I recently saw an event advertised for a women's only concert at a secular Jewish venue. The woman singing is frum and observes the laws of kol ishah. She does not sing in front of men. The only thing is, this secular Jewish event space decided to be pc and the ad said that this is a women only concert and for those who identify as women. Well... biological women are women but those who identify as women , except for biological hermaphrodites are men. Is it kol ishah to sing in front of trans women? Aren't they really men? They often transform to women who like women not women who like men . Isn't that the what the whole issue of kol ishah is? Biological men who who desire women no matter how they dress? It really upsets me that this venue had to put into writing their desire to include men who identify as women in this kol ishah event. I would think that this would make this more of an issue than if they happened to let men who identify into the event in a don't ask, don't tell type of admittance. If a man who identifies as a woman shows up to the event and the singer did not realize they would be in attendance then I bet it would be less of a kol ishah issue. If the singer knows that this is going to happen then it would seem like she thinks this kind of kol ishah is permitted, which I would guess that it is not. If these transgender women like men then I think it would be less of a kol ishah issue. Gee whiz. These are issues I never thought I would be contemplating.
1 comment:
These are actually complex halachic issues. What side of the mechitzah does a transgender person sit on? Who does it shake hands with? Can it count for a minyan? Etc.
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