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Wanted: Orthodox Rabbis to Sign Anti-Gay Declaration
Posted: 11/28/11 02:40 PM ET
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Judaism , Orthodox Judaism , Video , Jewish Ex-Gay Therapy , Jewish Reparative Therapy , Orthodox Judaism Homosexuality , Orthodox Rabbis Homosexuality , Orthodox Rabbis Homosexuality Declaration , Ultra-Orthodox Jews , Gay Voices News
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When The Huffington Post first published my article "Once Upon a Gay: A Jewish Journey Through the Ex-Gay Movement," I was amazed to receive an outpouring of response: from Orthodox Jewish girls thanking me for not marrying them ("I was one of the girls you interviewed in a Manhattan hotel!"), to old ex-gay friends laughing how I "ruined the code language" of "Eskimos," and, most importantly, from religious men and women of all faiths -- some who have reconciled their faith and sexuality, but many who are still struggling.
However, I was saddened to also learn about a top-secret Declaration currently being passed confidentially among Orthodox Jewish rabbis, entitled, "Torah Declaration, Petition, re: The Torah Stance on Homosexuality" (located in full below).
Like all communities, the Orthodox Jewish one is comprised of many layers. In July 2010, Modern Orthodox rabbis around the country signed a groundbreaking Statement of Principles in "regard to the place of Jews with a homosexual orientation" in their community. While clearly stating that the parameters of Halacha (Jewish Law) prohibit same-sex sexual intercourse, the Principles still offered a message of compassion, empathy and inclusiveness of gay and lesbian Jews within the Orthodox community. It was a huge step forward for the Jewish community.
However, many ultra-Orthodox leaders felt that these Principles were too affirming of homosexuality. So this Declaration currently making rounds will serve as their official response in regards to guiding individuals with same-sex attractions. The endorser, Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetsky, of the Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia, urges all rabbis and mental health professionals to sign this Declaration, which offers modification and healing through reparative therapy as the sole option.
The full text of this secret Declaration, which has not been released to the public -- until now -- is posted below. I am releasing it here because I am certain that despite the signatures already included, plenty of other ultra-Orthodox rabbis will disagree. More importantly, this Declaration -- and these rabbis endorsing it -- will certainly cause anguish to the gay and lesbian Orthodox Jewish community, which has fought so hard for acceptance. Finally, I am certain that if reparative therapy is presented as the sole option, many individuals seeking guidance from rabbis or mental health professionals will be harmed -- indirectly by others, and perhaps even directly by harming themselves.
Rabbi Chaim Rapoport, an ultra-Orthodox rabbi who is the author of Judaism and Homosexuality: An Authentic Orthodox View, has said, "I am not obligated to believe in a failed therapy because it fits my theology better." My call to action within the Jewish community as a whole, and specifically to the ultra-orthodox community, is to speak to your rabbis and leaders and demand that they ensure that licensed mental health professionals and psychological associations are involved in the discussion of treating individuals struggling with their same-sex attractions. Ultra-Orthodox leaders can contact gay Orthodox Jewish groups such as Eshel, GLYDSA, and Jewish Queer Youth (JQY's It Gets Better video has already received over 70,000 views) to hear their stories and be advised on the possible impact of this Declaration.
The Declaration cites the biblical prohibition in Leviticus 19:14: "and you shall not place a stumbling block before the blind." This verse is used in the Declaration to conclude that the "Torah does not forbid something which is impossible to avoid," meaning that God would not give His people, "the blind," the "stumbling block" of same-sex attractions. I urge the Orthodox Jewish leaders who review this document to see that signing this Declaration will be putting a stumbling block in the way of many gay and lesbian Orthodox Jews suffering throughout our world. Please, take action, for the Talmud (Sanhedrin 37a) states, "Whoever destroys a soul, it is considered as if he destroyed an entire world. And whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world."
Read the full copy of the Declaration and related documents:
Introduction and Purpose on the Torah Declaration on Homosexuality
Declaration on the Torah Approach to Homosexuality
7 Frequently Asked Questions on the Torah Declaration
Rabbi S Kamenetsky Signature
Follow Jayson Littman on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jaysonlittman
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In LGBT Debates, Discomfort Is Part of the Point
Posted: 01/17/2012 4:02 pm
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Our national conversation about equality for LGBT people can often be, well, nasty. Opponents of "gay rights" routinely compare us to perverts, accuse us of horrible things, and deny our very existence. Meanwhile, to many religious people, gay folks really do threaten their understanding of the proper relationship of religion and society, morality and social order. It can be painful on both sides.
Yet I want to suggest that this debate is good for us as a society, and good for religion, specifically. As more religious communities, especially conservative ones, recognize the existence and humanity of LGBT people, they are forced to engage in the sort of critical thought and introspection that makes religion worthwhile in the first place. This is a good thing.
We grow as religious people through an unlikely combination of courage and humility. It takes courage to question one's opinions, and humility to recognize that we may not be as right as we thought. As St. Paul says in I Corinthians 13:11, "When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me." We're not meant, religiously speaking, to remain as ethical babies. We're called to something more than that.
All of us who make religion or spirituality part of our lives are accustomed to the process of introspection. Whether we attend confession, or review our lives as part of the annual cycle of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, or have heart-to-heart conversations with Christ, or enter periods of contemplation and discernment when we try to understand what course of action is the right one, or engage in any number of other procedures of self-examination and review, those of us involved in religious communities or spiritual practice are invited, time and again, to look inward.
We are even asked to reflect on our reflection. After all, introspection is not entirely interior in nature. Our hearts and minds are informed, saturated, even, by the values we learn from our sacred traditions and the world around us. We all know this to be true, which is one reason so many believers choose to separate themselves from the world at large. But do we acknowledge the depth to which it is true? Even on a gut, instinctual level, our very hearts and minds are shaped by assumptions and judgments that may be so familiar that they pass unnoticed. And these assumptions are culturally determined: show a picture of a dog to someone born into a Western society, and they may think "pet," and possibly feel affection. Show the same picture to someone born into some traditional Asian societies, and they think "food," and feel hungry.
Notwithstanding all the common-sense advice to "trust your gut," really, our guts are not trustworthy at all and must instead be tempered by love and reason. All animals have gut reactions, after all. But only humans (and perhaps a few others, in more limited ways) are able to reason beyond them. The "gut" may contain intuition and wisdom, but it's not the sum total of humanity. We are blessed with the ability to rise beyond our gut reactions -- as some religious traditions put it, we have sparks of God within us. (Or, as some neuroscientists put it, we have pre-frontal cortexes that can mediate the impulses of the amygdala.) And we all know from experience that we can feel something in our gut and still be wrong. The process of educating the moral conscience, of growing up religiously and ethically, is, in large part, the process of applying love and reason to what we think we already knew. Love teaches us how to think justly.
This is how moral progress takes place, I think. We learn to stop trusting the gut reactions based on falsehoods we've been taught. And it is one of the gifts that our national wrestling with the question of equality for LGBT people gives to each of us. It is an invitation to be uncomfortable, because discomfort is a sign of growth; it's a sign that you've reached your learning edge, where assumptions may be challenged and difficult lessons may be learned.
Let me share a bit of my personal story for a moment. I was raised to believe that being gay was about the worst thing in the world. Before I even knew what a "faggot" was, I knew I didn't want to be one, because it was what you called kids you wanted to degrade -- "Gay Jay" was the one name that I'd try to beat someone up over. Eventually, I learned what these words meant, and, years later, that they did in fact apply to me. My first response? Horror, terror, hatred, denial. I postponed coming out, for fear that it would end my religious life and alienate everyone I knew. I tried desperately to evade the truth myself. And why? Because I felt in my deepest guts that this way of intimate relation was wrong, disgusting, depraved.
Thanks to years of love, activism, therapy, and, above all, meeting hundreds of people who have shown the stereotypes I learned as a child to be wrong, I no longer feel this way. And yet I meet people in my work who are right back at square one, still repulsed by their own sexuality. And I meet devoutly religious people who, indeed, feel that revulsion deep inside... in their kishkes, their guts. It's easy to condemn right-wing loons as ignorant bigots -- but really, how different is what they feel from what I myself felt? I understand their hatred, because I once felt it myself.
And the journey has a way of continuing. One may be comfortable with some gay men, but not with "effeminate" gay men. With lesbians, but not "butch" lesbians. Or not with transgender people. Or not with people who reject the gender binary and locate themselves somewhere in the middle of a gender continuum. And so on. Rather than see this as an unending litany of PC requirements, I want to invite an attitude of joy that there are always assumptions in need of being defeated. Yom Kippur may come but once a year, and confession once a week -- but every encounter with an "other" is an occasion for growth and renewal.
In other words, feeling uncomfortable is a sign that you're where you need to be: working through your "stuff."
Imagine if you didn't do that. In past decades, our country kept racist laws on the books because privileged white people like me felt the rightness of them in our guts. But guts should never be the end of a moral conversation. If religion has taught us anything, it is that there is a moral value in transcending our baser instincts -- and that includes the snap judgments all of us make all the time. At first, and maybe for a while, these corrections along the course of moral conscience may not "feel right." But they are the defining marks of our humanity. Discomfort can be a good sign not just for the individual, but also for entire communities and societies.
I have seen this process unfold hundreds of times regarding LGBT issues. The organization PFLAG, for example -- Parents and Friends of Lesbians And Gays -- is largely made up of folks who have traveled this journey, from rejection to acceptance to embrace. These are ordinary people, not gay activists and not gay themselves, who once had strongly anti-gay views, for whatever reason, but who were forced to reexamine those views when people they loved came out as gay or lesbian.
This journey is a painful one, but it is also crucial. It is the unfolding of the moral conscience, and it is, in my opinion, humanity at its very best. We should be grateful for it.
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You Can't Pray the Gay Away
'Reparative Therapy' for Gays is Bad Science, Bad Religion
By Jay Michaelson
Published February 24, 2012, issue of March 02, 2012.
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‘Reparative therapy” for gays and lesbians, which attempts to “change” sexual orientation and is neither reparative nor therapy, is the last gasp of bad theology.
Not Going To Change: You can’t ‘pray the gay away,’ Jay Michaelson writes.
