What It's Like to Be Young, Gay, and Jewish

Contents:

• MEET DR. JSE EHRENFELD: A JEWISH VETERAN, AND THE FIRST OPENLY GAY PRINT OF THE AMA
• HOW N YOU BE GAY AND JEWISH?
• WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE YOUNG, GAY, AND JEWISH
• JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS ASSISTANT STRENGTH ACH KEV MAXEN OUT PUBLICLY AS GAY

MEET DR. JSE EHRENFELD: A JEWISH VETERAN, AND THE FIRST OPENLY GAY PRINT OF THE AMA

The sourc of Judaism’s tradnal posn on homosexualy and gay issu are well known. Two vers Levic (Levic 18:23 and Levic 20:13) exprs unequivol nmnatn of male homosexual sex (although is not clear whether what is referred to is terurse or all sexual acts between men).

”READ: Puttg The Prohibn Agast Homosexualy ContextAs evint by s language, the biblil prohibn do not extend to female homosexual acts, though later mentators disapproved of lbianism. One rabbic source associat female homosexualy wh the activi of the Egyptians and Canaan, om which the Jews are supposed to absta. The Levic vers also imply that is the act of homosexual sex, not the homosexual person, that is abhorred.

HOW N YOU BE GAY AND JEWISH?

Several tradnal sourc temper the harshns of the “abomatn” by cg the lack of procreative potential as the reason for the abomable nature of the homosexual act. Intertgly, the medieval book Sefer HaHuch par homosexual sex to marryg a barren woman. Nohels, the tradnal Jewish posn on homosexualy is still difficult for many liberal-md Jews, and the liberal nomatns have bated the extent to which gays and lbians n be fully tegrated to relig Conservative Halakhah and HomosexualyThe first and least ntroversial step taken by the Conservative, Renstctnist, and Reform movements was to endorse civil equaly for gays and lbians.

The CCAR, the Reform movement‘s rabbil uncil, took an early and active role fightg for gay rights. In 1977 drafted a ll to crimalize homosexual sex and to end all discrimatn based on sexual how do one get around the apparently unambiguo biblil prohibn agast homosexualy?

Many who seek to tablish full relig rights for gays and lbians employ the rearch that pots to the voluntary nature of homosexualy.

WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE YOUNG, GAY, AND JEWISH

Th some Jewish thori have argued that sce homosexualy is not chosen, s exprsn nnot be, the Reform movement do not nmn homosexual sex, and openly gay people are eligible for admtance to Reform rabbil schools. In addn, the Reform movement approv of rabbic officiatn at same-sex marriag and mment Denomatnal Approach on Ordag Openly Gay and Lbian RabbisDaniel Siegel, the Rabbic Director of ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal, has endorsed same-sex marriage specifilly bee he believ that hols should not be limed only to certa people and certa relatnships.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS ASSISTANT STRENGTH ACH KEV MAXEN OUT PUBLICLY AS GAY

Usg this as her startg pot, Rebec Alpert, a Renstctnist rabbi, has argued that the ernment’s refal to regnize same-sex marriage vlat relig rabbis wh the Conservative movement also ce the ncept of on ( which an dividual has no real choice) permtg homosexual sex.