This is an archive of prayers composed for, or relevant to, the International Transgender Day of Visibility, a civic awareness day occurring on March 31st. Founded in 2009, the day is dedicated to celebrating transgender people and raising awareness of discrimination faced by transgender people worldwide, as well as a celebration of their contributions to society. ☞ Click here to contribute a prayer you have written, or a translation of an existing prayer. Filter resources by Name Filter resources by Tag Filter resources by Category
A prayer by Kalonymus b. Kalonymus ben Meir that appears in his poem ספר אבן בוחן, יג Sefer Even Boḥan (§13), describing the author’s wish to have been born a Jewish woman. . . .
The transition ritual poems below are an effort to hear in the Torah the voices of the various parts of the trans self calling one another toward wholeness. . . .
Asher Yatzar (the “bathroom blessing”, traditionally said every morning and after every time one goes to relieve oneself) has always rung hollow to me, at best, and at worst has been a prayer not celebrating beauty but highlighting pain. The original version praises bodies whose nekavim nekavim ḥalulim ḥalulim (“all manner of ducts and tubes”) are properly opened and closed—yes, in a digestive/excretory sense, but it is quite easy to read a reproductive sense into it as well. What do you do if the “ducts and tubes” in your body are not properly opened and closed, what if one is open that should be closed, or vice versa? . . .
A Mi sheBerakh prayer, in the manner of those used during the Torah service, to honor those receiving a true Hebrew name reflecting their gender after undergoing gender confirmation. . . .
A public ceremony for celebrating the Gender Affirmation and Name Change of a man, woman, or non-binary person. . . .
This formulation of the Birkat Yeladim (Blessing of the Children) maintains a connection with tradition and serves to degender the blessing by calling upon quoted, mixed gender texts which have merit for children of any gender. . . .
“Asher Yatzar (The One Who Forms): a prayer of gratitude for our bodies as transgender, nonbinary, intersex people, and everybody else” was written by Rabbi Elliot Kukla and adapted from the blessing known by its incipit “Asher Yatsar” or “the bathroom blessing” traditionally recited after excretion of waste. The blessing is also recited as part of the birkhot hashaḥar complex of blessings recited upon waking up and becoming active. Rabbi Kukla’s blessing was first published in Where Healing Resides (CCAR 2013), p. 32. . . .
A prayer of protection for those in the process of gender transitioning, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, inspired by the Tefilat haDerekh (Traveler’s Prayer). . . .
A prayer for the Transgender Day of Visibility offered by Rabbi Lior Bar-Ami sometime before May 2024. . . .
Rabbi Lior Bar-Ami shared this prayer for a change of name and gender marker via their Facebook page on 1 November 2024. . . .
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