Women of Reform Judaism has a longstanding history of support for human and civil rights. The organization has fought discrimination against minorities and women and has sought equal rights for all. Since 1965 WRJ has taken specific stands on behalf of the civil rights of gay men and lesbian women.
In the last several years, transgender and bisexual communities in North America have brought their issues to the attention of advocacy groups regarding workplace discrimination and hate crimes. Moreover, because of a lack of knowledge about the transgender community’s unique needs and concerns, its members are discriminated against in health care and insurance coverage and in access to police, paramedic, and other emergency services and well as in public facilities. The community is also stigmatized, not accepted, and frequently ignored. Our tradition tells that all humans are created in God’s image b’tselem Elohim, mandating us to relate to others with respect and to work to eliminate discrimination and hate-based acts.
In accordance with our history of strong human rights and civil rights resolutions, our policy of acceptance of all women in our congregations, and with particular reference to The Rights of Gay Men and Lesbian Women (1991), Women of Reform Judaism accordingly:
- Calls for civil rights protections from all forms of discrimination against bisexual and transgender individuals;
- Urges that such legislation allows transgender individuals to be seen under the law as the gender by which they identify; and
- Calls upon sisterhoods to hold informative programs about the transgender and bisexual communities.