Shabbatai's Gender Fluidity and Queer Icon Status

In this podcast episode, the hosts discuss the discovery of Ladino liturgical poetry that celebrates Shabbatai's gender fluidity and queerness. The poems depict Shabbatai as both masculine and feminine, with references to being secretly of the female sex and possessing an androgynous nature. The poems highlight Shabbatai's role as a transgressor of gender norms and emphasize the significance of their gender journey within their messianic identity. The hosts reflect on the audacity and radicalism of Shabbatai's overturning of societal norms, drawing parallels to contemporary efforts of reclaiming the radicality of Judaism. This exploration of Shabbatai's gender and mysticism challenges traditional narratives and offers a fresh perspective on the queer iconography of Shabbatai.