Safe, Seen and Sanctified
Posted on November 20, 2013 by mayyimhayyim
by Ari Lev Fornari
http://mayyimhayyimblog.com/2013/11/20/safe-seen-and-sanctified/One of my favorite facts about a mikveh is that the water cannot mekabel tumah, it cannot become ritually impure. Which is to say, it can't be tainted or contaminated. Not even by a pig, the living embodiment of ritual impurity. When I first learned this concept, I remember releasing a sigh of relief. As a transgender and genderqueer person, I often experience my presence in gendered spaces as somehow contaminating. I feel this in a synagogue that has gender-segregated seating. I feel this in a public bathroom. And for most of my life, I associated this with a mikveh. My typical response to this experience is avoidance.
Until Mayyim Hayyim, I had not immersed in a traditional mikveh. Instead, I tapped into the mikveh powers of just about every lake or stream I swam in, my favorite being Walden Pond. I first immersed at Mayyim Hayyim after completing my first year of rabbinical school. It was a completely renewing experience. I have since immersed many times, both related to personal experiences and seasonal moments. What I treasure most about Mayyim Hayyim is that they have found so many ways to de-gender a Jewish ritual experience that has historically been hyper-gendered. They ask your preference for the gender of the mikveh guide and allow you to bring your own witness. The tubs and bathrooms are all gender neutral. There are no assumptions about why you are attending. The forms ask your preferred pronouns. They incorporate trans people into their trainings. The list goes on. This is an institution that has woven the needs and insights of trans people into its structure.
