Orthodox Jews Open Gay Dialogue

A large group of Orthodox Jewish leaders published a statement last month calling for gay members of their community to be treated with "dignity and respect."

According to the Guardian, the statement, published on July 22, has garnered 170 signatories from Orthodox Jewish communities in the United States and Israel. While it does not call for a change in the religious law that opposes homosexuality, it does make progress by recognizing the right of gay people to reject efforts to change them, and allowing religious communities to determine their own policies on homosexuality.

Part of the statement says, "All human beings are created in the image of God and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect ... Embarrassing, harassing or demeaning someone with a homosexual orientation or same-sex attraction is a violation of Torah prohibitions that embody the deepest values of Judaism."

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