Similarities Between Lee And Joy Ladin

Religion is one of the great unifying forces in the world today, as millions of people around the world are connected by their shared religious beliefs. Of the world’s religions, the three Abrahamic religions are the most prevalent worldwide, unifying the most people under a single religious canon, however these religions can also be homes of hatred for followers taking scripture too literally. For many religious traditionalists, the lines of gender identity and sexuality are drawn in stone in the early chapters of the Bible and the Torah. They feel the need to impose those lines on everyone regardless of how ill-fitting the definitions may be. Authors, Joy Ladin, and Jeannette Lee, in their respective works, explore these exclusive definitions and how these texts can be redefined to serve a greater role in perpetuating
For example, the conservative Christians Lee mentions early in her writing are like her grandmother, trying to impose outdated and traditional principles on a new generation of differently thinking people, while Mei Gim and Lee are alike, with Lee “welding” a new and inclusive bridge between traditional and nontraditional Christians by “taking back the word,” and Mei Gim the bridge between Lee’s traditionalist grandmother and nontraditional family. Joy Ladin, in her work, mentions traditionalist Jews who believe that God’s creation of Adam and Eve defined gender as the role of males and females, as a source of exclusivity within Judaism that she has experienced. However, she chooses to, like Lee describes in her story, “take back” scripture and uses it to show how vague and oversimplified scripture definitions can be, opening a gateway for people with complicated gender identities to practice without the fear of