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his often misattributed quotation by Finley Peter Dunne –
comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable – was
originally meant to describe the power of newspapers at the
turn of the century. Frequently co-opted, we now hear it as
the goal of religion. There is a bitter irony in this for lesbian,
gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI)
people as the
Tanach
and the New Testament have been
the largest sources of religious-based bigotry, hatred, and
violence against them. Fortunately, there is some balm in
knowing that we now have progressive religious voices in
Judaism and elsewhere that support and champion LGBTQI
equality and inclusion. Given this, perhaps LGBTQI people
and their allies are in a moment to reclaim Dunne’s aphorism
and help it live up to its true potential for
klal yisrael
.
The current zeitgeist around LGBTQI issues is in flux.
There has been enormous change from a time when
homosexuality was a mental illness and being “out” could
get you arrested or killed, to the present with “out” role
models in politics, sports, media, the military, and religion;
a growing marriage equality movement; and the ability to
live our lives more openly than any other time in history.
Yet, homosexuality is still illegal in certain states, and
LGBTQI people are nowhere close to having equal
protection in employment, access to healthcare, or full
rights to marry. This says nothing of the high rates of
violence against LGBTQI people, suicide, and mental
health issues. Clearly, we have a ways to go.
Comfort the Afflicted,
and Afflict the Comfortable
Joel L. Kushner, Psy.D.,
Director, The Institute for Judaism, Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity,
HUC-JIR/Jack H. Skirball Campus/Los Angeles
Joyce Ellen Weinstein,
Denial I
, 2012
Silkscreen, linoleum block print
26"
x 32"
