Despite Religious Family's Objections, Israeli Supreme Court Rules Transgender Woman Can Be Cremated
Israel's Supreme Court has ruled that a transgender woman who committed suicide can be cremated, despite the wishes of her ultra-Orthodox family, reports the AP.
May Peleg, who took her life earlier this month, wrote in her will that she wanted to be cremated, a practice that is forbidden by Jewish law.
Her family went to court to block the cremation.
"We can at least assume that the deceased’s mental condition at the time of the writing of the will and the affidavit was not stable," the family stated in its complaint. Despite being estranged from her, they claimed "there is a strong suspicion" her will was prepared by proxies and did not reflect her true intent.
Instead, the court weighed individual rights over religious tradition and allowed the cremation. Using the female pronouns, Judge Arnon Darel concluded May had the autonomy to decide her final wishes.
Peleg, 31, believed a Jewish burial wouldn't recognize her gender identity, constituting "a lack of respect and an erasure of my identity,” she explained in a pre-written statement.
The prominent LGBT activist stipulated some of her ashes be buried under a kurrajong tree, known for having both male and female flowers, where her two children could visit her.
