I was scared my Jewish community wouldn’t accept me when I came out as trans.

Author

Date

January 2, 2020

鈥淲hen I first came out as trans, I was really scared that I wouldn鈥檛 be accepted by my Jewish community. There鈥檚 a passage in the Torah that says a woman should not dress up like a man, and a man should not dress up like a woman. That always concerned me because I鈥檝e been dressing masculine for as long as I鈥檝e been able to pick out my own clothes. But Judaism is open to interpretation. That鈥檚 the best part about Judaism. I interpret that passage to mean if you鈥檙e a man, be out and open as a man. And that鈥檚 how I live my life. Everyone has been so accepting at Clark University Hillel. I don鈥檛 feel like I have to leave part of my identity at the door. I鈥檓 so thankful to have a wonderful community who supports me and accepts me for who I am. And I am proud of who I am.鈥 鈥 Eli Cohen-Gordon, Clark University