Can Orthodox Jewish communities welcome gay couples and their families without setting aside halakha? This book develops the halakhic argument behind the realities of gay Orthodox life. Farber examines the biblical and rabbinic sources on same-sex relations, surveys Orthodox responses to homosexuality, and revisits a proposal to understand LGB identity through “God exempts those acting under duress.” The question is not whether gay people can control their desires at any given moment, but whether halakha can demand that they forgo an intimate relationship for their entire lives. Instead of pressuring homosexuals to be celibate, or demanding gay couples to negotiate a list of permitted acts and limit intimacy to moments of overwhelming need, Farber’s framework offers Orthodox communities a halakhic basis for welcoming gay couples and their children as families, without asking them to hide their relationships or live under communal judgment.
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