The New York Times has a fascinating story about a test legal case in Israel that I encourage you to read:

“For me this is not personal,” Ms. Rabinowitz added. “It is intellectual, ideological and legal. I think to myself, here I am, an older woman, educated, I’ve been around the world, and some guy can decide that I shouldn’t sit next to him. Why?”

As I read the article it reminded me of how actions of discrimination get accepted as the norm, and even where there is a claim of equal treatment, one may not exist.

Here in the US, conservatives in many states are pushing forward “religious freedom” bills designed to allow discrimination against LGBTQ persons  in the name of religious conviction. But where is the line? Where does one person’s religious entitlement allow them to impede, displace or otherwise treat another unfairly?

It is easy for us to see these american efforts as being narrowly about Christianity, but the root of it goes much deeper. Heteronormative male privilege in a Christian framework grew out of existing and broader male dominant cultures.

Some parts of Judaism are very progressive and have been at the forefront of cultural change. But others sects are not. This diversity of thought and action within a religion is an important point to be remembered, as we look at Christianity in the US. We may not be able to segment Christianity as easily as sects of Judaism, but a complexity of progressiveness exists there too.

Even where “religious freedoms” is the justifying argument pushed forth, the real issue is male dominance, male privilege, and an emphasis on traditional gender roles. The root problem isn’t Faith: Faith is simply being used as the smokescreen to cover these more noxious causes.