Simcha and Protest
There’s a few torah portions that today rile Bnei Mitzvah students more than Lev 18.22; ‘Do not lie with a male as one lies with a woman; it is an abhorrence’. How is a 12 year old meant to deal with a part of the Torah that is so outdated and morally and ethically wrong? Once the first surprise and indignation has passed we usually talk through how we can engage with our most central text, when on the one hand it contains verses like ‘love your neighbour’ as well as the above verse? Should we not read these parts? Remove them? Assume they are archaic, and we can therefore safely ignore them?
Even in these most difficult of verses there are important lessons for us all, even/especially today. For though LGBTQ+ rights have grown at least in the UK/Europe that is not the case everywhere, and even in the UK growing up as LGBTQ+ today is not straightforward or easy.
As liberal Jews we can pride ourselves on our commitment to equality and justice, being part of the first Jewish movement to produce liturgy for same-sex civil ceremonies (2005), lobby the Government to introduce full same-sex marriage, campaigned specifically around trans rights, and most recently, becoming the first Jewish movement in the world to offer ketubot (Jewish marriage contracts) specially written for same sex couples and those who prefer a non binary or gender neutral format.
And yet, there’s also a sense that, if you yourself is not personally affected by LGBTQ+ issues, or through a family member or friend, then it’s not applicable. Saying we are all equal, inclusive and open but never giving space to LGBTQ+ voices, to listen, to learn and to celebrate, is a hollow ethic.
Leviticus 18 and indeed Pride, is about opening our eyes; “The purpose of Pride [is] to make people visible to themselves, to revolutionise their lives, and to begin to transform social attitudes towards sexuality and gender...but for those who still endure the fear and shame of a straight, cisgender society, Pride can be a powerful symbol of a more hopeful life to come. (Party and protest: the radical history of gay liberation, Stonewall and Pride).
I was in conversation with a friend of mine called Sam, about how to frame Pride in our community, and how to understand the balance between party and protest. And rather than me using parts of his words, he’ll speak for himself:
“While it has become known for its colourful parades and festival atmosphere, we must not forget that Pride began as, and remains, a protest against the repression and violence visited upon the LGBTQ+ community. Pride is the response of the LGBTQ+ community to that repression: a refusal to be cowed by bigotry and discrimination and an assertion of the value of human difference. Pride creates a space where LGBTQ+ lives and experiences, so often pushed to society's margins if not left out entirely, can be celebrated and valued. In doing so, it reminds us that equality is not an abstract ideal but a series of concrete and continuous actions. So though there are no parades this year we will be celebrating and listening.
While pride parties are fun and everything, pride month is also the time of year when I, and a lot of queer people, are having conversations with straight/cis friends about our experiences and history, as well as a time for those people to engage with and learn about, our community. There's obviously a tension between that and finding time/space to be with queer people in queer spaces and celebrate - which is important since queer people are so actively and constantly shamed for being who we are. Pride, on one level, is about building/strengthening community and avoiding burnout”.
There's so much else I could say about this. One of the things I was thinking about is that people say Shabbat is a taste of 1/60th of the world to come. Well that's what pride is for so many queer people. In these spaces, at this time, we can be open in a way that, unfortunately, too few of us can usually. I'm talking about small things;- holding somebody's hand without looking around to make sure it's safe first, kissing somebody in public, dressing in non-conforming (but self-affirming!) ways, etc. etc. It's a festival of freedom and liberation, made all the more poignant because that liberation has not yet been achieved. That's also part of pride. That, and the fact that the LGBTQ+ community's response to bigotry is simcha, has a lot of resonance with Jewish themes I think”.
Pride, like Shabbat, is a taste of the world to come. It is a simcha, with all the joys, sweetness and love that we connect with such an event. But it is also a protest, a call to listen to voices that we might not normally/always hear. And the first steps are to rejoice and to listen and learn. As the theme this year says; #YouMeUsWe.