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Not Going To Change: You can’t ‘pray the gay away,’ Jay Michaelson writes.
It exists to solve a theological crisis. On the one hand, Jews are told that God loves us and that “it is not good… to be alone.” (Genesis 2:18) On the other hand, the longstanding over-application of two verses in Leviticus condemns thousands of Jews to a life of deceit, self-loathing and aloneness.
In response to this crisis, the vast majority of American Jews have chosen to read the verses more narrowly. On their face, and as understood by Rashi, these verses apply to only one sexual act between men. They exist in the context of prohibitions against idolatry, from a specific historical time. So there is no reason to read them so broadly as to harm hundreds of thousands of gay and lesbian Jews. To do so may have made sense before we understood human sexuality — but it doesn’t anymore.
Some Jews, however, are still trying to save the old, overbroad interpretation. They do this by maintaining, despite the evidence, that there are no gay and lesbian Jews at all. We are simply engaging in homosexual acts, and our choice or propensity to do so is changeable.
This view has been discredited by the scientific community and by the lives of countless gay men and lesbians. But it has resurfaced in the rightward flank of the Orthodox movement: in a “Torah Declaration on Homosexuality,” signed in January by a number of Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox rabbis, and in a recent op-ed in these pages, by Avi Shafran of Agudath Israel.
This view is overtly a response to the theological crisis stated above. As the Torah Declaration states, “The concept that G-d created a human being who is unable to find happiness in a loving relationship unless he violates a biblical prohibition is neither plausible nor acceptable.”
Unfortunately, it is also demonstrably false. And like the medieval Catholic Church desperately defending the view that the sun revolves around the Earth, rabbis spouting bad science make religion look foolish. Worse, they cause very real abuse suffered by very real people.
Here are facts: Homosexuality is a trait. Due, like most traits, to a combination of nature and nurture, it is basically unchangeable. There is indeed evidence that, as the pop song has it, we are “born this way”: Neuroscientist Simon LeVey’s 2010 book “Gay, Straight, and the Reason Why,” for example, discusses studies showing how the hypothalamus — the region of the brain most responsible for sexual behavior — is different in gay men and straight men, with gay men’s more closely resembling that of women.
But apart from neuroscience, LGBT people are people. There are millions of us, and we are capable of understanding and communicating our own experience. And we are reporting that sexuality is a trait, part of our souls, and something to celebrate and affirm — that it’s a gift and not a predicament. Are all of us really so deluded that our testimony cannot be taken seriously?
(Incidentally, that some people experience their sexuality as fluid, and not reducible to a simple gay/straight binary, does not change the experience of the rest of us.)
We also know that “reparative therapy” is fruitless. Exodus International, the Christian “ex-gay” organization, has never released statistics showing its success rates, obviously because the rates are abysmal. Indeed, many of the founders of Exodus itself are now leading proudly gay lives and disavowing their previous ideas.
In fact, recent Exodus literature has given up on the notion that sexual orientation can be changed. Really, they say, the best that one can hope for — and the kind of “success” Shafran speaks of — is that men can “function sexually” with women, hopefully with only a few relapses.
Is this really “success”? A gay man fantasizing about other men while he “functions sexually” with his wife? I wonder if anyone has asked his wife.
But, of course, the real story is even worse, because “reparative therapy” is not merely fruitless; it is harmful. For every isolated “success” story, there are hundreds of horror stories. As the director of Nehirim, a national LGBT Jewish organization, I have met many young men who suffered through sexual abuse at the hands of unlicensed “therapists.” I have met others who were clearly traumatized by the brainwashing that such people put them through. One even had to strip naked and touch his genitals in the presence of a supposedly ex-gay “life coach.” Do you think well-meaning parents would send their children to such places if they knew what was in store for them?
For this reason, rabbis and Jewish leaders like Shafran have a responsibility to objectively investigate the validity of “reparative therapy” and offer informed advice, unclouded by a theological wish that the scientific data were otherwise.
This is why I applaud the recent decision by the (Orthodox) Rabbinical Council of America not to allow a Jewish “reparative therapy” organization — headed by an ex-felon, incidentally, and with no medical or psychiatric professionals on staff — to carry their endorsement. It’s an intellectually respectable and important first step.
To maintain that this abusive, fraudulent sham might conceivably be a good idea is to put a stumbling block in front of unknowing but well-meaning parents. This is why those of us concerned with the psychological, spiritual and physical well-being of klal yisrael have objected so loudly to anyone who endorses it. Because real lives are at stake.
We say this not because of our cultural perspective, nor even our perspective on Torah. Rather, we say it because of the scientific facts and the psychological realities, and because of the many people we know who have been harmed. There is a reason, as Shafran admits, that no “mainstream medical professionals” advocate praying away the gay. It doesn’t help, and usually harms. To pretend that there is any real controversy about this because of a handful of unnamed, uncredentialed “others” is dishonest, even if it solves a theological problem.
It also makes Judaism look ignorant and backward. Ironically, the “Herculean” efforts to read those two Torah verses narrowly — decried by Shafran and the Torah Declaration — are far more likely to maintain the beauty of the Jewish way of life than tortured efforts to hitch theology to pseudoscience.
Eventually, the folly of “reparative therapy” will be as obvious as that of Galileo’s persecutors. But in the meantime, we cannot allow even one more parent to unwittingly send a child to be abused. The price of bad theology must not be paid by innocent young adults.
Jay Michaelson is the author, most recently, of “God vs. Gay? The Religious Case for Equality” (Beacon, 2011).
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truth1978's avatar - Go to profile
truth1978 · 86 weeks ago
So one might say, very well -- Michaelson and Orthodox Jews don't see eye to eye, so live and let live. Not so fast, says Michaelson. You see, "Some Jews, however, are still trying to save the old, overbroad interpretation." That would be us, the Orthodox Jews. So just like that, in one fell swoop, Michaelson informs us that our millennia-old tradition of biblical interpretation is "old" and "overbroad". Got that, you moldy Ortho-discriminators? You'd better change the way you interpret Torah, or else. Says commenter "marjemkalter": we "are on the wrong side of history and the wrong side of moral law". Sounds pretty sinister, doesn't it? In Canada, preachers can already be fined or jailed for stating their faith-based stance on homosexuality. How long before that comes to the US?
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truth1978 · 86 weeks ago
Let's put the Michaelson article in perspective. This is not an appeal to "live and let live" -- homosexuals already enjoy the complete liberty to live openly as they choose. They are receiving the insurance benefits of married couples and we're on an inevitable social trend to grant them full recognition of "marriage". Michaelson is not speaking on behalf of a beleaguered, persecuted group -- but rather is a tentacle of a powerful and wealthy lobby.
Being a professional writer, Michaelson is well-versed in the art of manipulation. Just look at the titles:
"You Can't Pray the Gay Away" and "Gays Are Born That Way, Just as Jewish as Anyone Else" -- superb strawmen, both. Praying the gay away is something some Christian groups might engage in, but the Jewish group JONAH emphatically declares that this does not work (has Michaelson even bothered to look at their page and read their statements?). And as for "Just as Jewish as Anyone Else" -- is anyone claiming that a person with same-sex attractions (or even one who acts on them) is somehow not Jewish?
To summarize so far: Michaelson uses the dishonest tactic of suggesting that the Jewish group JONAH tries to
"pray the gay away" (which is false and also makes it sound like one of the Christian groups -- well done!), and also suggests that the Orthodox Jews who maintain the traditional Rabbinical interpretation of bibilical prohibitions of homosexual behavior are somehow denying that homosexuals are Jews. Not bad for the first two lines!
Then there is the usual tired claim of "abuse" at the hand of the JONAH therapists. A total of two men have spoken in public about their bad experience with JONAH counselors. Where are these "hundreds of horror stories"? Also, with all this talk of rationality and "science" -- given an obviously troubled man such as Chaim Levin, how can you tell which of his problems are due to JONAH and which are due to other factors such as childhood abuse? Mind passing over the crystal ball? And what about even a symbolic, off-handed mention of the one or two men who say they have benefitted from JONAH (hundreds, in reality)? This is the closest the article comes to that admission: "Incidentally, that some people experience their sexuality as fluid, and not reducible to a simple gay/straight binary, does not change the experience of the rest of us".
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truth1978 · 85 weeks ago
Has Michaelson changed the second title from "Gays Are Born That Way, Just as Jewish as Anyone Else" to "'Reparative Therapy' for Gays is Bad Science, Bad Religion" in response to my criticism? I suppose I'm flattered.
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FEngels · 86 weeks ago
One of the greatest poskim of his generation, R. Dov Lesser, ztsal, told me that the verses from Leviticus mentioned in this article do not refer to homosexuality.
Instead, they refer to anal intercourse or sodomy which can be done by a man and woman as well as two men. It cannot be done by two women. Because of this and the fact that lesbians are no where mentioned in Torah per se, he and most classical scholars conclude that the Torah not only doesn't condemn homosexuality ( its from nature and the Torah doesn't condemn natural phenomena, he said) but also that outside of sodomy the Torah doesn't condemn sex between people of the same sex.
Of course, most orthodox will find the above startling not to mention threatening.
But what else would you expect from people who daily commit the sin of worshiping idols ( ie. man instead of G-d) or avodah zorah.
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1 reply · active 85 weeks ago
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Jessica Hoffman · 85 weeks ago
Actually, there's another law that contributes to the conclusion that two men should not be sexually involved with each other, even without sodomy. It applies to heterosexual encounters, as well, just as you said. It is the law that one shall not waste seed. A man who "wastes seed" knowing that there is no possibility, not even a tiny percentage, that their partner could become pregnant, is committing a sin directly from the Torah and confirmed in the Oral Law, as well.
I am Orthodox and the reason I don't find what R' Lesser said startling or threatening is because it's not fully fleshed out. He did not think of, perhaps, the concept of wasting seed. So even if it could be interpreted that the Torah does not condemn homosexuality because the pasuk is speaking about homosexuality for the purpose of idolatry, the law against wasting seed would condemn it the rest of the way.
And while many married couples don't use birth control at all, those who do use it fall into a different category of Torah laws regarding maintaining a healthy and happy marriage.
