Welcome to ALL TOGETHER, the podcast dedicated to exploring how ethics religion and spiritual practice is informing our personal lives, our communities and our world. You can download All Together on iTunes, or Stitcher.
During this week's segment you will hear from a Christian, a Jew and a Buddhist about their lives as trans people, and the surprising and instructive ways religious figures acted with compassion as they transitioned to presenting as their authentic selves. Their journeys invite new understanding of spirituality by urgently presenting the deeply religious question: "Who Am I?"
Recently Bruce Jenner spoke on national television about life as a trans person, ushering in a new era of visibility of trans people. My hope is that the stories of Joy, Taj and Ellie will be cause for further celebration, and that their spiritual stories will offer all of us lessons for discovery about self, others and even God.
GUESTS:
Prof. Joy Laden made history when she became the first trans woman to teach at an Orthodox Jewish university. In addition to her position at Yeshiva University, she is a contributor to the website TransTorah, and has recently published a book of poetry with the title: Impersonation.
Taj Smith is a second year student at Harvard Divinity School who is on ordination track in the United Church of Christ.
Ellie Krug is the executive director of Call for Justice, an organization that connects low income people with the legal services they need. She is the author of Getting to Ellen: A Memoir about Love, Honesty and Gender Change.
You may also be interested in this earlier All Together podcast that features Sister Monica who ministers with the transgender community: