For Immediate Release:
Please contact: Reshma Melwani
617-948-6583
rmelwani@beacon.org
“For too long, religious voices have been on only one side of the gay rights
argument — to all of our detriment. Jay Michaelson is one of the leading LGBT
religious voices in America right now, and I cannot think of a more timely book
than this one. At a time in which the ‘religious right’ claims a monopoly on God,
Michaelson shows that ‘God versus gay’ is a myth, and that the overwhelming
majority of our shared religious values favor equality for LGBT people, not
oppression of them.”
—Michael Lerner, author of The Left Hand of God and editor of Tikkun
Advance Praise and Book Tour Attached
GOD vs. GAY?
The Religious Case for Equality
By
Jay Michaelson
On Sale: October 25, 2011
“At this moment, there are people who are contemplating ending their lives because they believe
their sexuality to be a sin, a flaw in the fabric of their soul, or perhaps a curse from God,” writes
religious scholar and LGBT interfaith activist Jay Michaelson.
In God vs. Gay?, Michaelson makes the case that religious people should favor gay rights
because of religion, not despite it. Weaving in his personal coming out story, he speaks to those
who struggle to reconcile their faith and sexuality. Michaelson re-examines Scriptures from the
Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, and argues that homosexuality is not only natural, but
that, “put in stark religious terms, sexual diversity is part of God’s plan.”
Born into a conservative Jewish family, Michaelson finally accepted his sexuality after a decade
of self-deceit and self-hatred. With close readings of Scripture and stories from his own life, he
argues that a loving God would never ask human beings to repress their emotional selves and
live their lives alone or under what he calls “the tyranny of the closet.” And citing dozens of
Biblical teachings such as Leviticus 19:34 (“The stranger that dwells with you shall be to you as
one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself...”), Michaelson explains that the Bible
that we are to treat minorities a love that respects their difference and human dignity.
—OVER—
Michaelson also tackles many of the Biblical passages used against gay and lesbian people –
which, he notes, are just 7 verses out of over 31,000 in the Bible. He shows that the story of
Adam and Eve is about “loneliness and love, not procreation and progeny.” He shows that the
story of Sodom is not about homosexuality at all, but cruelty, greed, and inhospitality. Turning to
Leviticus, Romans, and Corinthians, Michaelson shows how all three passages are actually about
idolatry and national boundaries, not sexual behavior – and certainly not loving same-sex
relationships.
And Michaelson goes on to note that Jesus Christ, in fact, never made any statements regarding
homosexuality and suggests Christ’s silence speaks volumes. “Jesus wasn’t tacit about the values
that mattered most,” he writes. “If regulation of homosexual behavior were one of them, the
Gospels would not be silent.” Reminding readers of the values central in Scriptures, Michaelson
reiterates that Christ preached a message of inclusion, and, in fact, loved those who were the
most oppressed.
Speaking to the issue of gay marriage, Michaelson cites numerous studies showing that sexual
orientation of parents does not affect the psychological health of a child, and also challenges
those who claim that Biblical “family values” are really our own. “The Bible’s ‘family values’
include arranged marriages, sex with twelve-year old girls, concubines, polygamy, and
prostitution,” he writes. “Is this what we want for ourselves today?” Indeed, Michaelson shows,
sanctifying same-sex relationships strengthens, rather than weakens, religious values of family,
love, and human dignity.
Ultimately, Michaelson calls on our generation to end the battle between “God versus Gay,” and
spread the truth that Gay and God do go together. He reminds readers that even our most revered
teachers have gotten things wrong in the past, from issues of race and gender to the size and age
of the Earth. But science need not be a threat to faith: what we now understand about human
sexuality, Michaelson says, will strengthen, not weaken religion. “‘God versus gay’ isn’t just a
false dichotomy,” Michaelson claims. “It’s a rebellion against the image of God itself.”
About the Author:
JAY MICHAELSON is the author of three books and numerous articles about the intersections
of religion, sexuality, and law. A leading activist on behalf of LGBT people in faith
communities, Michaelson and his work have been featured in the New York Times and on NPR
and CNN. He is the founder of Nehirim, the leading national provider of community
programming for LGBT Jews and their allies, and lives in upstate New York.
