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Her Body, Her Self

What it meant for one person, born male, to become a woman

by
Sara Ivry
January 12, 2009

Joy Ladin is a poet and a professor of English at Yeshiva University’s Stern College for Women. For most of her life, though, she was known as Jay and her biological sex was the source of deepest unhappiness. A few years ago, Jay decided to start the process of becoming a woman, a move that caused additional wells of anguish as her marriage fell apart and she worried about how the world would receive her. Now out as a woman, Joy Ladin discusses her decision to transition, her relationship to God, and reactions from her Orthodox students.

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Sara Ivry is the host of Vox Tablet, Tablet Magazine’s weekly podcast. Follow her on Twitter @saraivry.

Sara Ivry is the host of Vox Tablet, Tablet Magazine’s weekly podcast. Follow her on Twitter@saraivry.