LONDON–A Gay Imam, a trans priest, and a lesbian rabbi walk into a school. It’s not a bar, but it’s a familiar enough premise. The question on everyone’s mind is, “What is the punchline?”
“Oh, I know this one!” chimed in British student Laura Smith. “Turns out, there’s a drink named after one of them. The joke is that you think the drink is called ‘Lesbian Rabbi’’ but it’s the lesbian rabbi’s name, like, Jane or something. The drink is called Jane. Sorry it’s not funny when I explain it!”
According to PinkNews, the lesbian rabbi’s name is Anna Posner, and she will be teaching a workshop on Judaism and gender identity, along with Imam Ludovic Zahed and Priest Canon Rachel Mann. They run a charity group called Just Like Us, which will be volunteering as a part of School Diversity Week in UK schools.
“Oh, I see! I was thinking of a different joke,” remembers Laura. “This one’s a classic. A gay Imam, a trans priest, and a lesbian rabbi walk into a bar and then the bartender is a horse and the horse has a long face!”
While Just Like Us’ leadership is reminiscent of a classic joke setup, their main goal is to challenge youth to dissect the relationship between being religious and being queer. No horses appear to be involved, but there were three zebras.
“So you’re saying this one is more of a riddle?” asks Laura. “I’ve heard this one. A gay imam, lesbian rabbi, and transgender priest walk into a school with 3 doors. I think one of the 3 always lies so you have to pick the opposite door of whatever the Lesbian rabbi’s sister says. I forgot the answer. You can google it!”
Laura Smith is excited to engage in such progressive discourse in school, and can’t wait to start as soon as she finds the answer to that riddle. And rides a zebra.