God vs. Gay?
Jay Michaelson
$25.95, Hardcover
$22.95, E-Book
ISBN: 978-0-8070-0159-2
eISBN: 978-0-8070-0160-8
October 25, 2011
Advance Praise
GOD vs. GAY?
The Religious Case for Equality
By
Jay Michaelson
On Sale: October 25th, 2011
Contact: Reshma Melwani, Publicist (617) 948-6583; rmelwani@beacon.org
“‘The irony of God versus Gay is that actually Gay and God go together. Opening to one leads to the
other.’ So writes Jay Michaelson in the postscript to this beautiful, soulful book. Michaelson charts a
journey from rejection to full acceptance, from religious alienation to spiritual wholeness that will brings
the reader closer to the Divine. It did for me and it will for anyone who has felt abandoned by their faith
and rejected for who they are. This is a healing book that yearns to be read.”
—Sharon Groves, Director, Religion and Faith Program, Human Rights Campaign Foundation
“For too long, religious voices have been on only one side of the gay rights argument —to all of our
detriment. Jay Michaelson is one of the leading LGBT religious voices in America right now, and I
cannot think of a more timely book than this one. Michaelson shows that ‘God versus gay’ is a myth, and
that the overwhelming majority of our shared religious values favor equality for LGBT people, not
oppression of them. This is a book for anyone, gay or straight, who seeks to reconcile their faith with the
lives of gay people — not by apologizing, compromising, or closeting one's sexuality or one’s faith, but
by celebrating God’s gifts of diversity and love. If you are such a person, it literally could change your
life. Even if you aren’t, it might just change the world.”
—Michael Lerner, author of The Left Hand of God and editor of Tikkun
“God vs. Gay? is a timely and important book in this religious and political moment. Michaelson’s book
prepares us, regardless of religious or sexual identity, to delve deeper into our souls, our traditions, and
into the truth that religion is in fact a source of liberation.”
—Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, Senior Rabbi of Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, the largest gay and
lesbian synagogue in the world
“Michaelson looks at the Hebrew and Christian Bible with keen intellect, wit, and often surprising
insights. He roots his arguments not in dry exegesis but in hard-won self-acceptance and passionate
concern for others. I highly recommended God vs. Gay? for anyone seeking to understand how being
homosexual and religious are not antithetical.”
—Joe Perez, author of Soulfully Gay
“Through careful discussions of Jewish and Christian teachings on homosexuality Michaelson masterfully
reveals that both religions allow for the full embrace of LGBT persons. This religious-ethical work is
illuminating and a must read for anyone who wants to understand the current debate over religion and
homosexuality.”
—Rabbi David Ellenson, President Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion
Jay Michaelson is a nationally known writer, scholar, and activist whose four books and
over two hundred articles address the intersections of religion, sexuality, spirituality, and law.
His newest book is God vs. Gay? The Religious Case for Equality, available October, 2011,
from Beacon Press.
Jay is the Associate Editor of Religion Dispatches, a Contributing Editor to the Forward
newspaper, and Founding Editor of Zeek magazine. He is the Founding Director of Nehirim, a
national organization which promotes equality and diversity based on the teachings of the Jewish
tradition. His work on behalf of sexual minorities in religious communities has been featured in
the New York Times, CNN, and NPR.
Jay has held teaching positions at Boston University Law School, City College of New
York, Yale University, and the Human Rights Campaign. He holds a J.D. from Yale Law
School, an M.A. in Religious Studies from Hebrew University, an M.F.A. in writing from Sarah
Lawrence College, and a B.A. magna cum laude from Columbia, and is completing his Ph.D. at
Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has been a scholar-in-residence at dozens of universities,
synagogues, and other institutions.
In 2009, Jay was included on the “Forward 50″ list of “the men and women who are
leading the American Jewish community into the 21st century,” and in June, 2010, he won the
New York Society for Professional Journalists “Deadline Club” award for opinion writing. His
website is www.jaymichaelson.net.