NEW YORK (JTA) – The New York County Supreme Court ruled that Yeshiva University must recognize a campus LGBTQ pride group.
Join our WhatsApp groupSubscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
Judge Lynn Kotler directed the Modern Orthodox university to provide the YU Pride Alliance “full equal accommodations, advantages, facilities, and privileges afforded to all other student groups at Yeshiva University.”
Tuesday’s decision caps a dispute that dates back at least to 2020, when seven LGBTQ student activists and allies filed a complaint with the New York City Commission on Human Rights charging the university with discrimination. Administrators had overruled a student government decision to recognize the gay pride group.
In her ruling, Kotler said that Y.U. is chartered as a non-religious organization and as a result is subject to New York City Human Rights Law.
In its court filings, Yeshiva University acknowledged that while it was incorporated as non-sectarian, it was guided by its religious beliefs. “The court’s ruling violates the religious liberty upon which this country was founded,” a Y.U. spokesperson told The Commentator, a campus newspaper.
Homosexuality is forbidden by nearly all Orthodox interpretations of Jewish law, although attitudes toward individuals who identify as queer have eased somewhat in Modern Orthodox settings in recent years.
The Manhattan-based university intends to appeal the decision.
Jewish Queer Youth, a nonprofit representing the interests of gay Orthodox Jews, hailed the ruling as “a victory for human dignity, mental health and safety on campus,” Rachael Fried, executive director of JQY and a Y.U. alum, said in a statement.
“Homosexuality is forbidden by nearly all Orthodox interpretations of Jewish law, although attitudes toward individuals who identify as queer
have eased somewhat in Modern Orthodox settings in recent years.”
Actually, homosexual intercourse is absolutely forbidden according to every Orthodox, and even “Modern Orthodox”, interpretation of Jewish law. Period.
How can someone describe themselves as “gay” and Orthodox? When someone regularly eats treif we don’t call them Orthodox.
Best way to handle it might be for Y.U. to abolish all clubs. Any clubs have to raise their own funds and can’t use the university’s facilities officially.
What does the OU or Rabbi Poupko have to say about this ruling??
To all those screaming and foaming at the mouth – can you answer the following question??.
What should someone in a frum yeshiva at age 12-14, start to realize he has an interest to look at boys in the mikvah and doesn’t feel anything for a girl. I read an heartfelt article of one boy in Israel when he realized this exact situation. He immediately ran to every Talmuid chuchem and Godol crying to them at his “problem”. Everyone told him silly thing – to think differently , say certain kapitlach thillem, ignore these thoughts ad it will go away on itself etc. He writes of only one leader – who looked him in the eyes, took both of his hands in his and started crying real tears with him, As he left he kept wishing him everything good in life, as that is all he could do. He writes it was the only true answer that can be given.
He never got married, tried several times but was too honest and could not fool a sweet girl. (like most of the 3-5 % who are gay in our community do) He claims he never acted on his urges as the torah does not allow, (the same as a straight guy who never got married) .He is still very frum today and wants to make a difference as he bitterly knows he will never leave offspring’s. He took a job teaching in a frum girls school to be able to accomplish something in this world.
HERE IS THE QUESTION – WHAT SHOULD WE DO WITH SUCH A PERSON, discriminate against him, look down on him, call him the worst person in the world?? That is what we did for hundreds of years. Now some of them want to come out – to be accepted in society and not looked down or discriminated against. Same as we did until the last generation with “not well children”, kids poked fun of them and families hid them, they were a shame to a family, etc. but now we are accepting to them, love them, and even teach our kids not to make fun of them. What is wrong if we gave the same accommodation to these people? From our position we can call it a defect of how they were born. So tell me what is the community doing for them? Is there any program, acceptance for what they were born with, do we teach our kids they are also human, not monsters to run away from??
What is the difference in these 2 cases, both were BORN that way and unfortunately have no choice in their lives.
If we were more understanding and accepting, they would not feel the need to fight for their rights, and throw off the SHAME that comes with being gay and different.
We should look at ourselves for the problem!
We have reached rock bottom
Hope this makes it to the supreme court. Our legal expert Phineas can gladly share his lawerish insight
Kudos to the YU administration overall for trying to fight this abomination.
