Should Jewish practices related to anatomy be revised in light of new understandings of sex and gender? Should hatafat dam brit replace circumcision both for the bris and for conversion? Eli and Max are joined by brin solomon, author of “Conversion & Circumcision: A Trans Approach,” to discuss brin’s proposals in this responsum. First we discuss the problems which trans and intersex experiences pose for circumcision in the case of conversion, including why previous attempts to accommodate trans experiences have often been unsatisfactory. Then we discuss brin’s proposal of universal hatafat dam brit in the area of the heart rather than the penis. Along the way we touch on halakhic change and meta-halakhah, plus some ethical concerns about hatafat dam brit for newborns which do not arise when it can be chosen by adults.
brin solomon, “Conversion & Circumcision: A Trans Approach”
Rabbi Gordon Tucker, “Halakhic and Metahalakhic Arguments Concerning Judaism and Homosexuality”
Jericho Vincent, “Genderqueer Bris Milah”
Max Buckler, “The Smallest Cut: The Ethics and (Surprising) Implications of Hatafat Dam Brit for the Ongoing Genital Cutting Debate”
The Inclusive Siddur Project