LGBT & Judaism

Within Judaism, there are many shades of LGBT acceptance:

The Reconstructionist Movement was the first movement to publicly address the issue on homosexuality and same-sex marriage in their 1988 report. The Reconstructionist Rabbinical College was the first Jewish seminary to accept openly gay and lesbian students.

LGBT Jews and their families are fully included in Jewish communal life. Reconstructionist rabbis are free to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies.

The Reform Movement has a long and proud history of working for full inclusion of LGBT people in Jewish life and for their full civil rights. In fact, in 1965, the Women of Reform Judaism were calling for the decriminalization of homosexuality. Resolutions by the Union for Reform Judaism and the Central Conference of American Rabbis followed.

LGBT Jews and their families are welcome in all Reform temples. LGBT Jews may be ordained as rabbis. Most Reform rabbis officiate at same-sex ceremonies.

The Conservative Movement used to hold the same position as Orthodox Judaism. However, since the 2000's, they have issued several resolutions in which they affirm that LGBT Jews are an integral part of the movement's families, synagogues and communities. Currently, Conservative Judaism endorses full and equal civil rights for LGBT people.

LGBT rabbis can serve openly since 2006. In the 2010's, the American and British branches of Conservative Judaism formally approved same-sex marriage ceremonies. Nonetheless, the Conservative communities may choose not to conduct same-sex ceremonies.

The Orthodox Movement has a variety of views regarding LGBT people. Its traditional position on homosexuality is well known: two verses in Leviticus (18:22 and 20:13) express unequivocal condemnation of male homosexual sex. The Talmud also disapproves of lesbianism: Shabbat 65a/b and Yevamot 76a.

Orthodox Judaism mostly affirms that Judaism legislates only acts, not orientations. Therefore, homosexual people should not be cast out from the community, even though openly LGBT rabbis are not ordained. It is the homosexual activity that is condemned. Orthodox Judaism opposes marriage equality and will not officiate at a same-sex wedding or affirm same-sex relationships. Even worse, some will even reject LGBT members and/or endorse discredited "reparative therapy."

Many who seek to establish full religious rights for LGBT start from the point of the involuntary nature of homosexuality. The halakhic term ahnoos refers to some who, though commanded to do something, does not really have a choice in the matter. In Judaism, one is only responsible for religious obligations that one can freely choose to fulfill. Therefore, some Jewish authorities have argued that since homosexuality is not chosen, its expression cannot be forbidden.

As mentioned above, liberal communities have been increasingly supportive of LGBT rights. As it is stated in Genesis 2:27, all human beings are created b'tselem Elohim (in the Divine image). In this way, these communities oppose discrimination against all individuals, including LGBT people, for the stamp of the Divine is present in every single person.

READ: LGBT Rights

In recent years, awareness of the presence of LGBT people in more traditional Jewish communities has increased. Indeed, numerous organizations and support groups exist for LGBT Jews who are interested in maintaining a traditional Jewish lifestyle. A documentary film called "Trembling before G-d" has made a significant impact in raising consciousness about homosexuality in the Orthodox world. It shows LGBT Orthodox Jews trying to reconcile their sexuality with their faith.

I would like to finish this entry quoting an article called "The Profoundly Jewish Lesson of the Supreme Court's Gay Marriage ruling", written by Jay Michaelson, that appeared on the Jewish Daily Forward on June 26th, 2015:

"... These four principles – the values marriage promotes, its unique bond of companionship, its connection to child-rearing, and the imprimatur of the state – constitute the reasons, according to the Supreme Court, that marriage is a fundamental right, regardless of sexual orientation.

They are also principles of moral reflection, which have animated the overwhelming majority of American Jews, secular and religious, to embrace marriage equality as a religious, as well as a civic, value.

None of this is to demean the importance of traditional values. Then again, traditional Jewish marriage once included polygamy, concubinage, and marriage to slaves. It was entirely arranged, and was more of an economic arrangement than a romantic one. Even today, most traditional weddings involve the purchase of the bride by the groom, after which she becomes his property. The Hebrew word for husband, ba’al, also means ‘owner.’

So marriage has changed and changed again. And several years into same-sex marriage in all but Orthodox forms of Judaism, it has not caused the skies to fall – even if some Haredi rabbis believe it has caused an earthquake now and then... "

You can read more about LGBT & Judaism here.