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dominic_t's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
This was a really interesting look into the past. I loved seeing how gay and lesbian Jews navigated homophobia both in society and in Jewish institutions. I was able to clearly see how their activism back in the 80s laid the foundation for the rights and protections we have today. I really related to their stories about developing a positive self image in spite of all the negative messages coming from all corners of society. I also loved learning about the gay and lesbian theology and ritual that was developed during that time. I had no idea how much of this work was being done in the 80s!
I particularly loved the essays "The Liturgy of Gay and Lesbian Jews" and "A Ceremony of Commitment." Both of those essays went into detail about the creation of rituals that centered gay and lesbian experiences. There were also several essays about navigating the homophobic portions of the Torah, and I enjoyed those as well.
I enjoyed the book, but it definitely suffered from a lack of diversity. Bisexuals were mentioned in passing, but bisexual perspectives were not represented in the book. There was a chapter on creating homophobia workshops that suggested lumping bisexuals in heterosexual appearing relationships together with straight people, which is absurd. Bisexuals still have past experiences with homophobia even if they are currently in a straight relationship. The lack of bisexual representation is a major gap in this anthology.
There is also some asexual erasure in the essay "Toward a New Theology of Sexuality." The asexual community wasn't visible at that point, so the ignorance is understandable, but the fact remains that it didn't age well. The essay assumes that every person has erotic energy, and that erotic energy fuels all our community interactions, not just romantic ones. It names erotic energy and sexuality as core components of the self that are required to become fully whole. It just didn't leave any room for people who don't experience sexual desire. I'm not asexual, but I didn't resonate with the idea that erotic energy shapes interactions with platonic friends and community members. I felt uncomfortable with the underlying assumptions in this essay.
The book barely mentioned race or ethnicity. I'm pretty sure the majority of the authors are white and Ashkenazi because there was no in depth discussion about how people of color and Jews who are not Ashkenazi are marginalized in most Jewish communities. Those additional identities impact people's experiences of homophobia, and I think they should have sought out people who could speak to that.
There were a couple of essays that seemed to be coming from a Zionist perspective. One essay in particular ("Joining Together: Building a Worldwide Movement") described gay and lesbian Jews coming together to protest the UN's resolution against Zionism and framed that resolution as antisemitic. Other essays made positive references to Israel or mentioned Zionist organizations. A couple of essays briefly mentioned discussions of the peace movement and disagreements about Israel, but none of the essays seemed to come from an anti-Zionist perspective. There wasn't a ton of overt Zionist rhetoric, but I still noticed a bias towards Zionism.
Overall, I think this book is valuable as a window into the history of gay and lesbian Jews, but the lack of diversity hasn't aged well.
I particularly loved the essays "The Liturgy of Gay and Lesbian Jews" and "A Ceremony of Commitment." Both of those essays went into detail about the creation of rituals that centered gay and lesbian experiences. There were also several essays about navigating the homophobic portions of the Torah, and I enjoyed those as well.
I enjoyed the book, but it definitely suffered from a lack of diversity. Bisexuals were mentioned in passing, but bisexual perspectives were not represented in the book. There was a chapter on creating homophobia workshops that suggested lumping bisexuals in heterosexual appearing relationships together with straight people, which is absurd. Bisexuals still have past experiences with homophobia even if they are currently in a straight relationship. The lack of bisexual representation is a major gap in this anthology.
There is also some asexual erasure in the essay "Toward a New Theology of Sexuality." The asexual community wasn't visible at that point, so the ignorance is understandable, but the fact remains that it didn't age well. The essay assumes that every person has erotic energy, and that erotic energy fuels all our community interactions, not just romantic ones. It names erotic energy and sexuality as core components of the self that are required to become fully whole. It just didn't leave any room for people who don't experience sexual desire. I'm not asexual, but I didn't resonate with the idea that erotic energy shapes interactions with platonic friends and community members. I felt uncomfortable with the underlying assumptions in this essay.
The book barely mentioned race or ethnicity. I'm pretty sure the majority of the authors are white and Ashkenazi because there was no in depth discussion about how people of color and Jews who are not Ashkenazi are marginalized in most Jewish communities. Those additional identities impact people's experiences of homophobia, and I think they should have sought out people who could speak to that.
There were a couple of essays that seemed to be coming from a Zionist perspective. One essay in particular ("Joining Together: Building a Worldwide Movement") described gay and lesbian Jews coming together to protest the UN's resolution against Zionism and framed that resolution as antisemitic. Other essays made positive references to Israel or mentioned Zionist organizations. A couple of essays briefly mentioned discussions of the peace movement and disagreements about Israel, but none of the essays seemed to come from an anti-Zionist perspective. There wasn't a ton of overt Zionist rhetoric, but I still noticed a bias towards Zionism.
Overall, I think this book is valuable as a window into the history of gay and lesbian Jews, but the lack of diversity hasn't aged well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia
Discussion of AIDS
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