Torah Queeries: The Most Colorful Man in the Torah (The Story of Joseph in an LGBT lens)

(ב) אֵ֣לֶּה ׀ תֹּלְד֣וֹת יַעֲקֹ֗ב יוֹסֵ֞ף בֶּן־שְׁבַֽע־עֶשְׂרֵ֤ה שָׁנָה֙ הָיָ֨ה רֹעֶ֤ה אֶת־אֶחָיו֙ בַּצֹּ֔אן וְה֣וּא נַ֗עַר אֶת־בְּנֵ֥י בִלְהָ֛ה וְאֶת־בְּנֵ֥י זִלְפָּ֖ה נְשֵׁ֣י אָבִ֑יו וַיָּבֵ֥א יוֹסֵ֛ף אֶת־דִּבָּתָ֥ם רָעָ֖ה אֶל־אֲבִיהֶֽם׃

Genesis 37:2

(2) This, then, is the line of Jacob: At seventeen years of age, Joseph tended the flocks with his brothers, as a helper to the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah. And Joseph brought bad reports of them to their father.

בראשית ל״ז:ג׳

(ג) וְיִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל אָהַ֤ב אֶת־יוֹסֵף֙ מִכָּל־בָּנָ֔יו כִּֽי־בֶן־זְקֻנִ֥ים ה֖וּא ל֑וֹ וְעָ֥שָׂה ל֖וֹ כְּתֹ֥נֶת פַּסִּֽים׃

Genesis 37:3

(3) Now Israel loved Joseph best of all his sons, for he was the child of his old age; and he had made him an ornamented tunic.

Joseph was said to be very ornamentally dressed. The following will put that into context

רש"י על בראשית ל״ז:ב׳:ב׳

(ב) והוא נער שֶׁהָיָה עוֹשֶׂה מַעֲשֵׂה נַעֲרוּת, מְתַקֵּן בְּשַׂעֲרוֹ, מְמַשְׁמֵשׁ בְּעֵינָיו, כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּהְיֶה נִרְאֶה יָפֶה:

Rashi on Genesis 37:2:2

והוא נער AND HE, BEING A LAD — His actions were childish: he dressed his hair, he touched up his eyes so that he should appear good-looking (Genesis Rabbah 84:7).

בראשית רבה צ״ח:י״ח

(יח) בשעה שיצא יוסף למלוך על מצרים, היו בנות מלכים מציצות עליו דרך החרכין, והיו משליכות עליו שירין, וקטלין, ונזמים, וטבעות, כדי שיתלה עיניו ויביט בהן, אעפ"כ לא היה מביט בהן.

Bereshit Rabbah 98:18

When Joseph went forth to rule over Egypt, daughters of kings used to look at him through the lattices and throw bracelets, neccklets, earrings, and finger rings to him, so that he might lift up his eyes and look at them; yet he did not look at them...

שמואל ב י״ג:י״ח

(יח) וְעָלֶ֙יהָ֙ כְּתֹ֣נֶת פַּסִּ֔ים כִּי֩ כֵ֨ן תִּלְבַּ֧שְׁןָ בְנוֹת־הַמֶּ֛לֶךְ הַבְּתוּלֹ֖ת מְעִילִ֑ים וַיֹּצֵ֨א אוֹתָ֤הּ מְשָֽׁרְתוֹ֙ הַח֔וּץ וְנָעַ֥ל הַדֶּ֖לֶת אַחֲרֶֽיהָ׃

II Samuel 13:18

(18) She was wearing an ornamented tunic, for maiden princesses were customarily dressed in such garments.—His attendant took her outside and barred the door after her.

I am including a trigger warning for the following section of sexual abuse.

סוטה י״ג ב:י״ב

וַיִּקְנֵהוּ פּוֹטִיפַר סְרִיס פַּרְעֹה אָמַר רַב שֶׁקְּנָאוֹ לְעַצְמוֹ בָּא (גַּבְרִיאֵל) [מִיכָאֵל] וְסֵירְסוֹ בָּא גַּבְרִיאֵל וּפֵירְעוֹ מֵעִיקָּרָא כְּתִיב פּוֹטִיפַר וּלְבַסּוֹף פּוֹטִיפֶרַע

Sotah 13b:12

The continuation of that verse states: “And Potiphar, an officer [seris] of Pharaoh’s, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the hand of the Ishmaelites, who had brought him down there” (Genesis 39:1). Rav says: He purchased the handsome Joseph for himself, for the intended purpose of homosexual intercourse, but was unable to fulfill his desires, as the angel Gabriel came and castrated Potiphar [seireso]. Then Gabriel came again and further mutilated him [ fero] in the same part of his body. This is alluded to in the verses that write Potiphar’s name differently: Initially, it is written “Potiphar” (Genesis 39:1) and in the end it is written “Poti-phera” (Genesis 41:45). The change in his name indicates that a part of himself was mutilated.

Ultimately, the psychological and sexual evidence for Joseph as a gay figure remains indirect and vague. But do we really need explicit reports of sexual behavior or ambiguous gender identity to look at Joseph in a new light? Attempts to claim Joseph as a Biblical gay forefather might be a stretch, but we can understand him as being in some way "queer" because Joseph shares something in common with many LGBT people. He is, in every moment of his life, a man apart--an outsider dwelling on the inside--a man chosen by his father and by G-d for great things.
Gregg Drinkwater, "Joseph's Fabulous Technicolor Dreamcoat," Torah Queeries: Weekly Communtaries on the Hebrew Bible, p. 58.