All of these comments are arguments are being made without all the info. The fact is, God wouldn't give us a condemnation unless He knew it might be an issue. The world and science are catching up to the Torah, not the other way around. Only this past week, doctors in Great Britain discovered that GID (gender identity disorder) is caused by an actual chemical misfiring in the brain, which explains why most patients who undergo sexual reassignment surgery and hormone therapy continue to feel the symptoms of GID even after they've changed genders, and that the most healthy way to treat GID would be to develop medication to correct that chemical misfire...much like meds for bipolar disorder. It's a slippery slope to "corrective medication" for homosexuality. I wonder how the author of this article might feel about that.
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truth1978 · 86 weeks ago
Thank you for that gem, rabbitonyjutner! I was going to copy it here in full, in case you become embarrassed by it and try to delete it later. But then I checked out your IntenseDebate profile -- it's like it's out of a comic book. Here is a sample comment of rabbitonyjutner: "Kudos. I agree with israeli100 (although he should change his name because it is offensive). I think that zionist professors should be dismissed from the UC system, because the concept of zionism in a progressive institution is an oxymoron. I hope that Shani will sign on to BDS so the zionist entity can be placed into the dustbin of history".
Go ahead -- take a good look, folks. There's 40 comments over there. Google NewJudaism -- it's not a joke (at least not an intentional one). Now rabbitonyjutner may well be a troll and a provocateur with a lot of time on his/her hands. But the sentiments he/she espouses are quite real.
So, all of you progressives out there -- did you get a good look? This is the face of your movement. Are you reading this, Jay Michaelson? rabbitonyjutner is certainly on the right side of history and moral law. Who's on board?
[As an G-d fearing Jew, I have no doubt that this NewJudaism won't even merit a footnote in history books a century from now -- along with other perverse aberrations. But enjoy the thrill while it lasts!]
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D___ · 86 weeks ago
It's an interesting article that really makes one think.
A related topic, one that Michaelson barely mentions, is bisexuality. I know little about it, but do know of a few women who split up with their female partners and began relationships with men. I once had a college roommate who was bisexual.
Human sexual attraction is a very complicated thing. Some try to suggest that everyone is either 100% straight or 100% gay, but research has shown that it isn't quite this simple. There are many who have some feelings for those of the same sex, but their attraction to the opposite gender is much stronger. There are also those who are truly bisexual. From what I've read, the numbers of bisexual men and women may be slightly higher than the numbers of those who feel attraction for only those of the same gender. It's hard to know for sure because there are a number of conflicting studies out there.
Here's where the issue gets extremely thorny. Should a bisexual man who decides to marry a woman subdue his feelings for other men? What if he has a family, but later decides to leave his wife because he also has feelings for another man? Should we just say, "It's ok that you left your wife and kids, and we support you on your quest to explore life with another man? Should a bisexual woman involved in a long and caring relationship with another woman suppress her feelings for men? Is it ok if she leaves her longtime partner to hook up with a man? Some have suggested trying to have it both ways--perhaps allowing a man to be married to a woman while also being intimate with another man. Can Judaism support this?
There are many who are very torn about these issues, but they are issues that can't be swept under the rug.
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levinjf · 85 weeks ago
People who call the traditional Jews "fossils" on the way out, and enlightened New Jews as the next big wave, know nothing of demographics. Every serious population study points unmistakably that in 100 years the vast majority of people in America who we would recognize as Jews will be descended from today's traditional Jews, and while the "New Jews" may have a few kids--not enough to replace them-- their descendants in 100 years will NOT be Jewish in any meaningful sense. I've met several nice American Gentiles who had a Jewish ancestor in 19th Century America--a Reform Jewish ancestor. Try to find an American Jew today whose ancestors attended a Reform Temple before 1900.
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3 replies · active 85 weeks ago
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Moshe of Rockville's avatar
Moshe of Rockville · 85 weeks ago
levinjf: sorry to puncture your beliefs, but I have also known Jews who have descended from non-Jews.Indeed, such projections that you refer to have no meaning in the reality of guess work.Such predictions are valueless for no one can predict the future with any degree of certainty.
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truth1978 · 85 weeks ago
But which, statistically, is more likely -- an unobservant or Reform Jew not having Jewish descendants or a non-Jew having a Jewish ones?
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levinjf · 85 weeks ago
You're right of course; the Orthodox may start having only one or two children, while Jewish Reform gay couples will start having 10 or 12 kids, just like the Haredim today! Perhaps you can cite examples from history where such population demographic turnarounds actually occurred? If projections based on actual statistics have no meaning, all the insurance companies would go out of business. They bet on such projections, and seem to be doing all right.
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BillP51 · 86 weeks ago
My mother was an interior designer for many years and had contact with many gay people, some has friends. She told me that it was a difficult life in a number of facets. Nobody would choose it on their own.
Having said that it used to be the love that dare not speak its name. Now its the love that doesn't shut its mouth. I really wish the gay activists would give it a rest already.
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rabbitonyjutner · 86 weeks ago
This is another reason why NewJudaism is destined to triumph and leave fossil rabbinical Judaism in the dustbin of history. We at NewJudaism welcome the bravery of not only coming out of the closet and challenging the corrupt autocracy of fossil Judaism, but their ability to attack other golden calves of fossil Judaism such as kashrut and circimcusion. Witness the exposure of pinkwashing as a futile attempt of the zionist entity to rebrand itself. Gay activist serve as our shock troops, that will lead a replacement of fossil Judaism with our trinity of Social Justice, Economic Justice, and Rights of Return of Endogenous Peoples, especially the Palestinians
Amandlaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See you at the Harvard One State Conference in March 3-4
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3 replies · active 85 weeks ago
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truth1978's avatar - Go to profile
truth1978 · 86 weeks ago
Thank you for that gem, rabbitonyjutner! I was going to copy it here in full, in case you become embarrassed by it and try to delete it later. But then I checked out your IntenseDebate profile -- it's like it's out of a comic book. Here is a sample comment of rabbitonyjutner: "Kudos. I agree with israeli100 (although he should change his name because it is offensive). I think that zionist professors should be dismissed from the UC system, because the concept of zionism in a progressive institution is an oxymoron. I hope that Shani will sign on to BDS so the zionist entity can be placed into the dustbin of history".
Go ahead -- take a good look, folks. There's 40 comments over there. Google NewJudaism -- it's not a joke (at least not an intentional one). Now rabbitonyjutner may well be a troll and a provocateur with a lot of time on his/her hands. But the sentiments he/she espouses are quite real.
So, all of you progressives out there -- did you get a good look? This is the face of your movement. Are you reading this, Jay Michaelson? rabbitonyjutner is certainly on the right side of history and moral law. Who's on board?
[As an G-d fearing Jew, I have no doubt that this NewJudaism won't even merit a footnote in history books a century from now -- along with other perverse aberrations. But enjoy the thrill while it lasts!]
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SC&A's avatar - Go to profile
SC&A · 85 weeks ago
Well, I'm more worrfied about fossil Islam and the scores of deaths sentences served against gays in the Islamic. Maybe that is why so many gay Muslims seek refuge in Israel- they are free to live their lives in peace and without fear.
Still, you concern is gratifying. Are you familiar with the works of Irshad Manji and Nonie Darwish?
Also, the Syrian psychiatrist Wafa Sultan offers up excellent insights into the dysfunctional Arab mind. She has published lots.
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Moshe of Rockville's avatar
Moshe of Rockville · 85 weeks ago
The "rabbit" is still peddling his bigotry. His/her hatred of the Jew,Judaism and/or the Jewish State is well-known. His line is well understood,but not appreciated by anyone who understands the contributions made by Jewish civilization,including our faith,its revolutionary monotheism and the individuals inspired by its teachings.As stated so many times in the political sphere, the "rabbit" is entitled to his/her opinion,but not his facts,colored with so much disgusting, barbaric hate that he/she will disappear in the dustbins of history.
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@DanielHorowitz3 · 86 weeks ago
Neglecting the simple fact that if the Torah is divine, it does NOT change based on history or social mores, I find it disturbing that Mr. Michaelson is so disingenuous with his readers.
He uses Exodus, with its scores of members who have been unsuccessful with change, as a proof to the fallacy of reparative therapy. (I myself once worked with a man who was abused by one of their “leaders.”) However, Exodus’s own website states: “Some within the Exodus network have found this type of therapy to be beneficial, though it is not a method Exodus employs or endorses.” They instead do rely on praying it away, which of course is ineffective.
Secondly, does he truly have “hundreds” of horror stories? If so then he should gather with those men and press charges against their perpetrators. I suspect it is far fewer, if even more than the two on the video.
And what are his statistics of those who used LICENSED therapists? You get what you pay for. If someone goes to a medicine man to cure their cancer and still remain ill, does that impugn the work of the people at Sloan Kettering?
I am curious to hear what Mr. Michaelson's response to these questions would
be.
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1 reply · active 86 weeks ago
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Ken Sperber · 86 weeks ago
"if the Torah is divine, it does NOT change based on history or social mores. . ." This theological assertion is a rejection of the entire enterprise of rabbinic tradition. That's fine, but it is not normative Rabbinic Judaism.
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morganfrost's avatar - Go to profile
morganfrost · 86 weeks ago
I do feel sorry for Mr. Michaelson, but he's not going to interpret this prohibition away. Nor is it reasonable to argue that, because someone has a particular inclination, it must be good for him to act on it. Alcoholics are naturally inclined towards drinking-- they, of all people, should not. Some people are very much inclined to fight whenever the opportunity arises, and others enjoy cruelty. Society requires all of these people to curb their impulses.
Michaelson's endless carping over what he wishes Judaism taught on this subject arises not from any particular analysis or serious theological position on his part, but from his stubborn insistence that Judaism and the Torah conform to him, rather than the other way around.
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marjemkalter · 86 weeks ago
Morganfrost, YOU are the one is is trying to re-interpret reality. You are on the wrong side of history and the wrong side of moral law.
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morganfrost · 86 weeks ago
Oh, well, thanks; I guess that settles it.
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@azigra · 86 weeks ago
Morganfrost, there is nothing to be settled. There are just the facts and decency and you dont have either of them.
