Q&A: Sex Reassignment According to Judaism
Sex Reassignment According to Judaism
Question
I have a religious student from a religious family, in 8th grade, who is asking, with his parents’ support, to become a girl. What is Judaism’s position? How should I relate to this?
Answer
I can’t say what “Judaism’s position” is, because there is no such single thing. There are different views. You can see my opinion here: https://mikyab.net/%D7%A9%D7%95%D7%AA/%D7%9C%D7%94%D7%98%D7%91%D7%99%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%95%D7%90%D7%9E%D7%95%D7%A0%D7%94/
The question of how you should relate to this is a different question. The decision is theirs, not yours. A question may arise about what to do if they decide to go through with it—how to relate to him after the surgery. I don’t think you should treat him as usual, but students will certainly raise questions, and you are not supposed to cover for him if in your opinion there is a prohibition involved. You can explain to the students that in your view there is a prohibition here, and also explain the distress that led to this decision, but tell them that this is the decision they made, and that you recommend treating him/her in a proper and humane way despite the disagreement.
Discussion on Answer
Wow. I wasn’t familiar with this person. I looked him up, read an interview, and enjoyed it a lot and really identified with it. It definitely makes me want to read the “deep dive” too. More power to you.
https://gluya.org/interview-with-ysoscher-katz/
I read the “deep dive,” and I disagree with the method. He ignores the question of the relationship between sex and gender, and treats the Talmud as a decisive source on that question (his entire discussion is about what the Talmud means). Maybe I’ll write about it. But it was worthwhile getting to know the fellow. Many thanks.
He has a basic and fundamental mistake in his whole analogy from organ transplants: the transplanted organs become part of the person’s body.
The common denominator of all the sources he brought is that the transplanted organ is nullified and becomes part of the body, whereas he wants to prove that the entire body is nullified to the transplanted organ.
Someone with a severed urethra is a damaged male, and even if they transplant a vagina and breasts into him, he will forever remain a male. If he also transplants horns onto himself, he won’t become an animal but a blemished male—with a vagina, breasts, and horns.
And as for feelings and the other points, that’s complete nonsense. Since when do feminine feelings in a male body, or the reverse, change a person from male to female or vice versa? If someone feels like he’s a sheep, can you slaughter him, offer him as a Passover sacrifice, and eat him for the afikoman when you’re already full?
Progressive bullshit with “enlightened” lomdus based on unrelated sources. Looks like it was written in the Biden era; now with Trump we already have a ruling that a male is a male is a male and a female is a female is a female.
If you want a deep halakhic/Talmudic dive into it (long, but in my opinion quite brilliant), you can read Rabbi Ysoscher Katz’s article on transgender people in Jewish law.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rnK7DWeEZDB1xFqQoB7qTo2iVeR6m4-7/view