JWI's Statement on the Rights of Transgender Individuals
JWI is outraged by the Administration’s plan to eradicate the civil rights protections of 1.4 million transgender Americans. According to the New York Times, the Department of Health and Human Services is moving forward with an effort to redefine sex as solely a biological condition determined at birth or by genetic composition. This attack on one of the most vulnerable communities in our nation disregards science, medicine, and law. In defining a person’s sex as fixed at birth and therefore immutable, the Administration is moving to invalidate the very existence of transgender people in our country. Not only is this effort an affront to morality and decency, it will also have very real consequences for the safety of transgender people across our country. A 2015 study found that nearly half of all transgender people are sexually assaulted at some point during their life, and this attack on their rights will only make them more vulnerable to this violence. We stand with the transgender community in opposing the Administration’s plans and will continue to work every day to end gender-based violence for all people.
In 2017, we hosted two webinars for our Clergy Task Force:
Transgender 101: Core Information for Rabbis, Cantors, Lay Leaders, and Jewish Professionals