Who is Dina?
Dina was the daughter of the Patriarch Jacob. According to the Midrash (Jewish lore), Dina was conceived male. When her mother Leah realized that Dina would be her seventh son and that she would have the majority of the destined twelve tribes, while her sister Rachel would only have one, she prayed that Dina should be born a girl. A miracle occurred, the rabbis told us, and Dina was changed to female in the womb.
For that reason, I decided to name this list after her.
What is the Dina List?
The purpose of this list is to provide a place for male-to-female and female-to-male transsexuals who are Orthodox Jews to meet and discuss things. The list will also be open to transsexuals who used to be Orthodox but aren't anymore provided that they retain a positive view of Orthodox Judaism. For example, posts dismissing Orthodoxy as "a tool of the patriarchy" or "too archaic to be relevant to us" would not be appropriate for the list. While there are people who hold those views and others like them, other lists might be a better place to voice them.
Prospective Orthodox converts will be accepted to the list on an ad hoc basis. In other words, there is no rule about them, and each case will be dealt with on a one-by-one basis.
The list will not be archived, but it is recommended that you use an account without your real name on it if you are concerned about the possibility of being outed. Being outed as transsexual in the frum community is far more damaging than being outed as gay or lesbian, which is why I suggest this. Many free e-mail services can be found at http://www.emailaddresses.com.
If you know the real name of someone who is using another name on the list, do not under any circumstances use their real name in a post. It doesn't matter that we are all in the same situation, so to speak; everyone has the right to anonymity on this list.
You can discuss anything you like on the list. But you must be respectful of other list members. Transsexuality is not an easy issue in terms of Jewish law, and everyone finds their own way to cope. The way someone else may have found might be different than yours.
Additionally, there may be list members who have had surgery and list members who haven't. And list members who don't have any plans to have surgery. This list is not a place to argue whether any of those decisions is "right" or "wrong" or whether one or another of them makes someone "more" of a transsexual than others.
Please don't post any attachments to the list. If you want to show someone a picture of any kind, the best way to do that is to upload it to a website and post the URL. If you don't know how, other list members can help.
To subscribe, please send an e-mail to:
with the subject:
subscribe dina firstname name
using your own information, of course. For example, if your name is Jane Doe, the subject should say:
subscribe dina Jane Jane Doe
If you need help regarding the way the list operates, or if you want to unsubscribe, please do not send your question/request to the list. Instead, write to:
dina-request@groups.onlinepolicy.net
or directly to the list owner, if you happen to know that address at the time you need the help.
Other than that, enjoy yourselves. And if you know anyone else who might fit the list criteria, please feel free to let them know about the list.