The 10 Plagues | Passover haggadah by Tal Joy

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The justice in the Exodus story is simple: pain for pain. God brings down plague after plague, as though retribution is the only path to freedom. But we don't have a God that will come down from the heavens to exact revenge on the colonial, capitalist powers that opress queer people and all others; and even if we did, don't we want to come about revolution from a place of transformation? Instead of thinking of the plagues as things brought upon by God, I invite us instead to think of the plagues as something brought about by the horrific act of enslavement. Not as punishment from a higher being, but as consequences. There are many plague-like consequences in the straight, cis world for their homo- and trans-phobia. It might help us to remember how queer liberation will free everyone, not just us; so for these plagues, we will focus on the ways that even straight people's lives are harmed by homo- and trans-phobia, and also the ways their living conditions, too, can be positively transformed by queer liberation.

As you read these aloud, dip your finger into your wine glass for each plague and let one drop fall onto your plate.

Rivers turn to blood - There will be more blood available for transfusion, because homophobic laws against gay sexually active men will be revoked.

Frogs - It's theorized that frogs were included in the plague because frogs were a symbol of one of the Egyptian goddesses, proving that Egyptian gods were powerless against the god of the Israelites. Queer liberation requires an acknowledgement that hate is a false idol, giving false security, and that the only true God is the one that's created by people coming together in solidarity and collaboration. When we as a society start praising things like solidarity over hate, we'll have so much more power to live equitably and joyfully.

Lice - Lice are incredibly small and difficult to find, but pretty obviously felt in big ways. Queer liberation necessitates that we weed out prejudices that we may not even recognize, but once we do, we'll be able to live fuller lives that connect us to more people.

Wild beasts - All of nature is meant to be diverse and beautiful, which includes a wide range of genders and sexualities across all species. By ignoring the incredibleness of diversity within and without of humanity, homophobic people are denying themselves the ability to view the intoxicating complexities of the world. After queer liberation, these complexities will be more readily accepted.

Pestilence - Homo- and trans-phobia are infectious, especially to young kids who just regurgitate the harm their parents spew. After queer liberation, radical acceptance will be made more infectious than hatred, and children will be raised with loving attitudes.

Boils - One facet of the fight for queer liberation is the institution of comprehensive sex ed. This will help all children in school learn how to be safer about sex and avoid getting and passing STDs.

Hail - Gd gave warning about the plague of hail, so the Egyptians who believed Gd took their animals and the people they had enslaved inside to protect them. However, their crops were still destroyed. This shows how small reforms don't protect people; cis people who accept small reforms such as equal access to marriage with no further work will still face the consequences of hateful attitudes and societal constructs. It will only be after oppression is truly ended, not just temporarily fixed, that these harms mentioned here will disappear.

Locusts - Locusts are formed when grasshoppers are pushed into small areas during a drought and are flooded with serotonin, which makes them take on a whole new, more aggressive form and ravage crops. Some straight and cis people feel as though they're being attacked by queer people for their identity, and are being judged unfairly for simply identifying the way they feel like identifying. Just like grasshoppers, queer people are being pushed into small boxes by society, and are reacting to that in whatever ways they can. Once the drought ends--once queer oppression ends--the harm done by locusts and the hate from queer people targeted at straight cis people will eventually be healed, and both nature and society will be able to live in an equal harmony again.

Endless Night - Homo- and trans-phobia imposes rigid norms on people who refuse to question their beliefs, which denies them beautiful feelings of self-exploration and self-expression. After queer liberation, everyone will be encouraged to accept their own gender & sexuality complexities, meaning they'll no longer try to blind themselves from aspects of themselves that may not fit norms.

Slaying of the First Born - People are often cut off from family and friends because of their hateful views. After queer liberation, everyone will be able to feel pride and joy in their loved ones discovering and experimenting with their identities, and can keep strong relationships with each other through that.

haggadah Section: -- Ten Plagues

Source: Some help from my friends :)