Gay and Committed, But Against \u27Coupledness\u27 Norm

While wincing at the Republican Party\u27s vehemence against gay marriage, one lesbian couple in Massachusetts explains why they are choosing not to marry. An intimate arrangement, they say, should not be tied to federal and financial benefits

“At ‘Amen Meals’ It’s Me and God” Religion and Gender: A New Jewish Women’s Ritual

New ritual practices performed by Jewish women can serve as test cases for an examination of the phenomenon of the creation of religious rituals by women. These food-related rituals, which have been termed ‘‘amen meals’’ were developed in Israel beginning in the year 2000 and subsequently spread to Jewish women in Europe and the United States. This study employs a qualitative-ethnographic methodology grounded in participant-observation and in-depth interviews to describe these nonobligatory, extra-halakhic rituals. What makes these rituals stand out is the women’s sense that through these rituals they experience a direct con- nection to God and, thus, can change reality, i.e., bring about jobs, marriages, children, health, and salvation for friends and loved ones. The ‘‘amen’’ rituals also create an open, inclusive woman’s space imbued with strong spiritual–emotional energies that counter the women’s religious marginality. Finally, the purposes and functions of these rituals, including identity building and displays of cultural capital, are considered within a theoretical framework that views ‘‘doing gender’’ and ‘‘doing religion’’ as an integrated experience

The Politics of Public Space: Bodies, Restrooms, and Social Justice

Video of the LGBT week lecture on October 7, 2015. Our academic lecture during LGBTQIA Pride Week features Dr. Judith Plaskow, Professor Emerita of Religious Studies at Manhattan College. She focuses on the issue of toilet provision for women and transgender people, exploring how unequal power relations are reflected in the built environment. What does it mean theologically and practically to acknowledge elimination as a basic human function, much the same way that queer studies acknowledge and reclaim sexuality? Digital MP4 HD video recording. Duration: 58 minutes, 51 seconds

Dr. Judith Plaskow Engages with the Question: What Advice Would You Give Students Regarding Their Study of Religion?

What advice would you give students regarding their study of religion? Dr. Judith Plaskow challenges current students of religion to think critically about the representation or the lack of representation of women in the study of religion today

Dr. Judith Plaskow Engages with the Question: Is it Possible to Define Religion?

Is it possible to define religion? Dr. Judith Plaskow discusses the only use of her definition of religion, which is in the classroom. She defines the word as “a set of myths, rituals, and symbols that relate ultimate action to reality”. Dr. Plaskow concentrates on myths, rituals, and symbols rather than institutional religion in her teaching, and more importantly emphasizes understanding the concept of what is religion’s “ultimate reality” – another way of investigating what we would call the transcendent

Dr. Judith Plaskow Engages with the Question: Do You Think Human Beings Would Be Religious if They Were Never Going to Die?

Do you think human beings would be religious if they were never going to die? Dr. Judith Plaskow discusses the complexity of understanding this concept, because the idea of being human is very closely linked with the idea of death. Dr. Plaskow speculates that human beings would be religious if they were not going to die, because religion is not an answer to death, but a way in which we see God through everyday life. She also remarks how life would change drastically if humans were immortal, and the need to identify a meaning for life, which religion offers, would be even greater

Dr. Judith Plaskow Engages with the Question: What is the Major Concern of Your Work?

What is the major concern of your work? Dr. Judith Plaskow discusses her hope that her work reaches beyond the realm of academia, and her desire to have an effect on the study of religion as a whole. She especially intends to reach out to scholarly women as well as other women of faith in a way that her questions and work might give light and inspiration to their common struggles

Dr. Judith Plaskow Engages with the Question: What Has Most Influenced Your Scholarship?

What has most influenced your scholarship? Dr. Judith Plaskow discusses her scholarly background and introduces herself as a “Jewish Feminist Theologian”. Her introduction to feminist thinking during her second year at Yale University was a key event in her development, and she describes the effect this has had on her focus on the place of women in the field of theology and religious studies. She goes on to identify the most influential person in her work as Dr. Carol Crisp, who is her peer and who is also one of the real pioneers of scholarly women in theology

Dr. Judith Plaskow Engages with the Question: How Would You Describe Your Approach to Theology?

How would you describe your approach to theology? Dr. Judith Plaskow discusses the absence of women’s voices in Reformed Judaism in the late 1960s as the basis for many of her theological pursuits. By drawing on her experiences and the experiences of others, she formulated questions that define various faith issues