Multi-Faith print Abdul-Ghafur Saleemah Living Islam Out Loud: American Muslim Women Speak livingislam.jpg Boston Beacon Press 2005 224 pp. 0807083836 Living Islam Out Loud presents the first true generation of American Muslim women who have always identified as both American and Muslim. Without previous examples of how to be American Muslim women, these pioneers have had to forge new identities for themselves and for future generations. Writing from diverse experiences and perspectives, the contributors include Sarah El-Tantawi, who has spoken on Muslim issues on Politically Incorrect and Hardball, and Asra Nomani, a former reporter for the Wall Street Journal. These voices, among others, speak out about the hijab (a traditional headscarf), relationships, sex and sexuality, activism, spirituality, and more. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0807083836/sr=8-1/qid=1143563741/ref=sr_1_1/103-5908987-4912655?%5Fencoding=UTF8 _blank print Greenberg Rabbi Steven Wrestling with God and Men: Homosexuality in the Jewish Tradition wrestlingwithgod.jpg Madison University of Wisconsin Press 2005 312 pp. 0299190943 For millennia, two biblical verses have been understood to condemn sex between men as an act so abominable that it is punishable by death. Traditionally Orthodox Jews, believing the scripture to be the word of God, have rejected homosexuality. In 1999, Rabbi Steven Greenberg challenged this tradition when he became the first Orthodox rabbi ever to openly declare his homosexuality. Wrestling with God and Men is the product of Rabbi Greenberg's ten-year struggle to reconcile his two warring identities. In this compelling and groundbreaking work, Greenberg challenges long-held assumptions of scriptural interpretation and religious identity as he marks a path that is both responsible to human realities and deeply committed to God and Torah. Employing traditional rabbinic resources, Greenberg presents readers with surprising biblical interpretations of the creation story, the love of David and Jonathan, the destruction of Sodom, and the condemning verses of Leviticus. But Greenberg goes beyond the question of whether homosexuality is biblically acceptable to ask how such relationships can be sacred. In so doing, he draws on a wide array of nonscriptural texts to introduce readers to occasions of same-sex love in Talmudic narratives, medieval Jewish poetry and prose, and traditional Jewish case law literature. Ultimately, Greenberg argues that Orthodox communities must open up debate, dialogue, and discussion—precisely the foundation upon which Jewish law rests—to truly deal with the issue of homosexual love. http://www.wisc.edu/wisconsinpress/books/2576.htm _blank print Kleinbaum Rabbi Sharon Listening for the Oboe oboe.jpg New York Congregation Beth Simchat Torah 2005 155 pp. B000BZ8O5M Congregation Beth Simchat Torah is pleased to announce the publication of Listening for the Oboe, a collection of drashot by Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum from her first ten years as spiritual leader of CBST, New York City’s synagogue for GLBT Jews, Our Families, and Our Friends. “They are the words of someone who sees a new thing happening, who sees how it expands our understanding of human experience, of community, and of religious concepts of justice and love. She is trying, with great skill...and always with humor... to help us see it too.” – from the forward by Constance Buchanan, Senior Program Officer, Religion, Society, and Culture, The Ford Foundation http://www.amazon.com/Listening-for-the-Oboe/dp/B000BZ8O5M _blank print Murray Stephen O. Will Roscoe editors Islamic Homosexualities: Culture, History, and Literature New York New York University Press 1997 392 pp. 0814774687 The dramatic impact of Islamic fundamentalism in recent years has skewed our image of Islamic history and culture. Stereotypes depict Islamic societies as economically backward, hyper-patriarchal, and fanatically religious. But in fact, the Islamic world encompasses a great diversity of cultures and a great deal of variation within those cultures in terms of gender roles and sexuality. The first collection on this topic from a historical and anthropological perspective, Islamic Homosexualities reveals that patterns of male and female homosexuality have existed and often flourished within the Islamic world. Indeed, same-sex relations have, until quite recently, been much more tolerated under Islam than in the Christian West. Based on the latest theoretical perspectives in gender studies, feminism, and gay studies, Islamic Homosexualities includes cultural and historical analyses of the entire Islamic world, not just the so-called Middle East. Essays show both age-stratified patterns of homosexuality, as revealed in the erotic and romantic poetry of medieval poets, and gender-based patterns, in which both men and women might, to varying degrees, choose to live as members of the opposite sex. The contributors draw on historical documents, literary texts, ethnographic observation and direct observation by both Muslim and non-Muslim authors to show the considerable