Trans Lives Matter & The Lives They Live Matter: Rabbi Mike Moskowitz Discusses Allyship in Communities of Faith
Rabbi Mike Moskowitz is the Scholar-in-Residence for Trans and Queer Jewish Studies at Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, the world’s largest LGBTQ synagogue. On April 13, 2020, we discussed gender identity, LGBTQ+ allyship in communities of faith, and how congregations can become welcoming spaces and advocates.
Trans lives matter and the lives transgender people live matter.
6:30 Trans lives matter and the lives they live matter. What can we do to provide dignity, happiness, and productivity?
7:14 “My voice is the voice of an ally.” Rabbi Moskowitz's story of coming to his ministry.
8:20 Religious places, especially those that are gender segregated or have a tradition of gender-based spiritual practice, are the places of greatest oppression and closeted LGBTQ people. Rabbi Moskowitz
Where does gender lie?
8:34 Where does gender lie? It’s easier to name the social construction of gender, such as $0.70 on the dollar. It’s hard to answer where gender lies, but it needs to be answered for gender-based spiritual practice.
What challenges do people who are gender fluid or non-binary face within faith communities?
9:11 What are the challenges for people who are gender fluid or non-binary within faith communities?
How can faith leaders respond?
We can see people's gender in how they identify. We’re meant to answer people, not questions. Though we often talk in theoretical terms, no one's life is hypothetical. It is less about a verse and more about the person who is a child of God.
10:32 Sanctuary as a place to protect someone and invite them to be their most full and authentic selves.
The role of an ally is awkward.
11:23 What is the role of the ally? It needs to be personal. Allyship is awkward. We have broken the world and it’s on us to fix it because we broke it. It needs to become personal for us. It's easier to hate someone you don't know or something you haven't experienced.
13:21 Rabbi Moskowitz shares his journey to understanding gender. “It is my limited awareness of gender that makes me cisgender, not trans.”
15:15 There is something unfair about asking those who are already under the pressure of marginalization and oppression to dig deeper to help those of privilege get it or understand it. Silence is more awkward than allyship.
Silence can be deadly.
17:00 People shouldn’t have to choose between religious identity and queer identity.
How is the COVID-19 pandemic impacting ministry in New York?
17:37 How has your ministry changed during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic?
Biblical interpretation of Hebrew Scripture as it relates to gender
22:05 Ish and Isha in Genesis -- Biblical interpretation of Hebrew Scripture as it relates to gender.
Where do communities of faith go from here?
27:37 Today's struggles will be different than the struggles from five years from now. Rabbi Moskowitz gives a view of transgender acceptance and advocacy among congregations.
Resources
28:54 What resources do communities of faith have to offer transgender people? What resources do faith communities need to serve transgender believers?
36:05 My takeaways from our interview.
About us
RABBI MIKE MOSKOWITZ
Rabbi Mike Moskowitz is the Scholar-in-Residence for Trans and Queer Jewish Studies at Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, the world’s largest LGBTQ synagogue. He is a deeply traditional and radically progressive advocate for trans rights and a vocal ally for LGBTQ inclusivity. Rabbi Moskowitz received three Ultra-Orthodox ordinations while learning in the Mir in Jerusalem and in Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood, NJ. He is a David Hartman Center Fellow and the author of Textual Activism. His writings can be found at www.rabbimikemoskowitz.com.
PASTOR BRENDA WALKER
Rev. Dr. Brenda Walker, a retired pastor with thirty-seven years experience serving PC(USA) congregations, is the author of the forthcoming Martine: A Memoir. It tells of her transformation into a trans ally as she discovers that her oldest sibling, who died in 1982 under mysterious circumstances, was transgender. She seeks to help faith communities become informed advocates and safe spaces for transgender people and their loved ones because compassion is a matter of life and death.