The largest Jewish movement in the country has passed a sweeping resolution to m

ake their communities more welcoming for transgender people, a move supporters s
ay is an expression of their compassionate faith.
On Thursday, the Union for Reform Judaism
which claims about 1.5 million members
in North America voted in a favor of a major overture championing transgender r
ights, approving it with a unanimous voice vote.
Barbara Weinstein, the Director of the Commission on Social Action of Reform Jud
aism, was present for the vote, which she described as uncharacteristically jubi
lant moment.
After the measure passed, there was a standing ovation, she told ThinkProgress, sp
eaking of the roughly 5,000 people in attendance. I ve been with this organization
15 years, and I ve seen something like that maybe once before.
After the measure passed, there was a standing ovation.
The overture doesn t conscript congregations to take any specific action, but list
s a series of suggestions for creating a more welcoming spiritual environment fo
r transgender people. It asks communities and camps to create gender-neutral res
trooms, for example, as well as offer staff training on transgender issues and u
se gender-neutral language during worship services and sermons.
The resolution also urges Reform Jews to advocate for legislation that supports
transgender rights, such as comprehensive nondiscrimination policies that protec
t transgender people from systemic prejudice in the work place.
The fundamental grounding we always go back to is that every human being has the
spark of the divine in them, and that every human being is worthy of the dignity
and respect that infers, Weinstein said. There are trans people in our congregati
ons, trans kids in our summer camps Every person, no matter what their gender iden
tity, should be celebrated for having that divine spark within them.
Rabbi Denise Eger, the first openly lesbian president of the Central Conference
of American Rabbis, also praised the vote.
It acknowledges what Reform congregations and institutions have long been known f
or a welcoming community of inclusion and learning, Eger told the Human Rights Ca
mpaign. We want to learn and grow and to work for transgender equality in our syn
agogues, summer camps and in our nation.
Some members of the assembly expressed concerns about the implications of the me
asure ahead of the vote, especially how it could impact preschools and religious
schools. But even those questions were asked from a microphone designated for p
eople in favor of the motion, and each questioner insisted on their support for
the measure.
One of the key components is it calls for resources, development and training so
we get into the congregations and do training with their leaders, youth professi
onals, rabbis, lay leaders, and then supply them with materials on how do you de
al with bathrooms? How do you deal with language? How do you deal with prayer? Ra
bbi Jonah Dov Pesner, a senior vice president with the Union for Reform Judaism,
told the Associated Press.
Every person, no matter what their gender identity, should be celebrated for hav
ing that divine spark within them.
The overture was in the process of being approved for over a year, but its suppo
rters were reportedly energized by the widely publicized defeat of the Houston E
qual Rights Ordinance (HERO) on Tuesday. HERO, which would have extended nondisc
rimination protections to transgender people, was supported by local Reform Jews
in Houston, but only 39 percent of voters backed it on Election Day.
Weinstein said HERO s defeat was brought up in a workshop session at the conferenc
e the day before the vote, where attendees expressed a renewed desire to send a
clear message in support of transgender people.
People said, So many of us were pained by what happened in Houston, and it s importa
nt for us to make this statement at this particular time, she recalled, referring
to the workshop.
The Reform Jewish community now joins a growing list of religious groups pushing
for transgender equality. The United Church of Christ passed two resolutions in
2003 regarding transgender issues: one that affirmed transgender rights and the
ir role in ministry, and another that called on the denomination to include tran

sgender people in their anti-violence statement. Meanwhile, the Unitarian Univer

salist Association held its first training on transgender issues in 1997, and or
dained its first outwardly transgender pastor in 2002.
However, no American faith group has passed anything as comprehensive as Thursda
y s overture, effectively positioning Reform Judaism as a leader in the faith-base
d fight for transgender rights. And while the group is relatively small compared
to other religious communities in the country, they stand to have a heavy influ
ence on other American Jews: according to a 2013 survey from the Pew Research Ce
nter, more than a third of the country s 5.3 million Jews identify with the Reform
Judaism.
This is a very natural continuation of our being welcoming to gays into our organ
ization, Weinstein said. We re very proud of being the first denomination to be so w
elcoming.