Trans Spirituality, 9/20/21

This is the season that Jews around the world observe the High Holy Days, the period of reflection and repentance. Key among that is forgiveness where possible, and reconciliation. During his Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) sermon, the senior rabbi at the synagogue I attend told the story of Daryl Davis, a Black musician who is noteworthy for getting Klan members to change the hate in their hearts about Black people.

This reminded me of a quote I read in a Dick Gregory book (I don’t remember which one – it was 45 years ago) in High School. The quote has always stuck with me though.

“We tried to integrate a restaurant, and they said, `We don’t serve colored folk here,’ and I said, `Well, I don’t eat colored folk nowhere. Bring me some pork chops.’ And then Ku Klux Klan come in, and the woman say, `We don’t have no pork chops,’ so I say, `Well, bring me a whole fried chicken.’ And then the Klan walked up to me when they put that whole fried chicken in front of me, and they say, `Whatever you do to that chicken, b**, we’re going to do to you.’ So I opened up its legs and kissed it in the rump and tell you all, `Be my guest.'”

The reality is that “haters are gonna hate!” We all know that. Last month I talked about the outrageous statistics on the TDOR death list this year. That says it all. We shouldn’t have to be the ones to fix the problem. The people who are committing murders are sinning according to every religious tenet out there – it doesn’t matter if they see US as sinning – that does not give them the right to murder us. No religious doctrine gives people the right to be judge, jury and executioner. In fact the Christian Bible tells people to NOT judge others!

But if we wait for the haters to reconcile with us, we will be waiting for a very long time, with no results, and more dead trans folx, especially trans women of color. So we have to act. And the more we teach people about who we are and why we exist, and the more we bring people to our side with love and humor, the safer we are.

I’m not going to lie, this work is very hard, and it’s very exhausting. But this is why I do the kind of writing and scholarship that I do. If I can give hope to trans folx, or if I can help cis folks understand who we REALLY are, maybe help them understand how the Bible has been mistranslated for 2,000 years due to Church dogma, maybe we can bring some folks around to our side, and reduce the violence.

My charge to every trans person reading this (and I know many of you will say, “but Rabbah Rona, I don’t have the spoons for this work” – spoons or not, if you don’t do the work, you’re in danger) is when cis people challenge your existence, explain to them that you are living EXACTLY how God created you to be. That the Bible did not record creation of a sex/gender BINARY. Genesis records creation of infinite possibility of sex/gender. Just as God is infinite and humanity was created in God’s image, therefore humanity’s possibilities are infinite as well!

After the Jewish Holy Days are over, I will be building a slide deck of commonly mistranslated Hebrew Bible verses, and how I see that they should be translated, along with WHY I see it that way.  When I have the deck built, I will post it on my website,  so it’s available for everyone’s use.

In the meantime if you haven’t already, get your COVID shots, keep your masks on and stay safe!

Peace out,

Rona

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Tags: featured, opinion, spirituality, Transgender

Category: Transgender Body & Soul