Alpert, Rebecca.Like Bread on the Seder Plate: Jewish Lesbians and the Transformation of Tradition. New York: Columbia University Press, 1997. If Catholic women priests seem exotic, imagine how lesbian rabbis were received initially. Dr. Alpert and colleagues model integrity, style, and commitment.
Alpert, Rebecca T., Sue Levi Elwell, and Shirley Idelson, Editors. Lesbian Rabbis: The First Generation. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2001. Stories of pioneers are always inspiring as that spark of boldness and creativity shines through.
Boyarin, Daniel, Daniel Itzkovitz and Ann Pellegrini, Editors. Queer Theory and the Jewish Question. NY: Columbia University Press, 2003. Serious theorists look carefully at the complicated questions of religious experience and meaning.
Chacaby, Ma-Nee and Mary Louisa Plummer. A Two-Spirit Journey: The Autobiography of a Lesbian Ojibwa-Cree Elder. Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada: University of Manitoba Press, 2016. A glimpse into life of someone living as a two-spirit person in a culture that has such a useful category.
Ellison, Marvin M. and Judith Plaskow, Editors. Heterosexism in Contemporary World Religion: Problem and Prospect. Cleveland: Pilgrim Press, 2007. Thoughtful essays from a range of religious perspectives that look not at homosexuality but at the root problem, heterosexism.
Kugle, Scott Alan, (Scott Siraj al-Haqq Kugel) Living Out Islam: Voices of Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Muslims. New York : NYU Press, 2013. These people are developing a new dimension of an old, venerable faith tradition.
Machacek, David and Melissa Wilcox, Editors. Sexuality and the World’s Religions. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-Clio, 2003. A primer for understanding how specific traditions arrive at their teachings on sexuality, and how they can change.
Manuel, Zenju Earthlyn. The Way of Tenderness: Awakening through Race, Sexuality, and Gender. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications, 2015. An intersectional approach to Buddhism.
Plaskow, Judith, edited with Donna Berman. The Coming of Lilith: Essays on Feminism, Judaism, and Sexual Ethics, 1972-2003, Boston: Beacon Press, 2005. Jewish feminist scholar Judith Plaskow is a trusted voice who brings academic and activist depth to the task of making meaning and assessing values.
Shipley, Heather, Editor. Globalized Religion and Sexual Identity: Contexts, Contestations, Voices. Leiden, Boston: Brill, 2014. A comprehensive overview of how SOGI are understood in countries around the world in all their ambiguity and controversy.
Stein, Abby. Becoming Eve: My Journey from Ultra-Orthodox Rabbi to Transgender Woman. New York: Seal Press, 2019. What a journey it must be, and proof that gender fluidity is powerful.
Vanita, Ruth. Gandhi’s Tiger and Sita’s Smile: Essays on Gender, Sexuality and Culture. Delhi, India: Yoda Press, 2005. The focus on South Asia is unique but the effort to understand sex and gender in Hinduism is useful.