by Kittredge Cherry | Aug 14, 2022 (qspirit.net)
Joseph, a popular figure in the Bible’s Book of Genesis, can be seen as a gender-nonconformist who inspires LGBTQ people today.
Queer Bible scholars focus on how Joseph wore a robe that is usually known in English as a “coat of many colors,” but could be translated as a rainbow-colored “princess dress.”
Even before birth, there was something queer about Joseph. According to ancient commentaries known as midrash, Joseph and his half-sister Dinah were miraculously switched in the womb, meaning that they changed gender even before they were born.
Joseph’s father, Jacob, loved him more than any of this other children, so he had a special robe made for him. In Hebrew the robe is called “ketonet passim.” Its meaning is considered unclear by many traditional Bible scholars. Various translations use terms such as “a robe with long sleeves,” “an elaborately embroidered coat” or “a varicolored tunic.”
The only other use of the term is in II Samuel 13, where princess Tamar wears a “ketonet passim” and the author helpfully explains that this is “how the virgin daughters of the king were clothed in earlier times.”
Traditional Bible scholars found it confusing that Joseph would wear an article of female clothing, the meaning is clear enough to today’s queer people of faith. Joseph was able to interpret dreams, and his rainbow robe also suggests the multi-colored garments that are sometimes worn by shamans and magicians.
From a queer perspective, it’s not surprising that when Joseph’s 11 brothers saw “that dreamer” in his princess dress, they got so upset that they attacked him and sold him into slavery. There is even a theory that the Egyptian officer Potiphar bought Joseph as a sex slave to satisfy his homosexual desire. The Bible story goes on to tell how Joseph triumphed in the end, rising to become Egypt’s second most powerful man and rescuing his family from starvation during a famine.
The story of Joseph and his princess dress (Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28) is part of the three-year cycle of lectionary readings. It will be read again at many churches worldwide on Sunday, Aug. 13, 2023.
Resources on the queer Joseph of Genesis
There are many books, artworks, articles and videos that provide more queer insights into Joseph. They include:
Joseph by Laura Sommer (Wibbley Wobbley Minds)
Joseph wears a rainbow dress in a photo by queer artist Laura Sommer of Heidelberg, Germany. She describes herself as “disabled, Autistic, queer, non-binary, aro/ace (aromantic/asexual), Christian and a neeeeeeerd.” On her website Wibbley Wobbley Minds, she uses Playmobil toy figurines to recreate the life of Joseph and other stories from the Bible and literature.
“Jacob’s Wound: Homoerotic Narrative in the Literature of Ancient Israel” by the late Chicago Theological Seminary professor Theodore Jennings has a chapter titled “Joseph as Sissy Boy.”
“OtherWise Christian: A Guidebook for Transgender Liberation” by Chris Paige has a chapter on “Joseph(ine).” A more devotional reflection on Joseph(ine) appears as a chapter in “Christian Faith and Gender Identity: An OtherWise Reflection Guide” by Chris Paige.
(Gender)queering Joseph: Midrashic Possibilities for the Torah’s Most Extra Child by Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg (Life is a Sacred Text)
“Sexual Orientation in the Presentation of Joseph’s Character in Biblical and Rabbinic Literature” by Robert Harris in the April 2019 issue of the Association for Jewish Studies Review.
Bible scholar/actor Peterson Toscano does a video presentation of “Joseph and the Amazing Gender Non-Conforming Bible Story.” It’s an excerpt from his solo performance “Transfigurations: Transgressing Gender in the Bible.”
J Mase III, a black/trans/queer poet based in New York City, speaks on the video “Josephine (What the Bible Says About Transfolk).”
Jade Sylvan won the Billings Preaching Prize at Harvard Divinity School in 2019 with a video sermon on Joseph and the princess dress. Sylvan wrote “Beloved King,” a musical about David and Jonathan, as one of the requirements for a master of divinity degree at Harvard.
There’s even a Joseph of Genesis patch that can be ordered in the colors of the rainbow flag, the trans pride flag, bi pride flag, asexual pride flag, nonbinary pride flag and more from the Sapphic Stiches Etsy shop.
Joseph of Genesis by Sapphic Stitches.
A popular mainstream retelling of the story is “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” a musical with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
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Note on pronouns: This article follows Biblical tradition by using he/him/his pronouns for Joseph.
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To read this article in Spanish, go to:
Un José queer y su vestido de princesa en la Biblia (Santxs Queer)
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Top image credit:
Joseph wears his princess dress as he tells his brothers about his dreams in an illustration of Genesis Chapter 37 by Sweet Publishing (Wikipedia)
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This post is part of the LGBTQ Saints series by Kittredge Cherry. Traditional and alternative saints, people in the Bible, LGBT and queer martyrs, authors, theologians, religious leaders, artists, deities and other figures of special interest to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people and our allies are covered.
This article was originally published on Q Spirit in August 2020, was expanded with new material over time, and was most recently updated on Aug. 14, 2022.
Copyright © Kittredge Cherry. All rights reserved.
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Founder at Q Spirit
Kittredge Cherry is a lesbian Christian author who writes regularly about LGBTQ spirituality.She holds degrees in religion, journalism and art history.She was ordained by Metropolitan Community Churches and served as its national ecumenical officer, advocating for LGBTQ rights at the National Council of Churches and World Council of Churches.