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morganfrost · 86 weeks ago
I see-- you argue points almost as well as marjemkalter.
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Dan_O2 · 86 weeks ago
How condescending can you get? Comparing sexual orientation to addiction, aggression, and psychopathy?
If the problem were merely theological, there would be no need to go there. You could say that The Torah is clear on an issue, and leave it at that. But instead, you insist on presenting homosexuality as a disease. That's on level with Shafran. A low level.
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morganfrost · 86 weeks ago
You mean comparing an inclination towards unnatural acts to an inclination towards substance abuse? Actually, I can get a lot more condescending (and your fatuous arguments are certainly pushing me in that direction).
I like lobster; you like off-beat sexual practices. According to the Torah, we're both SOL. Sorry.
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Dan_O2 · 86 weeks ago
If you had limited your discussion to your views on Torah, I'd have less trouble, but you stooped to homophobia instead, as if to grind home your point. And here, yet again, you display it. I like many people who happen to be gay, and I respect many more. But I'm straight.
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morganfrost · 86 weeks ago
Hmmm..... I don't recall having asked you about your preferences. Interesting that you had to share them. You seem pretty worked up.
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Dan_O2 · 86 weeks ago
Not at all, buddy boy.
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oaklandj · 86 weeks ago
Torah says what Torah says, as ambiguous as it is on supposed prohibitions on homosexuality. http://livelonger.hubpages.com/hub/leviticus-homo...
Halakha is ever-evolving. One day, probably not too far in the future, gay people won't be condemned and forced to live a life of misery to appease other people's sanctimony.
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morganfrost · 86 weeks ago
No, the Torah isn't really evolving this way. What you're asking for is more than a re-interpretation; rather, it's a complete break with the past, and a rejection of clear-cut interpretations that have been around throughout Jewish history. I'm not trying to convince you to like the halakha; merely to recognize that it isn't going to change because you don't.
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oaklandj · 86 weeks ago
I happen to view the arc of Jewish theology, and what it portends for the future, differently than you do. And considering relatively few Jews demonize gay people, especially younger people, I suspect the trend is my friend.
We'll see, Morgan. Or, rather, we won't. We will be dead before we can see how the evolution of Judaism will happen.
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BROOKBI · 85 weeks ago
God never changes, the way he felt about gay people in the past is the way he feels now and the way he will feel in the future...it's a sin. God is our creator and has the right to say what is right or wrong. No matter how mankind feels about any given subject, only God has the right to determine how he views it ...and then it does not change.
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oaklandj · 85 weeks ago
I'm curious, are you Jewish or Christian? If you are Christian, why do you feel your personal or doctrinal opinion on homosexuality is in any way relevant to a discussion on the topic among Jews?
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morganfrost · 86 weeks ago
Oakland, you don't "view the arc of Jewish theology" at all. You don't know Hebrew, you haven't stuidied Jewish theology, I doubt you could work your way through a page of the Talmud... you're just looking for validation where you aren't going to find it. Frankly, that's your business, and (for the record) I'm not demonizing you. But I'm also not offering up the unconditional validation you seem to crave (nor am I seeking yours). You want some kind of Jewish imprimatur on your lifestyle? Try Reform or even Conservative. If you need everyone else to abandon a few thousand years of law and tradition so you can stop feeling guilty, I really don't see it happening. If that's not what you want, then why do you keep arguing with me? I honestly don't care how you live your life, as long as it doesn't involve me.
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oaklandj · 86 weeks ago
It would help if you actually read instead of launching into a tirade. I stated my beliefs. I don't care what yours are, and frankly, I don't respect them. Beliefs like yours have caused gay & lesbian people a lot of unnecessary grief over the years.
Neither of us know how Judaism will evolve in the future, and your "knowledge" of Talmud and Hebrew won't get you any farther than it does me.
As others have suggested, I'm beginning to see your posts as simple trolling, so I won't bother responding after this. Continue this thread with a sockpuppet if you like.
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morganfrost · 86 weeks ago
I thought I was carrying on this thread with a sockpuppet.
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Ken Sperber · 86 weeks ago
"You don't know Hebrew, you haven't stuidied Jewish theology, I doubt you could work your way through a page of the Talmud. . ." Suffice it to say I do "know Hebrew," have "studied Jewish theology," and can indeed "work my way through a page of Talmud." Your statement that, "the Torah isn't really evolving this way" is incorrect. Thousands of years of rabbinic tradition illustrate this on every page. Torah in normative Jewish rabbinic tradition always has evolved in ways both incremental and radical and inevitably continues to do so. The insistance that it does not is a modern invention itself at odds with authentic normative rabbinic tradition. This does not mean that a particular conclusion on a particular question is forced--it is not--but the process of evolution and inevitability of multiple valid but mutually exclucsive conclusions is the core of rabbinic Jewish tradition. To deny this is to deny everything.
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Morganfrost · 85 weeks ago
Well, OK, Rabbi-- so let's pursue your claim. I won't ask for illustrations "on every page." Let's start with a simple illustration of your point-- find me a single d'oraisa halakha that existed in Talmudic times that has been rescinded.
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Ken Sperber · 85 weeks ago
Many an excellent book has been penned on the subject of the nature and development of halacha. If that you are asking shows a desire to learn, I am not volunteering to do the teaching. Of course there is always the chance that what your question really implies is that you think you already know everything and believe you actually have nothing further to learn on the subject in which case I am *certainly* not volunteering.
I will, however, tell anyone following the thread that in talmudic times if a man disappeared in a body of water large enough that the opposite shore could not be seen he was presumed still living as perhaps he had survived to the opposite shore. Thus, *d'oraisah,* his wife was an agunah in Talmudic times. The Chatam Sofer, however, no liberal it should be noted, ruled in the 18th century that in light of the advent of then modern means of communication that such a man could indeed be presumed dead and his widow free to remarry for had such a man survived he would undoubtedly have gotten word back home. Thus, children from the woman's next marriage who would have been *mamzerim* for the Talmud are perfectly fine according to the Chatam Sofer in the 18th century. The fact is, halacha evolves for all kinds of reasons, as this case illustrates changing technological realities among them.
Of course we also know the Torah clearly sentences the rebellious child to death and the Talmud itself models for us how to approach such a pasuk such that it becomes effectively nullified and Hillel illustrates yet another--still more radical--way to nullify clear Torah law when he invents a way out of the cancellation of debts at the end of the 7th year of the 7 year cycle. You may not like masechet Sanhedrin, or Hillel, or the Chatam Sofer, or the Tzitz Eliezer (who ruled a generation ago that a hearing impaired person could use an electric hearing aid on Shabbat), or literally countless others, but the reality remains it is you not they that is outside normative rabbinic tradition in your insistance that Halacha does not evolve. It does and it always did. The claim that it does not is a modern invention and a deviation from normative rabbinic tradition.
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morganfrost · 85 weeks ago
Whoa. First, you know perfectly well that your first example is a bit of a stretch. The principles illustrated in the Talmudic passage in question were in no way reversed by the Chatam Sofer-- the rulings on those issues are very fact specific.
Second, your second example is completely non-responsive. The Talmudic interpretation is understood to be the correct application of the halakha-- not a reversal thereof (which is why I specified post-Talmudic changes in my question). And, since you've already explained to me the extent of your erudition, I can only conclude that you knew that perfectly well, and were trying to mislead "anyone following the thread." I'd expect a bit more candor from a Torah scholar.
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Ken Sperber · 85 weeks ago
Not misleading at all. I am not intentionally saying something I know to be untrue in order to mislead. That's silly. I just disagree with you. Disagreement with someone is not automatically a sign that they are "misleading" are speaking with a lack of "candor." To anyone interested in the subject I recommend for further reading Joel Roth's The Halakhic Process, A Systemic Analysis; Eliezer Berkovits' Not in Heaven, The Nature and Function of Halakha; Some of Daniel Sperber's (no relation) books are enlightening; Eliott Dorff's books on the subject. Expect morganfrost to now explain why each of these scholars is wrong, or "misleading," or the like. That's ok, though it would probably be better to study them first. If you might pick just one from the list, for my money go to R. Roth's book.
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morganfrost · 85 weeks ago
You were being misleading. I suspect you know why, but, for the benefit of any outsider who still cares about this thread, a Talmudic clarification of a d'oraisa is not a reversal of the d'oraisa, by definition-- it's part of the oral tradition, and a necessary part of the d'oraisa. Moreover, a discussion in the Talmud is not the same as psak halakha. Finally, reciting a list of books isn't helping your argument, nor, in any rational argument, does naming a book oblige your opponent to refute your understanding of the book in detail. Your obfuscations aside, you have not named a single d'oraisa halakha that has been reversed in the last 2,000 years. Claiming that our understanding of halakha "evolves" in no way changes that fact. Normative halakhic Judaism has not, will not, and can not validate homosexual unions.
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Samuel Torjman Thomas · 85 weeks ago
Well put. Thanks for the eloquent defense of the evolutionary nature of true normative rabbinic tradition and your clearly argued case that what we see today is radicalism in modern Jewish thought. Halakhic Judaism today resembles Karaites...but just of the Oral Torah instead of the Written Torah.
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Jesse Monteagudo
New Options for LGBT Jews
Filed By Jesse Monteagudo | March 03, 2012 1:00 PM | 0 comments
Filed in: Living
Tags: Chebrei Tikvah, Jewish gays, Keshet, LGBT jews, Nehirim, Ru'ach, WCGLBTJ
In the early 1970s, lesbian and gay Jews (bisexuals and transgender folk were not yet on our collective radar) founded the first gay synagogues: Beth Chaym Chadashim in Los Angeles (1972) and Congregation Thumbnail image for gay-jews.jpgBeth Simchat Torah in New York City (1973). At a time when traditional Judaism was still very homophobic, LGBT congregations provided queer Jews with safe places to practice our religion and celebrate our community.
The L.A. and New York shuls were soon followed by similar congregations in South Florida (Etz Chaim, 1974), Washington, D.C. (Beth Mishpachah, 1975), San Francisco (Sha'ar Zahav, 1977), Seattle (Tikvah Chadashah, 1980) and other cities. Together, LGBT synagogues form the World Congress of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Jews (WCGLBTJ).
