Pose and American Horror Story Writer Our Lady J Converts to Judaism, Takes New Name Yona Speidel

Our Lady J, the acclaimed television writer and producer behind hit shows including Pose and American Horror Story, is sharing details about her recent conversion to Judaism.

The 48-year-old screenwriter, musician, and singer—who made history as the first openly trans writer hired for a television writers' room—underwent the conversion on March 23, 2026. She now uses the name Yona Speidel.

In conversation with Variety, Yona explained that her spiritual journey toward Judaism began more than a decade ago. She traced her connection to the faith back to her formative years in New York City.

"When I moved to New York as a young queer person at the age of 21 I just thought I loved New York," she reflected. "I didn't realize that so much of what I love about New York was Jewish New York, from the musicals to the food to the attitude of learning and acceptance and progress and social progress. Those are huge elements that were hugely influential to my coming of age. I didn't realize how much of that was Jewish until I started writing on Transparent. Then it became a formal study. So it was a lifetime of kind of casually dating Judaism, I guess."

Her professional work on the acclaimed series Transparent deepened her engagement with the faith, transforming casual interest into serious spiritual study. The conversion process, however, presented unexpected difficulties.

Yona described the experience as substantially more demanding than her earlier public transition. "It's a lot harder than coming out as trans," she stated, noting that the current political environment contributed to the added strain. "I've just had a lot more pushback in my social circles and a lot more silence, a kind of uncomfortable silence where people don't know what I'm doing. It feels very similar."

She outlined her current religious practice, which goes beyond what many of her Reform Jewish friends observe. "I'm a little more observant than some reform friends that I know. I do Shabbat, I do the holidays. I'm learning Hebrew, biblical Hebrew."