But there are some there that unfortunately have gone along with the PC world and have been trying to encourage acceptance of toeivahniks. For example, “Rabbi” Marc (Menachem) Penner, dean of RIETS, has an organization trying to encourage their acceptance. He appeared with YU Professor David Bashevkin on his popular podcast a while ago promoting such a stance. With such a fifth column, with the dean of the rabbinical school doing such things, people can get quite confused.
The law of the land is not the law when it goes against the Law.
The modern Orthodox world is easy on acceptance of Gay people now they got it from a Judge.
In the Torah it says clearly that Mishkav Zachar is forbidden there is no ifs and buts.
The Modern and open Orthodox community came up with some twisted things that we must “accept” gay people (whatever it means). We need also to accept those who have an urge to eat shrimp and Mecahlal Shabbos.
Now let’s see who YU obeys. The politically appointed Judge or the Torah of Truth.
Is this ruling binding if YU stops accepting Gov’t funds??
Why don’t they re-charter themselves as a religious institution?
Man o manischewitz. As of lately, the courts and the government have not been kind to us/our faith. Quite the opposite. 🙁 (Would not surprise me one bit if this same insanity spreads to EY. It has already in many aspects).
“attitudes toward individuals who identify as queer have eased” is totally incorrect. The Jewish way is to hate the sin while loving the person. Inherently the individual Jew is loved, however the sin itself is abhorrent. We welcome the person while condeming the act just as we would stealing or any other sin. Why one needs to advertise ones sins and is beyond me.
“Y.U. is chartered as a non-religious organization and as a result is subject to New York City Human Rights Law.”
Yes. You lie with dogs…
The judge is a meshugina just because her name is kotler doesn’t mean that she’s a respectable person. YU should appeal and start sticking to our values more, this is a lesson for them
What’s the story with Ryan Turell? Is he going to ever make it to the NBA?
This is great!! ALL the forum mishegas in a single conversation!! I’ll never read another posting again!
Considering the state of mind that the world is in this comes hardly as a surprise.. Let’s be honest all these things happening are just a tip of the iceberg to what’s coming. More than ever now we need to be United more than ever now we need a leader to stand up against the title wave that’s coming our way.
I am fascinated to see all the holy Charedi commenters who insist that gay men, who, as Orthodox Jews are probably not engaging in any sexual activity, must be shunned and driven from the community. Indeed, the entire Modern Orthodox community must be condemned because some among them advocate accepting gay people, although not homosexual behavior.
Meanwhile there is no movement among Charedim to exclude those who have larcenous urges. In fact many convicted criminals, who actually acted on their Torah-forbidden urges, are publicly welcomed back after their prison sentences with great honor. The Torah uses the same word – to’eivah – to characterize cheating ion business as it does for illicit sex.
I wonder how to reconcile this?
It is interesting to note how YU is condemned by the commenters here for a decision by a judge which YU actively opposed.
I believe Rav Hershel Schachter is the Posek for YU. It’s probably in the charter that YU is bound by the decision of it’s rabbinical decisor.
The problem with all these commenters is that they don’t seem to notice that many are arguing about two different things.
So one commenter will say something like, “We need to accept gay people” or “We have to support them” – (he means the 1st category.
Then, the second commenter will say an argument to that but referring to the 2nd category.
Meanwhile they have women and men separate, instead of mixing them and fostering healthy intergender relating
Maven: “The modern Orthodox world is easy on acceptance of Gay people now they got it from a Judge.”
There are some others behind that too, not just some typical Modern Orthodox suspects.
Some Lubavitchers for example. There is a Lubavitcher clergyman from the UK by the name of Chaim Rapoport who wrote a book years ago encouraging acceptance of toeivah’niks, for which he became a darling of the Modern Orthodox, garnering numerous speaking engagements, and a post teaching at the “Open Orthodox” seminary YCT. There is also Lubavitcher preacher Samuel Boteach, and Manis Friedman to an extent it seems as well.
“In her ruling, Kotler said that Y.U. is chartered as a non-religious organization and as a result is subject to New York City Human Rights Law.”
“Modern Orthodoxy” is, of course, a religion that combines most of Orthodox Judaism and “modernity” including the idolatry of Zionism.