THE ATLANTIC
Reform Jews: Transgender People Are Welcome Here
by Emma Green
November 5, 2015

Reform Jews are not the first religious group to take a welcoming stance towards transgender people, but so far, their approach may be the most comprehensive. On Thursday, the Union for Reform Judaism unanimously passed a resolution calling on synagogues to make bathrooms gender neutral, train staffers on LGBT issues, and show support for the transgender community. The recommendations even got into the nitty-gritty details of temple life, the AP reports, including eliminating gender-specific pronouns on name tags and sorting Hebrew-school classes by birthdays rather than gender. The URJ is a loose network and organizing body for Reform synagogues, so it hasn’t mandated that local communities to adopt these measures. But it’s a strong signal to the Jewish community: At least in our temples, the URJ says, transgender people will be fully welcome and accommodated. READ MORE