Unfortunately for queer synagogues, the growing acceptance of LGBT Jews on the part of the Reform, Reconstructionist and Conservative movements (though not yet the Orthodox) have made uniquely gay temples less necessary.
Writing for the venerable Jewish Forward (2008), Anthony Weiss noted the change as gay shuls like Atlanta's Beth Haverim began to attract straight members: "As the mainstream Jewish world has increasingly accepted gay and lesbian Jews, gay-and-lesbian-founded synagogues like Beth Haverim have grappled with questions that go to the core of their identity. ... Now, as more and more straight members join Bet Haverim and other synagogues like it, a large question arises. Should there ideally be such things as distinctive gay and lesbian synagogues, or would the need for such a separate space disappear?"
There is no easy answer to this question. Weiss quoted Rabbi Eric Yoffe, President of the Union for Reform Judaism, who said that eventually most LGBT congregations would disappear, if only "because gay men and lesbians would be at ease in Reform congregations." On the other hand, as Jewish gay activist and scholar Jay Michaelson (God vs. Gay?) recently told me, "there are different models in different places. In many places, LGBT congregations are being replaced. In other cities, such as L.A., New York, and San Francisco LGBT synagogues are continuing to grow and change."
According to the Forward, in 2005 Cleveland's Chebrei Tikvah merged with the local Fairmount Temple, though it still meets twice a month as an LGBT minyan (quorum).
As LGBT Jews became more active in the lives of "mainstream" synagogues, they began to form specifically-LGBT havurot (fellowship groups) within those temples. One of those is the Ru'ach ("spirit") founded in 2000 as part of Temple Israel of Greater Miami (http://templeisrael.net/community/gay-lesbian). Ru'ach describes itself as "a havurah serving the Jewish lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in South Florida. We are committed to fostering a joyous, open and accepting environment for sharing spiritual, religious and social programming."
Among a growing list of Ru'ach-sponsored events are the annual Pride Seder; semi-monthly havdalah services that bring the Jewish Sabbath to a close; and educational programs featuring gay and Jewish scholars like Michaelson. Members of Ru'ach also work together with Next@19th, a Jewish cultural group housed at Temple Israel which, though not necessarily gay, is definitely LGBT-friendly.
On a national level, LGBT Jews have created community organizations that supplement the more synagogue-oriented WCGLBTJ. Nehirim ("lights"), founded by Michaelson in 2004, is (according to Michaelson) "the largest national community organization of LGBT Jews, partners, and allies. We have run retreats and other programs for thousands of folks across the country. We also partner with local groups already doing great work in the area."
Future Nehirim-sponsored events include a Woman's Retreat (Falls Village, CT, March 23-25); a Men's Retreat (Falls Village, CT, March 30-April 1), a co-ed Nehirim East Retreat (Falls Village, CT, June 15-17) and a week-long Camp Nehirim for Men (Easton Mountain, NY, August 22-26).
Another national LGBT group is Keshet, which takes its name from the Hebrew word for "rainbow" and "bow." Keshet is a national grassroots organization that works for the full inclusion of LGBT Jews in Jewish life. Having merged with Jewish Mosaic: The National Center for Sexual & Gender Diversity in 2010, Keshet sponsors social and cultural events in the Greater Boston area, ranging from Jewish text study to an annual GLBT Jewish speed-dating gala, Keshet Quick Dates. On a national level, Keshet offers LGBT Jews support, training, and resources.
As individuals and as a group, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Jews will continue to exist, to flourish, and to leave our mark on the Jewish, LGBT, and mainstream communities. As we continue to evolve, our community organizations will follow suit, in order to reflect our ever-changing realities.
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In Newsweek Magazine
Is It Fair to Punish Dharun Ravi Because Tyler Clementi Died?
Mar 12, 2012 1:00 AM EDT
Dharun Ravi may be a jerk, but he shouldn’t go to prison for it.
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One of the core assumptions of LGBT activism, anti-racism work, and other civil-rights activism is that all of us, no matter how enlightened we are, have prejudice within us. You don’t “get over” your racism or homophobia; you learn to recognize it.
Yet the highest-profile gay-bashing trial of the decade will turn on whether Dharun Ravi, a Rutgers University sophomore, acted out of anti-gay bias against his roommate, Tyler Clementi, when he recorded Clementi having sex with another man on his webcam and tweeted about it. The facts are not in dispute; only the motivations. In other words, not only is the entire case taking place in Dharun Ravi’s head, but Ravi is on trial for what all of us feel from time to time: prejudice against those who are different from us.
Why? Because while Ravi is on trial for invasion of privacy, the more serious offense with which he is charged is “bias intimidation,” a hate crime. If all Ravi did was film Clementi in bed with another man, it’s a minor offense. If he did so in order to harass Clementi for being gay, he could get 10 years in prison.
As the trial has unfolded, there appears to be general agreement that Ravi is a bit of a jerk. He and his friends made fun of Clementi’s economic status, his nerdy demeanor, even his choice of email provider. Ravi used the words “fag” and “gay” in a derogatory way. And yet, as I’ve read the instant-message transcripts that form much of the body of evidence, it’s been abundantly clear that Ravi’s homophobia is of the casual, locker-room variety. Yes, it’s there, but it’s also everywhere.
Clementi, meanwhile, emerges as a delicate young man who was uncomfortable in his own skin—not only because he was gay, but also because he was slight, socially awkward, and unsure of himself.
Of course, this trial is taking place only because shortly after Ravi recorded him, Clementi killed himself by jumping off the George Washington Bridge. That’s why the case has attracted so much attention: Clementi was one in a series of gay-teen suicides brought on by bullying and intimidation. Now both Clementi and Ravi are symbols.
rutgers-trial-nb30
And yet, is Ravi really responsible for Clementi’s suicide? Legally, the only relevance of the suicide is whether it shows Clementi felt harassed for being gay. In reality, the suicide haunts everything; otherwise this would be a matter for the Rutgers resident advisers.
The problem is that justice is individual, whereas symbols are collective. Of course, judges “send a message” to would-be criminals all the time by disproportionately punishing the ones who get caught. But there’s a difference between sending a message and scapegoating. Whatever was going through Ravi’s head is no different from what millions of other 18-year-olds think, and feel, all the time—including, every jock I went to high school with. Those attitudes are indeed reprehensible. But Ravi is the one whose life now hangs in the balance, a scapegoat for all of us.
At the same time, an acquittal would send the message that it’s OK to bully gay kids, embarrass them, and drive them to despair or worse. The details will be lost, and the effects will be disastrous. There’s no good result here. Individually, it’s a disaster if Ravi gets sent to jail. But symbolically it’s a disaster if he’s let off.
The only way out would be a verdict that no one will like: guilty, but with no jail time for “bias intimidation.” This would send the right message while not ruining the life of an average guy who picked on a delicate kid. It would protect hate-crime laws from being undermined by a bad case. And it would acknowledge who’s really on trial in this case: all of us.
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Jay Michaelson is associate editor of Religion Dispatches and the author, most recently, of God vs. Gay? The Religious Case for Equality (Beacon, 2011).
For inquiries, please contact The Daily Beast at editorial@thedailybeast.com.
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24th Annual Lambda Literary Award Finalists Announced
Posted on 20. Mar, 2012 by Edit Team in Foundation Updates
Finalists for the Lambda Literary Awards were announced today by the Lambda Literary Foundation (LLF) in Los Angeles. Books from major mainstream publishers and from academic presses, from both long-established and new LGBT publishers, as well as from emerging publish-on-demand technologies, make up the 119 finalists for the “Lammys.” The finalists were selected from a record number of nominations.
The awards, now in their twenty-fourth year, celebrate achievement in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) writing for books published in 2011. Winners will be announced at a Monday evening, June 4th ceremony in New York at the CUNY Graduate Center (365 Fifth Avenue) with an after-party at Slate (54 West 21st Street).
Lambda set a record in 2010 for both the number of LGBT books nominated (520) and the number of publishers participating (about 230). That record has been surpassed this year, with more than 600 titles represented from about 250 publishers.
“For three consecutive years we have broken the records for both book nominees and publishers, which is extremely heartening in a time of uncertainty for the publishing industry as a whole, and LGBT publishing, in particular,” said LLF Board of Trustees Co-Chair, David McConnell.
More than 90 booksellers, book reviewers, librarians, authors, previous Lammy winners and finalists, and other book professionals volunteered many hours of reading time, critical thinking, and invigorating shared discussion to select the finalists in 24 categories.
“The Lambda Literary Awards would not be possible without the time, energy, and intelligence of our volunteer judges who put countless hours of reading into selecting our finalists,” said Lambda Executive Director, Tony Valenzuela. “Because of their hard work, this day is a celebration of our finalists, whose outstanding books extend the fabric of our literature and enrich our community. Congratulations to these talented authors on their tremendous achievement.”
Pioneer Award honorees, the master of ceremonies, and presenters will be announced the second week of April.
Tickets for the Lambda Literary Awards ceremony and after-party go on sale today. For more information click here.
