I have the great privilege of being an
LGBTQ trans guy rabbi.
I'm a Jew, I'm a lesbian. I sort of think about the whole
act of coming out as a deeply Jewish act.
It's a way in which people are asserting
their identities.
As I began to discover what it meant to be fighting for my own
liberation, I started learning about
other folks who didn't have access to
community or didn't have access to basic
services.
It takes an extra consciousness and awareness and sensitivity to notice
when someone is being left out.
As someone who is gay and someone who also
has privilege, I'm able to contribute to
making the world a more just place.
In Judaism, there's a central teaching
b'tzelem elohim which means that we as
individuals are all created in the image
of God.
If we're not accepting the LGBTQ community, then we're not upholding that
Jewish value.
As different as our lives are and as different as our orientations
might be, there's a human connection and
a sense of each of ourselves that is
quite similar when it comes down to it.
If I'm going to look back in history and
judge those who didn't stand up for me,
then I better be prepared to stand up for others.
