Tuesday, May 13, 2014

The Intersection of Being Queer and Frum

I've been thinking a lot about being religious and queer. I feel strongly connected to religious Judaism and my identity as a queer woman. Those identities go hand in hand, and I cannot separate one from the other. At the same time, it is something that I know the religious community does not necessarily acknowledge. 

The more I hear about other queer Jews, the more aware I am about how lucky both Emet and I are to have incredibly supportive families - both of our queerness and now our religious practice. I started following a blog called Frum Gay Girl, which lists anonymous interviews with individuals who are queer and religious. Many seem to stay in their communities, though some have left. It has been a fascinating window for me into the ultra-religious community.

Both Emet and I have begun to feel tired of not being about to be ourselves in Jewish circles. Yes, we are observant. Yes, we are queer. It tends to be that in observant circles, we aren't accepted because of our queerness, and in politically progressive circles, our observance is confusing and misunderstood. We are striving to find a community that will accept us exactly how we are.

I just corresponded with a woman writing an article for the Atlanta Jewish Times about queer observant Jews. This is something I've been thinking about for a while. How many more of us are there? Have we been accepted? What motivates us to maintain our identities?

Obviously, I can answer these questions for myself, but I think that everyone is a little different. I've been thinking about it a lot. If you are religious and queer, feel free to leave a comment or email me. I'm interested in hearing your story.