diversity of Islamic societies and the existence of tolerated gender and sexual variances. http://www.nyupress.org/product_info.php?cPath=&products_id=452 _blank print Roscoe Will editor Jesus and the Shamanic Tradition of Same-Sex Love San Francisco Suspect Thoughts Press 2004 232 pp. 0974638838 Jesus and the Shamanic Tradition of Same-Sex Love is a passionate exploration of the history of Western religion as seen through the queer eye of one of the most widely acclaimed authors in gay spirituality. Drawing on recently discovered ancient sources, Will Roscoe offers a striking new view of Jesus as a charismatic mystic, whose teachings on love and the kingdom of heaven were complemented by a secret rite that served to impart the experience of entering heaven. After meticulously reconstructing this rite, Roscoe seeks its ultimate origins - an odyssey that eventually leads him to the margins of the inhabited world, where the ancient practices of shamanism survive to today. Whether discussing early Christianity, Plato's Symposium, the rites of shamans, or the myths of ancient Mesopotamia, Roscoe uncovers fresh insights at every turn. He builds a persuasive argument that mysticism and gay love are powerfully connected, and that this connection forms a hidden tradition in the history of Western religion. http://www.suspectthoughts.com/store.html _blank online Kleinbaum Rabbi Sharon editors What Now? After the Exodus, the Wilderness By Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, Congregation Beth Simchat Torah, New York, NY http://www.hrc.org/Template.cfm?Section=Religion4&CONTENTID=31648&TEMPLATE=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm _blank online editors World Religions and the Struggle for Equality Many religions around the world, including Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism and mainline Protestantism, along with Roman Catholicism, have long been dealing with issues related to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender equality. First appearing in Conscience Magazine, this article by the Human Rights Campaign’s Religion and Faith Program staff gives a brief historical overview of how these world religions have wrestled with homosexuality. Conscience Magazine, published by Catholics for a Free Choice, is a powerful voice on contemporary issues, including reproductive rights, sexuality and gender, feminism, the religious right, church and state issues and U.S. politics. http://www.hrc.org/TemplateRedirect.cfm?Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=30927 _blank online Michaelson Jay editors Brit Hitva' adut: A Jewish Coming Out Cemerony by Jay Michaelson http://www.hrc.org/Template.cfm?Section=Content_Management&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=34150 _blank multimedia Alexander Ilil editors Keep Not Silent: Ortho-Dykes orthodykes.jpg Israel Women Make Movies 2004 0:52 Winner of the Israeli Oscar for Best Documentary, as well as eight international awards, Ilil Alexander's stunning debut film boldly documents the clandestine struggle of three women fighting for their right to love within their beloved Orthodox communities in Jerusalem. All three are pious, religiously committed women. All three are lesbians, and members of a secret support group called the “Ortho-Dykes.” Though their life choices exact a devastating price, these women are committed to confronting their duality, and accept the toll with a profound compassion toward their society. Miriam-Ester fights her aversion to a man’s touch for the sake of her family and ten children, while Ruth's husband shockingly permits his wife to see her female lover twice a week. Yudith, a Rabbi's daughter, declares her sexuality openly as she believes “lies are the worst sin on earth.” Ingenious cinematic techniques underscore the excruciating pain of constant self-suppression, and provide the anonymity necessary for these women to continue living in their communities. Their courageous fight for self-realization, honesty and acceptance is an extraordinary model for those who struggle with issues of religious and sexual identity. VHS/DVD http://www.wmm.com/filmcatalog/pages/c653.shtml _blank multimedia Simcha Dubowski Sandi Trembling Before G-d trembling2.jpg New Yorker Video 2003 1:23 Built around intimately-told personal stories of Hasidic and Orthodox Jews who are gay or lesbian, the film portrays a group of people who face a profound dilemma - how to reconcile their passionate love of Judaism and the Divine with the drastic Biblical prohibitions that forbids homosexuality. DVD http://www.tremblingbeforeg-d.com _blank online editors Jeff Herman Virtual Resource Center The largest online gathering of articles, texts, and websites on Judaism and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender topics in the world. From the Institute for Judaism and Sexual Orientation at Hebrew Union College. http://elearning.huc.edu/jhvrc/ _blank print Ellison Marvin Mahan Judith Plaskow editors Heterosexism in Contemporary World Religion: Problem and Prospect heterosexism.jpg Cleveland The Pilgrim Press 2007 232 pp. 0829817700

