1. This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Learn More.

LGBT News Orthodox Rabbi Advocates Gay Marriage

Discussion in 'Current Events, World News, & LGBT News' started by greatwhale, Dec 19, 2013.

Thread Tools

Thread Tools

  1. greatwhale

    greatwhale
    Full Member

    Joined:
    Feb 12, 2013
    Messages:
    6,582
    Likes Received:
    413
    Location:
    Montreal
    Gender:
    Male
    Gender Pronoun:
    He
    Sexual Orientation:
    Gay
    Out Status:
    Out to everyone
    #1 greatwhale, Dec 19, 2013
  2. Jinkies

    Jinkies
    Full Member

    Joined:
    Oct 27, 2011
    Messages:
    2,321
    Likes Received:
    47
    Location:
    Northern Ireland
    Gender:
    Female (trans*)
    Gender Pronoun:
    She
    Sexual Orientation:
    Bisexual
    Out Status:
    Out to everyone
    That is the first comment thread I've ever seen that had nothing extremely religious, homophobic or any mix of the two.
     
    #2 Jinkies, Dec 20, 2013
  3. SemiCharmedLife

    SemiCharmedLife
    Full Member

    Joined:
    Oct 20, 2013
    Messages:
    3,062
    Likes Received:
    85
    Location:
    KY
    Gender:
    Male
    Gender Pronoun:
    He
    Sexual Orientation:
    Gay
    Out Status:
    Out to everyone
    I'm Jewish, though not Orthodox, and I found this incredibly moving. Thanks for sharing!
     
    #3 SemiCharmedLife, Dec 20, 2013
  4. DesertTortoise

    DesertTortoise
    Full Member

    Joined:
    Aug 4, 2013
    Messages:
    406
    Likes Received:
    3
    Location:
    Philadelphia, since 1964.
    For 16 years I was shomer shabbos, kept kosher, davened in an Orthodox shul. This is welcome news. Now, waiting for a statement that Palestinians are human and rodoph tzedick applies
    them as well.

    Thank you for sharing this.
     
    #4 DesertTortoise, Dec 22, 2013
    Last edited: Dec 22, 2013
  5. Kasey

    Kasey
    Full Member

    Joined:
    Dec 21, 2013
    Messages:
    6,385
    Likes Received:
    162
    Location:
    The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
    Gender:
    Female (trans*)
    Sexual Orientation:
    Bisexual
    Out Status:
    Out to everyone
    Score one for rationality and compassion!
     
    #5 Kasey, Dec 22, 2013
  6. girlonfire

    girlonfire
    Full Member

    Joined:
    Nov 23, 2013
    Messages:
    163
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    USA
    Another reason why I'm proud to be Jewish!
     
    #6 girlonfire, Dec 22, 2013
  7. stocking

    stocking Guest

    Joined:
    Jul 12, 2013
    Messages:
    7,542
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    New England
    Gender:
    Female
    Sexual Orientation:
    Lesbian
    I'm glad to here this :icon_bigg
     
    #7 stocking, Dec 22, 2013
  8. Silver Sparrow

    Silver Sparrow
    Full Member

    Joined:
    Oct 11, 2011
    Messages:
    673
    Likes Received:
    22
    Location:
    Northeast US
    That was a really interesting read!
     
    #8 Silver Sparrow, Dec 22, 2013
  9. GreenSkies

    GreenSkies Guest

    I have been an Orthodox Jew my entire life, though I no longer plan to continue with practicing Orthodoxy when I come out and no longer living with my family.

    Because of that, I have a great appreciation for this article. Many Orthodox Rabbis don't even acknowledge that there is such a thing as sexual orientation. Those who do usually believe that queer people should spend their lives alone and hide their sexualities. I have heard Rabbis who actually believe that this makes them liberal on the issue.

    To have an Orthodox Rabbi come out so strongly in support of legal equality is a huge step, for which I am extremely grateful. People are not going to take this well, and I'm sure that he will be the recipient of a lot of negativity. So I also appreciate that he is willing to do so publicly, and with his name attached, rather than posting somewhere anonymously.

    I also like that he is not only pushing for legal equality, but for treating openly queer people respectfully.

    Unfortunately, he has left out a very important issue. Not only to queer Orthodox Jews need legal equality and to be treated with respect, but we also need a place in the Orthodox community. The culture around Orthodoxy is very communal. It's literally impossible to practice Orthodoxy without being a part in the community. Without this acceptance in schools, synagogues and community events, it is impossible to remain Orthodox.

    Although I have already made the decision to leave and to practice Judaism on a more cultural level rather than on a religious level, I know that when I come out that I won't really have a choice. It's unlikely that my friends will want me an any potential partner to be a part of their lives or around their children. It's unlikely that I would be welcome with a partner in any community events or in Orthodox synagogues. Staying is not currently a choice, and I hope that this Rabbi takes the next step to accepting queer people on a communal level.
     
    #9 GreenSkies, Dec 25, 2013
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 25, 2013
  10. greatwhale

    greatwhale
    Full Member

    Joined:
    Feb 12, 2013
    Messages:
    6,582
    Likes Received:
    413
    Location:
    Montreal
    Gender:
    Male
    Gender Pronoun:
    He
    Sexual Orientation:
    Gay
    Out Status:
    Out to everyone
    @Greenskies,

    I know exactly of what you speak. My orthodoxy (apart from being undermined over the years by a wife who married me knowing that I was orthodox but who had no real intention of following that lifestyle) has certainly waned even further over the past few years with the decline of my marriage and the realization of my orientation.

    I do not think that being gay is anywhere near compatible with being an orthodox Jew, despite what this rabbi has stated, and no matter how "modern orthodox" I was. So, I have stopped going to the synagogue of my youth and have started going to our Reconstructionist congregation (but only occasionally), which, as you rightly state, is based on the idea of a cultural Judaism. I was there on Yom Kippur and, frankly, was rather delighted at the kind of people who were there and their emphasis on social justice.

    I actually came out to the President of that congregation, she is a friend of mine. What was hilarious was that she said they would be more willing to perform a gay marriage between men or women (they haven't performed any yet) than they would a marriage between a Jew and a non-Jew!
     
    #10 greatwhale, Dec 25, 2013
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)