24th Annual Lambda Literary Award Finalists
Lesbian Debut Fiction
The Girls Club, by Sally Bellerose, Bywater Books
Megume and the Trees, by Sarah Toshiko Hasu, Megami Press
My Sister Chaos, by Lara Fergus, Spinifex Press
Nickels: A Tale of Dissociation, by Christine Stark, Modern History Press
Zipper Mouth, by Laurie Weeks, The Feminist Press at CUNY
Lesbian General Fiction
The Dirt Chronicles, by Kristyn Dunnion, Arsenal Pulp Press
The Necessity of Certain Behaviors, by Shannon Cain, University of Pittsburgh Press
Six Metres of Pavement, by Farzana Doctor, Dundurn Press
When She Woke, by Hillary Jordan, Algonquin Books
Wingshooters, by Nina Revoyr, Akashic Books
Lesbian Memoir/Biography
How to Get a Girl Pregnant, by Karleen Pendleton Jimenez, Tightrope Books
Sheepish: Two Women, Fifty Sheep, and Enough Wool to Save the Planet, by Catherine Friend, Da Capo Press/Lifelong Books
Small Fires: Essays, by Julie Marie Wade, Sarabande
Taking My Life, by Jane Rule, Talonbooks
When We Were Outlaws: A Memoir of Love & Revolution, by Jeanne Córdova, Spinsters Ink
Lesbian Mystery
Dying to Live, by Kim Baldwin & Xenia Alexiou, Bold Strokes Books
Hostage Moon, by AJ Quinn, Bold Strokes Books
Rainey Nights: A Rainey Bell Thriller, by R.E. Bradshaw, R.E. Bradshaw Books
Retirement Plan, by Martha Miller, Bold Strokes Books
Trick of the Dark, by Val McDermid, Bywater Books
Lesbian Poetry
15 Ways to Stay Alive, by Daphne Gottlieb, Manic D Press
Discipline, by Dawn Lundy Martin, Nightboat Books
Love Cake, by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, TSAR Publications
Milk and Honey: A Celebration of Jewish Lesbian Poetry, edited by Julie R. Enszer, A Midsummer Night’s Press
The Stranger Dissolves, by Christina Hutchins, Sixteen Rivers Press
Lesbian Romance
For Me and My Gal, by Robbi McCoy, Bella Books
Ghosts of Winter, by Rebecca S. Buck, Bold Strokes Books
Rescue Me, by Julie Cannon, Bold Strokes Books
Storms, by Gerri Hill, Bella Books
Taken by Surprise, by Kenna White, Bella Books
Lesbian Erotica
The Collectors, by Anne Laughlin writing as Lesley Gowan, Bold Strokes Books
Lesbian Cops: Erotic Investigations, edited by Sacchi Green, Cleis Press
A Ride to Remember & Other Erotic Tales, by Sacchi Green, Lethe Press
Story of L, by Debra Hyde, Ravenous Romance
Gay Debut Fiction
98 Wounds, by Justin Chin, Manic D Press
Dirty One, by Michael Graves, Chelsea Station Editions
Have You Seen Me, by Katherine Scott Nelson, Chicago Center for Literature and Photography
Mitko, by Garth Greenwell, Miami University Press
Quarantine: Stories, by Rahul Mehta, Harper Perennial
Gay General Fiction
The Empty Family, by Colm Tóibín, Scribner
The Great Night, by Chris Adrian, Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Leche, by R. Zamora Linmark, Coffee House Press
The Stranger’s Child, by Alan Hollinghurst, Alfred A.Knopf
The Unreal Life of Sergey Nabokov, by Paul Russell, Cleis Press
Gay Memoir/Biography
Celluloid Activist: The Life and Times of Vito Russo, by Michael Schiavi, University of Wisconsin Press
For the Ferryman: A Personal History, by Charles Silverstein, Chelsea Station Editions
Halsted Plays Himself, by William E. Jones, Semiotext(e)
If You Knew Then What I Know Now, by Ryan Van Meter, Sarabande Books
The Jack Bank: A Memoir of a South African Childhood, by Glen Retief, St. Martin’s Press
Gay Mystery
The Affair of the Porcelain Dog, by Jess Faraday, Bold Strokes Books
Blue’s Bayou, by David Lennon, Blue Spike Publishing
Boystown: Three Nick Nowak Mysteries, by Marshall Thornton, Torquere Press
Malabarista, by Garry Ryan, NeWest Press
Red White Black and Blue, by Richard Stevenson, MLR Press
Gay Poetry
Dear Prudence: New and Selected Poems, by David Trinidad, Turtle Point Press
Double Shadow: Poems, by Carl Phillips, Farrar, Straus & Giroux
A Fast Life: The Collected Poems of Tim Dlugos, edited by David Trinidad, Nightboat Books
Kintsugi, by Thomas Meyer, Flood Editions
The Other Poems, by Paul Legault, Fence Books
Gay Romance
Every Time I Think of You, by Jim Provenzano, CreateSpace/Myrmidude Press
Settling the Score, by Eden Winters, Torquere Press
Something Like Summer, by Jay Bell, Jay Bell Books
Split, by Mel Bossa, Bold Strokes Books
Tinseltown, by Barry Brennessel, MLR Press
Gay Erotica
All Together, by Dirk Vanden, loveyoudivine Alterotica
Backwoods, by Natty Soltesz, Rebel Satori Press
Best Gay Erotica 2012, edited by Richard Labonte, Cleis Press
George Platt Lynes: The Male Nudes, edited by Steven Haas, Rizzoli New York
History’s Passions: Stories of Sex Before Stonewall, edited by Richard Labonte, Bold Strokes Books
Transgender Fiction
The Book of Broken Hymns, by Rafe Posey, Flying Rabbit
The Butterfly and the Flame, by Dana De Young, iUniverse
I am J, by Cris Beam, Little, Brown Books for Children
Static, by L.A. Witt, Amber Allure/Amber Quill Press
Take Me There: Trans and Genderqueer Erotica, edited by Tristan Taormino, Cleis Press
Transgender Nonfiction
Captive Genders: Trans Embodiment and the Prison Industrial Complex, edited by Eric A. Stanley and Nat Smith, AK Press
Letters For My Brothers: Transitional Wisdom in Retrospect, edited by Megan M. Rohrer and Zander Keig, Wilgefortis Press
Normal Life: Administrative Violence, Critical Trans Politics and the Limits of Law, by Dean Spade, South End Press
Re-Dressing America’s Frontier Past, by Peter Boag, University of California Press
Tango: My Childhood, Backwards and in High Heels, by Justin Vivian Bond, The Feminist Press at CUNY
Bisexual Fiction
Boyfriends With Girlfriends, by Alex Sanchez, Simon & Schuster
The Correspondence Artist, by Barbara Browning, Two Dollar Radio
Have You Seen Me, by Katherine Scott Nelson, Chicago Center for Literature and Photography
Triptych, by J.M. Frey, Dragon Moon Press
The Two Krishnas, by Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla, Magnus Books
Bisexual Nonfiction
Big Sex Little Death: A Memoir, by Susie Bright, Seal Press
Bisexuality and Queer Theory: Intersections, Connections and Challenges, edited by Jonathan Alexander & Serena Anderlini-D’Onofrio, Routledge
The Horizontal Poet, by Jan Steckel, Zeitgeist Press
Sovereign Erotics: A Collection of Two-Spirit Literature, edited by Qwo-Li Driskill, Daniel Heath Justice, Deborah Miranda, and Lisa Tatonetti, University of Arizona Press
Surviving Steven: A True Story, by Ven Rey, Ven Rey
LGBT Anthology
Ambientes: New Queer Latino Writing, edited by Lazaro Lima & Felice Picano, University of Wisconsin Press
The Fire in Moonlight: Stories from the Radical Faeries, edited by Mark Thompson, White Crane Books/Lethe Press
Gay Latino Studies: A Critical Reader, edited by Michael Hames-García and Ernesto Javier Martínez, Duke University Press
Persistence: All Ways Butch and Femme, edited by Ivan E. Coyote & Zena Sharman, Arsenal Pulp Press
Sovereign Erotics: A Collection of Two-Spirit Literature, edited by Qwo-Li Driskill, Daniel Heath Justice, Deborah Miranda, and Lisa Tatonetti, University of Arizona Press
LGBT Children’s/Young Adult
Gemini Bites, by Patrick Ryan, Scholastic
Huntress, by Malinda Lo, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
I am J, by Cris Beam, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
PINK, by Lili Wilkinson, HarperCollins
Putting Makeup on the Fat Boy, by Bil Wright, Simon & Schuster
LGBT Drama
Letters to the End of the World, by Anton Dudley, Playscripts, Inc.
A Menopausal Gentleman: The Solo Performances of Peggy Shaw, by Peggy Shaw, University of Michigan Press
Secrets of the Trade, by Jonathan Tolins, Samuel French, Inc.
The Temperamentals, by Jon Marans, Chelsea Station Editions
The Zero Hour, by Madeleine George, Samuel French, Inc.
LGBT Nonfiction
Gay in America: Portraits by Scott Pasfield, by Scott Pasfield, Welcome Books
God vs. Gay?: The Religious Case for Equality, by Jay Michaelson, Beacon Press
The H.D. Book, by Robert Duncan, University of California Press
A Queer History of the United States, by Michael Bronski, Beacon Press
Seeing Gertrude Stein: Five Stories, by Wanda M. Corn and Tirza True Latimer, University of California Press
LGBT SF/F/H
The German, by Lee Thomas, Lethe Press
Paradise Tales: and Other Stories, by Geoff Ryman, Small Beer Press
Static, by L.A. Witt, Amber Allure/Amber Quill Press
Steam-powered: Lesbian Steampunk Stories, edited by JoSelle Vanderhooft, Torquere Press
Triptych, by J.M. Frey, Dragon Moon Press
LGBT Studies
Captive Genders: Trans Embodiment and the Prison Industrial Complex, edited by Eric A. Stanley and Nat Smith, AK Press
Freedom with Violence: Race, Sexuality, and the US State, by Chandan Reddy, Duke University Press
Sister Arts: The Erotics of Lesbian Landscapes, by Lisa L. Moore, University of Minnesota Press
Techniques of Pleasure: BDSM and the Circuits of Sexuality, by Margot Weiss, Duke University Press
¡Venceremos?: The Erotics of Black Self-making in Cuba, by Jafari S. Allen, Duke University Press
24th Annual Lambda Literary Awards Host Committee
David McConnell – Co-Chair
Don Weise – Co-Chair
S. Chris Shirley – Co-Chair
Charles Rice-Gonzalez – Ceremony Director
Jamie Brickhouse – Publicity Chair
Brad Boles
J.Brooks
Mario Lopez-Cordero
David Gale
James Hannaham
Wayne Hoffman
Michele Karlsberg
Dean Klinger
Jay Moore
Dan Manjovi
Bill Miller
Heather O’Neill
Pauline Park
Lori Perkins
Jay Plum
Melanie La Rosa
Patrick Ryan
Eddie Sarfaty
Liz Scheier
Bob Smith
Linda Villarosa
Warren Wilson
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Tags: 24th Annual Lambda Literary Award Finalists Announced, 24th Annual Lambda Literary Awards, Lambda Award Finalist, Lambda Award Finalists, Lambda Literary Award
38 Responses to “24th Annual Lambda Literary Award Finalists Announced”
Richard Fumosa 11 June 2012 at 4:12 PM #
I’m really thrilled that The Two Krishnas, by Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla, which I acquired for Alyson Books, finally found a home and is a finalist for Best Bisiexual Fiction
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Trackbacks/Pingbacks
1.Have You Seen Me Is a Lambda Literary Awards Finalist!!! – Katherine Scott Nelson - March 20, 2012
[...] http://www.lambdaliterary.org/foundation-updates/03/20/24th-annual-lambda-literary-award-finalists-a… [...]
