JTA: The Global News Service of the Jewish People

Y.U. wrestles with transgender prof

By Ben Harris · September 8, 2008

I thought I had quite a scoop last week with news that a Y.U. professor was apparently pushed out of his post because of his blog. But leave it to the New York Post to go one better. The Post had quite a shocker today when it reported that Professor Jay Ladin was returning to school for the fall semester as a woman.

Ladin, now known as Joy, was placed on leave when he informed the school of his intention to change his gender. After some wrangling, the university decided to allow her to return.

Rabbis are up in arms, but the transgendered community is apparently celebrating. “I think it’s fabulous and wonderful,” said Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality.

4 Comments | Share This | Community, LGBT

Two Jewish mothers!?!

By Ami Eden · June 19, 2008

Jon Stewart worries that gay marriage in California will lead to children being raised with two Jewish mothers:

Someone please let the Daily Show know that there is no need to worry (at least for now)… as noted earlier this week ... the ceremony in question was an intermarriage.

0 Comments | Share This | Intermarriage, LGBT, video

Under the chupah

By Ami Eden · June 17, 2008

The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles reports on a lesbian couple’s long road to the chupah:

Amid a crush of photographers, a handful of largely drowned-out protesters, and hundreds of supporters tossing rose petals, Diane Olson and Robin Tyler stood under a chuppah on the Beverly Hills Courthouse steps on Monday evening to become one of the first lesbian couples to legally marry in California.

The couple had been among the original plaintiffs to sue the state for discrimination in the lawsuit that eventually led the California Supreme Court to legalize same-sex marriage. In recognition of that, the County of Los Angeles arranged for the Olson and Tyler to receive their marriage license at 5:01 Monday, just after the courthouse closed for regular business, ahead of the hundreds of same-gender couples who would flood the courthouse the next day.

The moment was an electrical mix of the spiritual, personal and political.

In the Huffington Post last week, Tyler wrote about the challenges posed not only by marrying her same-sex partner, but also by the fact that her partner is not Jewish:

[A] reporter for a mainstream Jewish newspaper asked me last week[,] “What do you think of intermarriage?” I replied: “If women want to marry men, it’s perfectly okay with me!” But when the reporter phoned to interview me, she said she meant “interfaith marriage.”

0 Comments | Share This | LGBT