Homosexuality is not a problem; heterosexism is, and this problem is often supported by religious statements and practices against sexual minorities. This book seeks to draw out strands in each major religion that are antidotal to such practices and attitudes.

Contributors to this volume, all of whom are authorities in their religious traditions, include:

Ghazala Anwar (Islam), Kelly Brown Douglas (African American Christianity), Marvin M. Ellison (Protestant Christianity), Ann-Marie Hsiung (Taoism and Confucianism), Mary Hunt (Roman Catholicism), Yu-Chen Li (Buddhism), Daniel C. Maguire (Roman Catholicism), Judith Plaskow (Judaism), Anantanand Rambachan (Hinduism)

 http://thepilgrimpress.com/product_detail.taf?site_uid1=61&hallway_uid1=62&search_id=&catalog_uid1=747&link_type_uid1=&person_id=&u_currency_id=190&_UserReference=E17B5A8363B9CB20486558A5 _blank multimedia Polis Schutz Susan Anyone and Everyone anyoneandeveryone.jpg Iron Zeal Films 2007 57 min.

Connected by having a son or daughter who is gay, parents across the country discuss their experiences in the documentary Anyone and Everyone. In it, filmmaker Susan Polis Schutz, depicts families from all walks of life. Individuals from such diverse backgrounds as Japanese, Bolivian, and Cherokee, as well as from various religious denominations such as Mormon, Jewish, Roman Catholic, Hindu, and Southern Baptist, share intimate accounts of how their children revealed their sexual orientation and discuss their responses. The parents also talk about struggling with the pain of their sons and daughters dealing with not being accepted by relatives or friends, and being ostracized by religious congregations. The film also depicts meetings of PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) where people get support and help.

 DVD http://www.anyoneandeveryone.com _blank multimedia Sharma Parvez editors A Jihad for Love jihadforlove.jpg Halal Films 2007

Fourteen centuries after the revelation of the holy Qur'an to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), Islam today is the world's second largest and fastest growing religion. Muslim gay filmmaker Parvez Sharma travels the many worlds of this dynamic faith discovering the stories of its most unlikely storytellers: lesbian and gay Muslims. Filmed over 5 1/2 years, in 12 countries and 9 languages, A Jihad for Love comes from the heart of Islam. Looking beyond a hostile and war-torn present, this film seeks to reclaim the Islamic concept of a greater Jihad, which can mean 'an inner struggle' or 'to strive in the path of God'. In doing so the film and its remarkable subjects move beyond the narrow concept of 'Jihad' as holy war.

 On Screen http://www.ajihadforlove.com/ _blank multimedia Polis Schutz Susan Anyone and Everyone anyoneandeveryone.jpg Iron Zeal Films 2007 0:57

Connected by having a son or daughter who is gay, parents across the country discuss their experiences in the documentary Anyone and Everyone. In it, filmmaker Susan Polis Schutz, depicts families from all walks of life. Individuals from such diverse backgrounds as Japanese, Bolivian, and Cherokee, as well as from various religious denominations such as Mormon, Jewish, Roman Catholic, Hindu, and Southern Baptist, share intimate accounts of how their children revealed their sexual orientation and discuss their responses. The parents also talk about struggling with the pain of their sons and daughters dealing with not being accepted by relatives or friends, and being ostracized by religious congregations. The film also depicts meetings of PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) where people get support and help.

