doctoral dissertation:
Is the Mechitza permeable? an exploratory study on navigating jewish and transgender identities
about my research
the study
In 2014, I successfully defended my doctoral dissertation, an original study that investigated how women who identify as transgender and Jewish navigate their identities. I conducted semi-structured, qualitative interviews with five wonderful women who shared their experiences. While the study was completed some years ago now, the implications ring ever more true as trans visibility meets growing transphobia and Antisemitism.
This dissertation research was completed in partial fulfillment of the doctoral degree requirement in the Clinical Psychology Psy.D. program at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.
why this topic?
The mechitza is the partition that separates men and women to prevent them from mixing in an orthodox synagogue. For this reason, it served as the perfect imagery and symbol of the limitations and possibilities associated with transness within Judaism.
The idea for this dissertation emerged from my passion for intersectionality, the lack of research on this topic, and experiences with the intersection of my own identities. My hope was that this work could bring greater understanding of how transgender individuals negotiate these identities. You can read some of my findings below.
changing relationships
All of my participants reported changes in their relationships with their partners, families, and communities related to their disclosure and transition. Some experienced rejection after initial tolerance of their transgender identity, and one participant experienced violence and was cut off from seeing their children in a restraining order from the Israeli rabbinic courts. However, participants also reported positive changes, such as a raising of their standards for potential partners to be affirming and familiar with what cultural Judaism means. Time and community were mediating factors, with older participants reporting less affirming experiences, and those within close-knit communities reporting the most affirming experiences.
Inconsistent care
Some participants reported transformative experiences in the care of affirming providers, while others reported experiencing mockery or exasperation from bureaucratic red tape. For example, one participant was hassled by their healthcare provider to produce official documents she had already provided. She described how this particular interaction was frustrating and ironic, debating with a VA employee about the documentation of her gender while simultaneously scheduling her next mammogram appointment. Misinformed staff and confusing inconsistencies in law and policy were common themes across participants.
Adapting judaism
Most of the participants were involved in Jewish life in some way, though their religiosity and attitudes toward Israel varied. One participant underwent a name changing ceremony at her local synagogue. Another felt that living as a Jewish female and having observant roots meant not enacting duties that would be seen as male, regardless of her current attendance at a Reform or Conservative synagogue. Participants had passionate views about traditional practices like circumcision, as well as the need for greater trans and queer representation in leadership. They spoke to the importance of belonging and the pain of being tokenized in compounding ways as the only Jew and trans person in the room.
acknowledgments
I wanted to acknowledge a few people, without whom this would not have been possible. I want to thank my chair, Dr. Braden Berkey, for his unwavering support, enthusiasm, and encouragement to dream big. I want to thank the reader on my committee, Dr. Robert Bloom, for his humor and patience. I
want to thank my dissertations assistants, Jerrod Handy, MA, and Michael Jones for their hard work and for keeping me sane throughout this process. I would also like to thank my three younger siblings, Lindsey, Cory, and Whitney, for consistently asking questions and being curious about my work. I want to thank my parents for always listening to my ranting and talking me through my moments of doubt. Thank you to my friends and fellow doctoral students, this
road was a lot less lonely with you on it. Lastly, I want to thank the five amazing women who trusted me enough to open up and share their incredible stories.