2.TRIPTYCH Nominated for TWO Lambda Literary Awards - March 20, 2012
[...] And now, the official press release: [...]
3.Lambda Literary Finalists Announced | JL Merrow - March 20, 2012
[...] pleased to see Boystown by Marshall Thornton on the list – he’s an excellent writer whose books don’t get the attention they deserve. Like [...]
4.Lammy nomination! « blogwala - March 20, 2012
[...] thrilled to be on the Lambda Literary shortlist! Check it out here. Share this:ShareEmailFacebookTwitterStumbleUponLinkedInTumblrRedditLike this:LikeBe the first to [...]
5.Congrats to Lammy finalists Peggy Shaw and Jill Dolan, authors of ‘A Menopausal Gentleman’ - March 20, 2012
[...] edited and with an introduction by Nathan Award-winning critic Jill Dolan, is a finalist for the 24th Annual Lambda Literary Award in the category of LGBT Drama. The University of Michigan Press would like to congratulate our [...]
6.2012 Lambda Literary Award Finalists Announced | PQ Monthly - March 20, 2012
[...] “For three consecutive years we have broken the records for both book nominees and publishers, which is extremely heartening in a time of uncertainty for the publishing industry as a whole, and LGBT publishing, in particular,” LLF Board of Trustees Co-Chair, David McConnell, says in a release. [...]
7.Eden Winters — Lambda Award Finalist! | P.D. Singer - March 20, 2012
[...] Congratulations to our Torquere authors, and to all who have been selected as finalists; see the entire list here. [...]
8.Novels « www.barrybrennessel.com - March 20, 2012
[...] Finalist, 24th Annual Lambda Literary Awards [...]
9.Affirmation of faith…in myself… « Rebecca's Blog - March 20, 2012
[...] Andrea and Kev at States of IndependenceThen, today, to add to the excitement, the Lambda Literary Awards finalists were announced. And Ghosts of Winter is on the shortlist! Right there in the [...]
10.Lambda Literary Award Finalist « Flood Editions: The Latest News - March 20, 2012
[...] is a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for gay poetry! Details on the award can be found here. Like this:LikeBe the first to like this post. « Before Review in Zoland Poetry [...]
11.Bringing ‘Something Like Summer’ Novel to the Screen « Blue Seraph Productions - March 21, 2012
[...] 24th Annual Lambda Literary Award Finalists Announced [...]
12.SF Tidbits for 3/21/12 - SF Signal – A Speculative Fiction Blog - March 21, 2012
[...] 24th Annual Lambda Literary Award Finalists Announced. [...]
13.That’s not erotic fiction; that’s a Google search term. « Amateur Professional - March 21, 2012
[...] DVDs – they’re the titles of two fiction anthologies shortlisted as finalists in the 24th Annual Lambda Literary Awards, and all I can say is why, God, [...]
14.Natty Soltesz » Awards Season, Darling - March 21, 2012
[...] = 'wpp-261'; var addthis_config = {"data_track_clickback":false};Backwoods has been nominated for a Lambda Literary Award! This means I get to attend the awards ceremony in June in New York City and prepare my Oscar [...]
15.Lesbian Cops Could Cop An Award « The (Really) Naughty Corner - March 21, 2012
[...] full list of nominations in all categories can be found here – I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the judges find Lesbian Cops an arresting enough [...]
16.‘how to get a girl pregnant’ nominated for Lambda Literary Award! | Tightrope Books Blog - March 21, 2012
[...] Jiménez’s memoir ’how to get a girl pregnant’ has just been nominated for a Lambda Literary Award in the ‘Lesbian Memoir/Biography’ category [...]
17.Locus Online News » 2012 Lambda Awards SF/F/H Shortlist - March 21, 2012
[...] Lambda Literary Foundation has announced the shortlist for the 24th Annual Lambda Literary Awards, celebrating excellence in LGBT literature in a wide variety of categories, including [...]
18.‘Something Like Summer’ Nominated for Lambda Literary Award « Blue Seraph Productions - March 22, 2012
[...] Like Summer, was named a finalist for Best Romance on Tuesday for the prestigious 2012 Lambda Literary Awards, due to be awarded in June in New York [...]
19.Thursday Catching up | Crazy QuiltEdi - March 22, 2012
[...] 24th Annual Lambda Literary Award finalists have been announced and the following are the nominees in the YA [...]
20.Up Next: Miseducation of Cameron Post | lesbian meets book nyc - March 22, 2012
[...] the Lambda Awards were announced this week. I have read nil on this list which is pretty pathetic so I’d love to [...]
21.Items about books I want to read, #29 « Alchemical Thoughts - March 23, 2012
[...] Lambda Literary, the announcement of the finalists for the 24th Annual Lambda Awards. I always like keeping track of this list to get ideas for LGBTQ reading. The list always feature [...]
22.New Mystery Novel Set In Boystown - The Boystown Blog - March 24, 2012
[...] Boystown 4: A Time For Secrets is the first full length novel in the Boystown mystery series from author Marshall Thornton. The mystery series is set in Boystown, Chicago in the early 1980s, and chronicles the exploits of private investigator Nick Nowak as he investigates tough cases (and seems to have spontaneous sex wherever he goes). One of Thornton’s previous installments, Boystown: Three Nick Nowak Mysteries, is a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award. [...]
23.20 Lambda Literary Award Finalists! | The Daily Pretzel - March 26, 2012
[...] Our publishers have twenty–count them, TWENTY–books in the running for the Lambda Literary Awards! [...]
24.kt literary » Blog Archive » More Good News for PINK! - March 26, 2012
[...] are due once again to Lili Wilkinson, whose US debut novel Pink is officially a Finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Children’s/Young Adult! The complete list of nominees in that category follows: [...]
25.The GLAAD Wrap: Bully Movie Opens, Matt Bomer On Glee, And Lambda Literary Awards Finalists Announced | LGBT Human Rights. Gay News, Entertainment, Travel - March 30, 2012
[...] The Lambda Literary Foundation has announced the nominees for the Lambda Literary Awards. The “Lammys,” now in their twenty-fourth year, [...]
26.In the news: Honors for Herrera, Tafolla, Brown, Sanchez | The Hispanic Reader - April 1, 2012
[...] Córdova’s When We Were Outlaws: A Memoir of Love & Revolution received nominations from the Lambda Literary Awards, which honors gay-lesbian-bisexual-trangendered works. Other nominated books include Gay Latino [...]
27.April Ain’t Foolin’! » Jay Bell Books - April 1, 2012
[...] for some really exciting news. Something Like Summer is a finalist in 2012’s Lambda Literary Awards! If you’re not familiar with the Lammies, they’re sort of like the Oscars, but celebrating gay [...]
28.Megume and the Lammys | Sarah Toshiko Hasu - April 5, 2012
[...] news! Megume and the Trees has been named a Lambda Literary Awards (a.k.a. “Lammys”) finalist in the “Lesbian Debut Fiction” category! I am honored, and so proud of my novel! [...]
29.Love People, Forget the Plumbing - April 27, 2012
[...] I’ve recieved (Triptych is nominated for both the Bi and the SF/F categories in the Lambda Literary Awards), but I didn’t set out to write an award-winning issue book. I just wanted to write a book [...]
30.Thank you! - May 3, 2012
[...] Please keep your fingers crossed for me at the Lambda Awards! [...]
31.Interview with Katherine Scott Nelson, author of Have You Seen Me >> The Thang Blog - May 21, 2012
[...] recommend you check it out. In addition to getting consistently positive reviews, it’s a Lambda Literary Award finalist. Check out KSN’s website and, once again, download Have You seen Me. Hir bio is online [...]
32.The 24th Annual Lambda Literary Awards - May 23, 2012
[...] The Lambda Literary Awards will be here in early June! The Lambda Literary Foundation began in 1989 as a way to honor the best in gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender literature. Past recipients of the Lambda Literary Award have included bestselling horror writer Clive Barker, novelist Lee Lynch, and sci-fi/fantasy author Nicola Griffith. Nominees include a wide range of famous authors, including Anne Rice. Here are a few of our top 2012 picks for the 24th Annual Lambda Awards, which take place in New York on June 4th. For a complete list of the 2012 nominees, please go here. [...]
33.Tinseltown « www.barrybrennessel.com - May 26, 2012
[...] Finalist, 24th Annual Lambda Literary Awards [...]
34.Importantes Eventos LGBT « "Nobody is gonna rain on my parade!" - June 19, 2012
[...] http://www.lambdaliterary.org/foundation-updates/03/20/24th-annual-lambda-literary-award-finalists-a… |8|O|8|O|8|O|8|O|8|O|8|O|8| [...]
35.Importantes eventos LGBT « "Nobody is gonna rain on my parade!" - June 19, 2012
[...] http://www.lambdaliterary.org/foundation-updates/03/20/24th-annual-lambda-literary-award-finalists-a… Share this:CompartilharEmailImprimirFacebookGostar disso:GosteiSeja o primeiro a gostar disso. [...]
36.In the Booth with Ruth – Christine Stark, Child Trafficking Survivor, Award Winning Writer and Visual Artist « Ruth Jacobs - January 28, 2013
[...] incest, dissociation, and girls in athletics called Nickels: A Tale of Dissociation. Nickels was a Lambda Literary Award finalist and I was thrilled. Currently, I’m finishing my second novel and then I’m going to [...]
