Allusions

I recently read a book published in 2010 entitled Keep Your Wives Away from Them: Orthodox Women, Unorthodox Desires. This anthology was edited by Miryam Kabakov.

It was very heavy reading for me- I always find myself placed in a difficult position when reading such works- but also interesting.

It was also fun to find myself alluded to (thanks, Tent-Peg Wielder, for pointing it out) in the last essay in the compendium, written by Dr. Joy Ladin.

The postscript reads:

Professor Ladin has taught at Stern College since 2003. After receiving tenure in spring 2007, she came out as a transsexual to the school administration, which placed her on involuntary "research leave" for a year. In fall 2008, she returned to teaching, an event that triggered a vigorous discussion of transgender issues inside and outside the Orthodox Jewish world. Stern students responded to her return by devoting an issue of the Observer, the student newspaper, to the questions and consequences that arise when transsexuality meets Judaism. The groundbreaking issue includes interviews with trans Jews living in hiding in the Orthodox world, a discussion of the Orthodox Halakha on transsexuality, and passionate editorial calls for tolerance, compassion, and understanding of individuals struggling with gender identity issues. She is proud to teach there.

Woohoo!