Watch a clip and get more information

 DVD https://order.sps.com/forms/ord1/01/ironzeal-a1.htm?ref=- _blank print Tobin Diane Gary A. Tobin, and Scott Rubin In Every Tongue: The Racial & Ethnic Diversity of the Jewish People ineverytongue.jpg San Francisco Institute for Jewish & Community Research 2005 251 pp. 1-893671-01-1 Jews have always resembled the peoples among whom they live, whether in Africa, Asia, or Europe. Why should American Jews be an exception? In a land where racial and ethnic boundaries are becoming increasingly blurred, the American Jewish community is also shifting. In Every Tongue is both a groundbreaking look at the changing faces of the Jewish people and an examination of the timelessness of those changes. Ranging from distinct communities of African American Jews and adopted children of color in white Jewish families to the growing number of religious seekers of all races who hope to find a home in Judaism, In Every Tongue explores the origins, traditions, challenges, and joys of diverse Jews in America. This book explodes the myth of a single authentic Judaism and shines a bright light on the thousands of ethnically and racially diverse Jews in the United States who live full and rich Jewish lives. It is impossible to read In Every Tongue without coming away with a deeper respect for and a broader understanding of the Jewish people today. In a time when Jewish community leaders decry the shrinking of the Jewish population, In Every Tongue imagines a vibrant and daring future for the Jewish people: becoming who they have always been. http://www.amazon.com/Every-Tongue-Racial-Ethnic-Diversity/dp/1893671011 _blank print Kababov Miryam editor Keep Your Wives Away from Them: Orthodox Women Unorthodox Desires keepyourwivesaway.gif Berkley, CA North Atlantic Books 2010 192 pp. 978-1-55643-879-0 Reconciling queerness with religion has always been an enormous challenge. When the religion is Orthodox Judaism, the task is even more daunting. This anthology takes on that challenge by giving voice to genderqueer Jewish women who were once silenced-and effectively rendered invisible-by their faith. Keep Your Wives Away from Them tells the story of those who have come out, who are still closeted, living double lives, or struggling to maintain an integrated "single life" in relationship to traditional Judaism-personal stories that are both enlightening and edifying. While a number of films and books have explored the lives of queer people in Orthodox and observant Judaism, only this one explores in depth what happens after the struggle, when the real work of building integrated lives begins. The candor of these insightful stories in Keep Your Wives Away from Them makes the book appealing to a general audience and students of women's, gender, and LGBTQ studies, as well as for anyone struggling personally with the same issue. Contributors include musician and writer Temim Fruchter, Professor Joy Ladin, writer Leah Lax, nurse Tamar Prager, and the pseudonymous Ex-Yeshiva Girl. http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781556438790 _blank print Congregation Sha'ar Zahav LGBT Prayer Book: Siddur Sha'ar Zahav siddur.jpg San Francisco Congregation Sha'ar Zahav 2009 978-0982197912

Siddur Sha'ar Zahav is the first LGBT Prayer Book for every occasion.

  • Reform Liturgy with educational commentaries.
  • Egalitarian LGBT-inclusive translations
  • New readings reflect contemporary Jewish life
  • Hebrew, English and transliterations of every prayer
  • Beautifully designed book filled with expressive art

Siddur Sha'ar Zahav includes services for Shabbat evening and morning, weeknights, and all the Jewish holidays.

Siddur Sha'ar Zahav is the first truly 21st Century with:

  • Reading on discovering your sexual orientation
  • Marriage equality blessing
  • Blessings for non-traditional families
  • Entirely new translations of ancient texts
  • Jewish poetry from all over the world
  • New Prayers with LGBTQ themes
  • Prayers for non-believers and agnostics
  • Transgender Day of Remembrance prayers
  • Essays that re-imagine our most cherished texts
  • Commentaries relating liturgy to our lives today
 http://www.shaarzahav.org/siddur _blank online editors Torah Queeries: Weekly Commentary on the Hebrew Bible Welcome to Torah Queeries, offering creative and incisive "queer" takes on the weekly Torah portion or Jewish holiday since spring 2006. Read this week's essay, browse the archives, or check back each week for a new essay, brought to you by some of the Jewish world's most dynamic scholars, rabbis, activists and lay leaders. http://www.jewishmosaic.org/torah/show_torah _blank print Dzmura Noach editor Balancing on the Mechitza: Transgender in Jewish Community balancingon.jpg Berkely, CA North Atlantic Books 2010 288 pp. 978-1556438134

While the Jewish mainstream still argues about homosexuality, transgender and gender-variant people have emerged as a distinct Jewish population and as a new chorus of voices. Inspired and nurtured by the successes of the feminist and LGBT movements in the Jewish world, Jews who identify with the “T” now sit in the congregation, marry under the chuppah, and create Jewish families. Balancing on the Mechitza offers a multifaceted portrait of this increasingly visible community.

The contributors—activists, theologians, scholars, and other transgender Jews—share for the first time in a printed volume their theoretical contemplations as well as rite-of-passage and other transformative stories. Balancing on the Mechitza introduces readers to a secular transwoman who interviews her Israeli and Palestinian peers and provides cutting-edge theory about the construction of Jewish personhood in Israel; a transman who serves as legal witness for a man (a role not typically open to persons designated female at birth) during a conversion ritual; a man deprived of testosterone by an illness who comes to identify himself with passion and pride as a Biblical eunuch; and a gender-variant person who explores how to adapt the masculine and feminine pronouns in Hebrew to reflect a non-binary gender reality.

 http://www.northatlanticbooks.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9781556438134 _blank