37.‘I Always Hated Injustice’ Activist Christine Stark Talks to Ruth Jacobs | After Nyne - March 8, 2013
[...] dissociation, and girls in athletics called Nickels: A Tale of Dissociation. Nickels was a Lambda Literary Award finalist and I was thrilled. Currently, I’m finishing my second novel and then I’m going to complete my [...]
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Talk Covers Gay Rights, Bible
By Quinn D. Hatoff, CONTRIBUTING WRITER
March 30, 2012 1 comment
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Those who look to religious scripture for guidance should support the rights of the LGBTQ community not despite their religious convictions, but because of them, said author Jay Michaelson in his talk “God vs. Gay” on Thursday night at Hillel.
Michaelson is the author of the bestseller “God vs. Gay: The Religious Case for Equality” and the founder of Nehirim, a national organization of LGBT Jews and allies. Michaelson’s work focuses on religion, spirituality, sexuality, and law, according to his website. Michaelson argued that present understandings of the Bible’s views on homosexuality are based on an overly narrow reading.
“Only six verses out of 31,000 even talk about same-sex intimacy,” said Michaelson. “But even those are obscure and subject to interpretation.”
There is no definitive answer to how narrowly or broadly biblical passages should be interpreted, said Michaelson. He pointed to the sixth commandment–thou shalt not kill–as an example.
“Two chapters later there is a discussion about the death penalty,” he said. “The Bible is not an answer key, it’s a question key.”
In addressing Leviticus 18:22, the controversial passage that reads “thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination,” Michaelson again emphasized the applicability of range of approaches.
The Hebrew word “Toevah,” since translated into “abomination” in today’s Bible, originally meant “a culturally relevant taboo,” said Michaelson. The broad term was used to describe same-sex acts, but it was also used by Egyptians to describe the act of eating with Israelites, among other things.
“I am onboard with the Bible being literally true,” he said. “Yet the Bible still has to go on to define the scope. We have to determine what is the wrong part, and what is the right part of this passage.”
Michaelson ended his lecture with a scene from Huckleberry Finn in which Huck is concerned that he will go to hell if he does not turn in Jim, an escaped slave, but ultimately decides to protect his friend.
“This isn’t a moment Huck is going to hell. This is the moment Huck becomes an adult and overcomes his prejudices,” said Michaelson. “By defying the teaching of his church, he’s actually fulfilling the highest aspirations and intentions of the religious community of which he is a part.”
Nicholas J. Mendoza, a Harvard Divinity School student, said that Michaelson’s religious approach fills an important gap in the gay rights discussion.
“I think by arguing theologically instead of politically, Michaelson meets an important need,” said Mendoza. “It is absolutely an original approach, and it speaks entirely in terms of religious thought.”
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An Easter Treat: Our Religious Allies
BY Trudy Ring.
April 06 2012 1:12 PM ET
.
.
All too often, LGBT people experience religion as a cudgel
used against them. But many faith traditions are becoming more accepting and
inclusive. As Christians celebrate Easter and Jews observe Passover, we take a
moment to recognize some of the LGBT activists and straight allies who are
making a difference, and several of whom have new books out. These folks are a
diverse bunch — they include a former president, a onetime Pat Robertson
associate, the first out transgender professor at an Orthodox Jewish
university, a Bible code-cracker, and more.
Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter proudly embraces his “born-again Christian”
identity but has never been a member of the religious right. He has become more
popular in his post-presidential role as statesman, humanitarian, and author
than he was during his tenure in the White House. He’s won favor with us
through his outspokenness in support of gay equality. In March, while promoting
his book
of biblical studies, NIV Lessons From Life Bible: Personal Reflections With
Jimmy Carter, he told The
Huffington Post, “Homosexuality was well
known in the ancient world, well before Christ was born, and Jesus never said a
word about homosexuality. In all of his teachings about multiple things, he
never said that gay people should be condemned. I personally think it is very
fine for gay people to be married in civil ceremonies.” As for religious
ceremonies, it should be up to the individual church, Carter said — a position
in keeping with the First Amendment.
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An Easter Treat: Our Religious Allies
BY Trudy Ring.
April 06 2012 1:12 PM ET
.
.
JIMMY CARTER AND BOOK 390x (GETTY) ADVOCATE.COMJames Alexander Langteaux
James Alexander Langteaux spent several years working with
noted homophobe Pat Robertson as a producer and host on the Christian
Broadcasting Network, then realized that “playing strip poker with the big wigs
in Christianity today while hiding the gay card up my sleeve is a game I no
longer wish to play,” he writes
in the memoir Gay Conversations With God: Straight Talk on Fanatics, Fags
and the God Who Loves Us All. He chronicles
his journey from the Christian right to a place of spiritual and sexual
self-acceptance in lively, often raunchy prose. It’s a 21st-century
journey on the path taken two decades ago by Mel White, who came out as a gay
Christian and founded the LGBT activist group Soulforce after having been a
ghostwriter for such antigay figures as Robertson and Jerry Falwell.
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An Easter Treat: Our Religious Allies
BY Trudy Ring.
April 06 2012 1:12 PM ET
.
.
JAMES ALEXANDER LANG 390x (COURTESY) ADVOCATE.COMJoy Ladin
Poet and literature professor Joy Ladin, born Jay, details her transition from
outwardly male to the woman she always knew herself to be in Through the
Door of Life: A Jewish Journey Between Genders. The transition nearly cost Ladin her job at Stern College for Women of
Yeshiva University in New York. Yeshiva, she notes, is “Orthodox Judaism’s
premier institution of higher learning, and Orthodox Judaism, like most
traditional forms of religion, considers the things transsexuals do to fit our
bodies to our souls to be sins.” In 2007, after she notified the dean of her
plan to transition, the school placed her on “involuntary research leave,” but
eventually, in what Ladin calls a “miracle,” Yeshiva agreed to her attorney’s
demand that she be allowed to return to teaching, making her the first openly
transgender faculty member at an Orthodox university. Ladin also chronicles her
divorce, her evolving relationship with her children, finding love with another
woman, and her discovery of support for her identity in the teachings of the
great Jewish scholar Hillel. Her prose is smooth and, one might say, poetic,
and her story is fascinating.
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An Easter Treat: Our Religious Allies
BY Trudy Ring.
April 06 2012 1:12 PM ET
.
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JOY LADIN BOOK 390x (COURTESY) ADVOCATE.COMMichael Wood
For those of us who aren’t theologians, biblical scholarship
can make the head spin, but Michael Wood, a cryptographer and son of a Nazarene
minister, was drawn to it. He began by studying what scholars called the
“Pauline Paradox,” St. Paul’s contradictory statements on whether God judges
people by their faith or their deeds. That spurred him to delve into Paul’s
condemnations of homosexuality, which are among the “clobber passages” of the
Bible used against LGBT people. In his book Paul on Homosexuality, Wood asserts that Paul has been mistranslated and
misunderstood for two millennia. Paul, Wood writes, believed that Old Testament
prohibitions on same-sex relationships were no longer valid and that Jesus’
commandment to love one another superseded all. “I would like to see this
discovery used to bring full equality to the LGBT community,” Wood said in an
interview with The Advocate. “Evangelicals
will only change their minds when their current interpretations are shown to be
indefensible. The standard approach of showing viable alternatives to all the
clobber passages does nothing to undermine the viability of the evangelical
interpretation of each of them. We must do more than just give a viable
alternative, we must show them that their alternative isn’t even a possibility.”
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An Easter Treat: Our Religious Allies
BY Trudy Ring.
April 06 2012 1:12 PM ET
.
.
MICHAEL WOOD BOOK 390x (COURTESY) ADVOCATE.COM
Jay Michaelson
Supporting LGBT equality isn’t just a good social value,
it’s a religious one, writes
Jay Michaelson in God vs. Gay? The Religious Case for Equality. Michaelson, a gay man who was closeted for years as
a practicing Orthodox Jew, writes that his relationship with God improved after
he came out, and that his extensive research has found ample support in
Judeo-Christian and other faith traditions for gay equality. “I sincerely
believe that our shared religious values call upon us to support the equality,
dignity, and full inclusion of sexual and gender minorities — that is, of
lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people,” writes Michaelson, the founder
of Nehirim, an organization that provides community programming for LGBT Jews.
His book makes an eloquent case that “‘God versus Gay’ isn’t just a false
dichotomy. It’s a rebellion against the image of God itself.”
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MusicIs Eminem Bashing Gays on His New Album?. 4:00 PM
World NewsRussia Won't Take Kids of Gays Away Just Yet. 12:44 PM
Entertainment NewsWATCH: Gay Heavy Metal, Trans Films, Queer Comics, and Butch Voices. 8:25 AM
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Did Police Bungle This Gay Man's Murder?CrimeDid Police Bungle This Gay Man's Murder?
‘The Book Of Matt’ Doesn’t Prove Anything, Other Than The Size Of Stephen Jimenez’s EgoBooksThe Book Of Matt Doesn’t Prove Anything, Other Than The Size Of Stephen Jimenez’s Ego
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An Easter Treat: Our Religious Allies
BY Trudy Ring.
April 06 2012 1:12 PM ET
.
.
JAY MICHAELSON BOOK 390x (COURTESY) ADVOCATE.COMF. Jay Deacon
Religious fundamentalists insist that their scriptures, their
beliefs, are unchanging. But beliefs are meant to evolve, writes F.
Jay Deacon in Magnificent Journey: Religion as a Lock on the Past or an
Engine of Evolution. Deacon has certainly
been through his own evolution: When he was “a teenager bored with the very
proper Presbyterian church,” he embraced the fundamentalist strain of
Christianity at a Billy Graham crusade, then attended an Assemblies of God
seminary. His recognition that he was gay eventually led him away from
fundamentalism to the largely gay Metropolitan Community Church and finally to
the liberal, inclusive Unitarian Universalist Church, where he has been
director of the Office of GLBT Concerns; he is now minister for a Unitarian
congregation in New Hampshire. His journey has led him to call for a new type
of spirituality, one that can help counter homophobia, sexism, war, bigotry,
class exploitation, and environmental destruction. “Regression to a primitive
past is not the answer,” he writes. “Religions must transform, must evolve,
now. They must become engines of evolution, not chains binding us to that
barbaric worst of what humanity is capable.”
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