it be wonderful if a significant number of American Christians publicly backed a similar move. There are 247 million Christians, 6.7 million Muslims, and 6.7 million Jews in the United States and if there were more inclusive Christians things would be much better.

Jerry

Jeri Elaine

Homonyms, synonyms, heterographs, contractions, slang, colloquialisms, clichés, spoonerisms, and plain old misspellings are the bane of writers, but the art and magic of the story is in the telling not in the spelling.

This issue here is that

This issue here is that Christianity has splintered more than any other religion, except perhaps the various types of Buddhists. So it's hard to get significant numbers of them without going between sects.

The other problem isn't so much religious as it is political or social. The extremists tend to be the only ones that are willing to give up their time and money to pursue their goal. Moderate people like their comforts.


I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.

Transgender Mormons

I've been an active baptized Mormon for almost 4 years now. For me, they permit second tier membership. I have been extremely fortunate in that I am only 5'7" and look like a woman. There was one other T woman that came to my ward, but she was like totally "out there", and very flamboyant. I work very hard to have the demeanor of a Nun.

With their new edict regarding children of homosexual parents, it is doubtful that I will stay. Right now a return to very moderate Islam seems likely. I know others on this site who are Muslim.

I realise that you are

I realise that you are probably seeking groups that you can feel part of - many people aren't comfortable without those of a similar faith or belief structure nearby. (Thus the various enclaves and ghettos (in the original sense, not the corrupted 'black' sense). Think Chinatowns, the Little Saigon, etc areas in large cities)

Have you thought about looking at what your personal faith or societal structure is, and then simply look for a group that accepts that, or encompasses that? I wouldn't necessarily point to Wicca, because that's a HUGE variety of people - often very strange - but there are groups such as the Unitarians, various Mennonites, and even Buddhists, that have encompassing beliefs, rather than excluding.


I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.

Done with Organized Religion?

Since 1974 I've made a life of the study of religions. That is more than 40 years. 15 years ago I expected to soon be a pastor. AND, I write Sci Fi. :) So, I still think the most definitive treatise on religion is Asimov's Foundation Trilogy. NO, seriously. I think that most of us, with the exception of SOME Jews create our own God despite what our Bibles, Qurans and Torahs say.

I saw a Gundam video that described the progression of God until he abandoned a physical body and now inhabits the universe. Though when and if I meet him I will accept him in what ever form he takes.

I tried the Unitarians and I think they believe in everything and nothing. I was raised in an Amish household and they are very close to the Mennonites. With this latest bit of bullshit the Mormons just pulled I am beyond disillusioned. So, I am not searching, just standing back to see what God thinks.

Religious Association

I'm sorry. As an ex-mormon I take umberance that you will not stay because of how they treat children of homosexual parents.

You should stay a mormon only if you believe the prophet is ordained of god and is the voice of god on earth. If you believe that and by extension you must believe all of their dogma, traditions and edicts.

You should not stay with a religious group because you like the group... rather you BELIEVE the dogma and have FAITH that they are the religion for you.

I have come to believe that my 'religious fervor' was driven by my need to be 'healed' of the voice inside of me screaming to get out. My sincere desire to 'be a man' often drove me in frustration to violence and vandalism. I sought religion as a way to cleanse my soul. I have outgrown this need, but have come to believe that if you join a religion for a group of people or their attitudes you are doing yourself and your congregation a massive disservice. You are a fair-weather member. Soon as things turn ugly... you jump ship. I'm not sure how your god feels about that.

Dayna.

The link between ones self

The link between ones self and their god is a personal one. Churches are made by man, not by any god, and are groups of like minded individuals following a common belief or worship structure.

If the church ceases to follow what one believes, one MUST obey the burden of conscience! This is one of the core drives that came out of Martin Luther's Ninety Five Theses. The entire Protestant Reformation is because the people and their religious leaders determined that the Catholic Church had moved in the wrong direction.

Telling someone that they have to follow a religious leadership no matter what they decide is... simply wrong, except to the religious leadership in question.


I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.

Significant

Considering Judaism is still based on the Old Testament so all the weird stuff about rules for slave/master relationship and the dreaded Leviticus prohibitions are still in force, this is a significant faith of conscience.

Christians theoretically have no dog in the fight with regard to old testament rules as Jesus has supposedly formed a new covenant between people and god so only the new testament binds them really.

But *meh*

One can understand why atheists come about though there are a number of whom I have met who are as militant and nasty about it as the worst radical religion cool aid drinker.