By Rabbi Jill Maderer and Rabbi Beth Kalisch
A Tennessee law that prohibits transgender medical care for children was affirmed by the Supreme Court last week. In doing so, the Court did not uphold families’ rights to consult their own physicians and make important healthcare decisions for themselves.
Following the Supreme Court’s failure to defend transgender youngsters, Pennsylvania families are depending on our Commonwealth to defend their right to healthcare.
Many people who support the Tennessee ban do so because of their religious convictions. However, as rabbis, we are taught to respect and stand by transgender individuals. As clergy, we have long supported congregation members who identify as transgender or who have transgender family members.
We have blessed young adults when they select new Hebrew names to reflect their identities, and we have welcomed toddlers and teenagers in our religious schools as they have changed from the gender they were given at birth.
We have stood with our members who are fighting to save their lives and their families in the wake of recent attacks on transgender persons.
When individuals seek our advice regarding gender-affirming medical treatment, we advise them to heed their physician’s advice and explain that Judaism has always acknowledged and valued the variety of human gender expression.
Six distinct gender types were recognized by Jewish sages over a millennium ago, during the time of the Talmud. Today, we are guided by Reform Jewish teaching to respect the range of gender identities. Although religious belief in a gender binary is generally based on the biblical creation myth, the Bible regularly use binary terminology to depict a spectrum rather than two separate groups. The coastline is part of land and sea; the twilight is part of day and night.
According to our interpretation of the Bible, God does not require a rigid gender binary when he creates male and female humans; rather, it encompasses everything in between and any combination of the two.
We believe that embracing transgender identity is a means of celebrating God’s beautiful and varied creation, not in conflict with Christian doctrine.
We are thankful for the exceptional gender care in our area, which enables members of our churches to remain and strengthen our communities. To scare transgender people into hiding, however, certain Pennsylvania lawmakers are trying to introduce anti-transgender legislation that discriminates against our trans-affirming faith.
Our Jewish community is reminded of our history of oppression whenever someone is forced into hiding due to their identification. Such attempts at erasure and terror are instruments of authoritarianism and are inappropriate for a state that has such a strong tradition of protecting religious freedom.
We appreciate our governor’s efforts to safeguard Pennsylvanians, and we rely on our leaders to keep up the good work.
The religious voice is not exclusive to any one faith. Our interpretation of Genesis and our respect for God’s creation in accordance with our faith are protected by the First Amendment.
We urge all citizens to uphold these shaky protections in our state and to extend transgender rights across the country as our congregations commemorate Pride Month. This will bring our civil rights protections up to par with our religious mandate, which is to treat everyone as being made in the image of God.
The rabbi of Beth David Reform Congregation in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania, is Rabbi Beth Kalisch.
The Senior Rabbi of Philadelphia’s Congregation Rodeph Shalom is Rabbi Jill Maderer.
