Q&A: The Prohibition of Cross-Dressing for a Transgender Man
The Prohibition of Cross-Dressing for a Transgender Man
Question
Hello Rabbi,
I came across a video about a religious transgender man who began dressing like a woman and is even taking hormones, yet he still remains faithful to Jewish law. My question is: in a case like this, does the prohibition of cross-dressing apply?
Best regards,
Answer
Not long ago I was asked about the status of a transgender person, and I answered that I do not know. I truly do not know whether one can relate to such a person according to the sex he chose to enter into, or whether the sex at birth is what determines it. Perhaps it would depend on a psychological evaluation of that person’s gender—whether he is really a woman in his soul, insofar as that can be assessed.
Discussion on Answer
Seemingly, the prohibition of cross-dressing applies to the surgery itself.
Obviously. That is exactly what I said. If we take the possibility that he is not a woman, then undergoing such a surgery is the mother of all cross-dressing prohibitions. After the surgery, focusing on wearing women’s clothing is ridiculous.
To tell the truth, specifically with regard to the cross-dressing prohibition, maybe there is room to decide. If he had surgery, then clothing is not the significant parameter. He lives as a woman, so even if his halakhic status is that of a man, the cross-dressing prohibition is less applicable to him. I have that kind of intuition, but it still needs to be sharpened and clarified further (also for myself).