WASHINGTON (RNS) — Religious supporters and opponents of transgender rights rallied outside the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday (Dec. 4), giving voice to opposing theologies as justices heard oral arguments on whether states can ban certain gender-affirming care for young people.
The protests took the form of dueling rallies separated by barricades, with demonstrators who support transgender rights — including a number of Jewish and mainline Protestant religious leaders and activists — outnumbering their opponents outside the court by a significant margin.
Across the street in front of the United Methodist Building, demonstrators representing organizations such as the National Council of Jewish Women, Keshet and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs huddled together holding signs that read “God loves trans kids” and “trans Jews belong here.”
“What brings me here today is my love of trans people and my love of folks being able to live into their potential and be conduits for holiness into the world, and therefore build a world where everyone can thrive,” Rabbi Becky Silverstein, a trans rabbi, said.
Standing next to Silverstein was Rabba Rori Picker Neiss, who works with the Jewish Council for Public Affairs and is the parent of a transgender child. She said her family left Missouri after the state passed laws banning the same kind of gender-affirming treatments being …