The largest Jewish movement in the country has passed a sweeping resolution to make their communities more welcoming for transgender people, a move supporters say is an expression of their compassionate faith.
On Thursday, the Union for Reform Judaism — which claims about 1.5 million members in North America — voted in a favor of a major overture championing transgender rights, approving it with a unanimous voice vote.
Barbara Weinstein, the Director of the Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism, was present for the vote, which she described as uncharacteristically jubilant moment.
“After the measure passed, there was a standing ovation,” she told ThinkProgress, speaking of the roughly 5,000 people in attendance. “I’ve been with this organization 15 years, and I’ve seen something like that maybe once before.”
After the measure passed, there was a standing ovation.
The overture doesn’t conscript congregations to take any specific action, but lists a series of suggestions for creating a more welcoming spiritual environment for transgender people. It asks communities and camps to create gender-neutral restrooms, for example, as well as offer staff training on transgender issues and use gender-neutral language during worship services and sermons.
The resolution also urges Reform Jews to advocate for legislation that supports transgender rights, such as comprehensive nondiscrimination policies that protect transgender people from systemic prejudice in the work place.
“The fundamental grounding we always go back to is that every human being has the spark of the divine in them, and that every human being is worthy of the dignity and respect that infers,” Weinstein said. “There are trans people in our congregations, trans kids in our summer camps…Every person, no matter what their gender identity, should be celebrated for having that divine spark within them.”
Rabbi Denise Eger, the first openly lesbian president of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, also praised the vote.
“It acknowledges what Reform congregations and institutions have long been known for a welcoming community of inclusion and learning,” Eger told the Human Rights Campaign. “We want to learn and grow and to work for transgender equality in our synagogues, summer camps and in our nation.”
Some members of the assembly expressed concerns about the implications of the measure ahead of the vote, especially how it could impact preschools and religious schools. But even those questions were asked from a microphone designated for people in favor of the motion, and each questioner insisted on their support for the measure.
“One of the key components is it calls for resources, development and training so we get into the congregations and do training with their leaders, youth professionals, rabbis, lay leaders, and then supply them with materials on how do you deal with bathrooms? How do you deal with language? How do you deal with prayer?” Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, a senior vice president with the Union for Reform Judaism, told the Associated Press.
Every person, no matter what their gender identity, should be celebrated for having that divine spark within them.
The overture was in the process of being approved for over a year, but its supporters were reportedly energized by the widely publicized defeat of the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO) on Tuesday. HERO, which would have extended nondiscrimination protections to transgender people, was supported by local Reform Jews in Houston, but only 39 percent of voters backed it on Election Day.
Weinstein said HERO’s defeat was brought up in a workshop session at the conference the day before the vote, where attendees expressed a renewed desire to send a clear message in support of transgender people.
“People said, ‘So many of us were pained by what happened in Houston, and it’s important for us to make this statement at this particular time,’” she recalled, referring to the workshop.
The Reform Jewish community now joins a growing list of religious groups pushing for transgender equality. The United Church of Christ passed two resolutions in 2003 regarding transgender issues: one that affirmed transgender rights and their role in ministry, and another that called on the denomination to include transgender people in their anti-violence statement. Meanwhile, the Unitarian Universalist Association held its first training on transgender issues in 1997, and ordained its first outwardly transgender pastor in 2002.
However, no American faith group has passed anything as comprehensive as Thursday’s overture, effectively positioning Reform Judaism as a leader in the faith-based fight for transgender rights. And while the group is relatively small compared to other religious communities in the country, they stand to have a heavy influence on other American Jews: according to a 2013 survey from the Pew Research Center, more than a third of the country’s 5.3 million Jews identify with the Reform Judaism.
“This is a very natural continuation of our being welcoming to gays into our organization,” Weinstein said. “We’re very proud of being the first denomination to be so welcoming.”