Alef: The NEXT Conversation

15: Gay Pride

15: Gay Pride

This week we introduce Issue #15: Gay Pride

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We all know how diverse the Jewish community is. Jews live in countries all around the world, there are Jews from interfaith and multi-ethnic families (stay tuned for Issue 16 for more on that), there are Jews with all different levels of religious observance (which plays itself out, among other ways, in our respective approaches to love and sex). But for Issue 15, and in honor of Pride Month, we’re focusing on a very specific group of Jews that often goes unnoticed – gay Jews.

The Jewish gay community is a community that has become more comfortable with its “out” status over the last decade, perhaps in line with the expanding social conversation about gay rights. These days Israel is known as one of the most gay-friendly countries in the world (or, at least, that Tel Aviv is one of the most gay-friendly cities in the world). In fact, in Hebrew, the word for “gay” is pronounced “ge’eh,” which sounds like “gay” but translates as “proud.” Political and personal opinions aside, there’s no doubt that the Jewish gay community is both proud and vibrant, and is itself a microcosm of the diversity inherent in the larger Jewish community.

So we thought we’d join in the festivities and devote an entire issue to stories from the many members of the Jewish community who also identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, or as allies. What we found is a large range of experiences: one writer discusses coming out in the Orthodox Jewish community and struggling to find acceptance and balance of both identities, while one woman finds solace when she comes out to her Jewish peers at Hillel. One writer connects to his gay identity in Israel, while another encounters homophobia in Nepal. We hope that by sharing these stories we can demonstrate the diversity of the Jewish experience, and give a voice to those that might not always be heard.

Gay Pride Month often culminates in Pride parades around the country and the world. Want to get involved or show your support? Check out all the Pride events happening in June. And, as always, please email alef@birthrightisraelnext.org if you have a story, photo, video, or anything else to share.

- Alef

Photo by Whistling in the Dark, licensed under Creative Commons.

Gay Pride Posts:
Why Gay Pride Matters to Alef
Chanukah in June
Be Fruitful and Multiply
Changing Tradition
Middle School Fantasies
Transgender and Jewish
Why I Support Gay Rights
Gay Travel Hot Spot
Coming Out (Again)
Orthodox and Gay: Now What?
How Being a Better Jew Helps Me Become a Better Queer Helps Me Become a Better Jew
Home

Tags: gay, GLBT, Israel, jewish, pride

Posted by Sarah, Saturday, May 1st, 2010, 1:21 pm, Gay Pride.