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In 1998, after she won the Eurovision song competition, a serious religious debate was held as to whether, and how, [[Dana International]] (a transgender woman) should pray in a synagogue. One rabbinical authority concluded that Dana should be counted in a [[minyan]] as a man, but could not sing in front of the community since she was also a woman, according to the rabbi, and that would violate the Orthodox rule of [[kol isha]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/72653/the-space-between-stanford-prof-talmudic-rabbis-were-into-analyzing-sexuali/ |title=the space between | Stanford prof: Talmudic rabbis were into analyzing sexuality | j. the Jewish news weekly of Northern California |publisher=Jweekly.com |date=2014-09-18 |accessdate=2015-11-06}}</ref>
In January 2015 a transgender Jewish woman, Kay Long, was denied access to the [[Western Wall]], first by the women's section and then by the men's section.<ref name="ynetnews.com">[http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4612205,00.html Transgender woman denied entry to Western Wall] YNET News, January 6, 2015</ref><ref>[http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/jewish-world-news/1.635838 Transgender woman prevented from accessing Western Wall] Haaretz, January 7, 2015</ref> Long's presence was prevented by "modesty police" at women’s section who are not associated with the rabbi of the Western Wall or the site administration. They are a group of female volunteers who guard the entrance to the women’s section preventing entry to visitors who are not dressed to their idea of Orthodox modesty standards for women. The director of Jerusalem’s Open House, a community center for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, noted that Long’s experience was not unique. "Gender separation at the Western Wall is harmful for transgender people. This is not the first story that we know of with transgender religious people that wanted to go to the Western Wall and pray and couldn’t," said Elinor Sidi, who expected that the battle for access to the Western Wall for the LGBTQ community would be a long and difficult one.<ref>[http://www.timesofisrael.com/transgendered-woman-barred-from-western-wall-prayer/ Transgendered woman barred from Western Wall prayer] Times of Israel, January 7, 2015</ref> It was later asserted that Kay Long would have been permitted in the women's section except for her clothing. "It was not an issue of her gender, but the way she was dressed."<ref name="ynetnews.com"/>
Several non-denominational Jewish groups provide resources for transgender people. [[Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life]] published an LGBTQ Resource Guide in 2007.<ref>{{cite web|title=LGBTQ Resource Guide Released|url=http://www.hillel.org/about/news-views/news-views---blog/news-and-views/2007/12/18/lgbtq-resource-guide-released |date=18 December 2007 |publisher=[[Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life]]}}</ref> [[Jewish Mosaic]] has published interpretations of Jewish texts that affirm transgender identities.<ref>{{cite web |title=TransTexts: Exploring Gender in Jewish Sacred Texts |url=http://www.keshetonline.org/resources/transtexts/ |first1=Elliot |last1=Kukla |authorlink1=Elliot Kukla |first2=Reuben |last2=Zellman |authorlink2=Reuben Zellman |publisher=[[Keshet (organization)|Keshet]]}}</ref> [[Keshet (organization)|Keshet]], an LGBT Jewish advocacy group, has assisted American Jewish day schools with properly accommodating transgender students.<ref>Amanda Borschel-Dan, [http://www.timesofisrael.com/why-jewish-communities-welcome-7-year-old-transgender-kids/ Why Jewish communities welcome 7-year-old transgender kids], Times of Israel, 24 April 2015</ref>
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