QUEER JEWS TALKING THEIR WAY IN

A tradition is a centuries-long conversation about the goods and concerns of the philosophical or religious systems in which these goods and concerns inhere. LGBTQ Jews are the latest newcomers to Judaism's conversation. Entering an established conversation places stressful demands upon incomers and veteran participants alike but enlarges and enriches the discourse. LGBTQ participants bring new topics and categories concerning gender that challenge participants of longer standing. Bringing to the existing categories and topics of the tradition experiences of which it was unaware implicitly requires that those topics be reexamined in the light of new data and situations. All this revitalizes the conversation.