trans remembrance shabbat

Since 1999, November 20th has been set aside in cities across the country as Transgender Day of Remembrance. This day memorializes those who have been killed due to anti-transgender hatred. High rates of murder and other violence continues to be one of the most critical issues facing our transgender communities; and more and more people, trans and non-trans, are raising their voices in commemoration and protest.

This Friday evening marks the sixth year that San Francisco’s progressive reform Congregation Sha’ar Zahav has stepped into the role of Jewish community caretaker for the annual sacred event of transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR).

More and more people, trans and non-trans, are raising their voices in commemoration each year.

This particular evening, open to the greater community – both Jews and our Jewish allies, will be focused on remembering all who have suffered from anti-transgender violence.

The service beginning at 7:30pm led by Rabbi Camille Angel and Martin Rawlings-Fein will be focused in part on the holy act of remembering.

Together as a community we will read the names of those that have been murdered this year due to anti-transgender violence. As well as all of the unknown whom no one really knew the following names will be included:

♥ Idania Roberta Sevilla Raudales z”l, ♥ Luisa Alvarado Hernández z”l, ♥ Lady Óscar Martínez Salgado z”l, ♥ Reana ‘Cheo’ Bustamente z”l, ♥ Génesis Briget Makaligton z”l, ♥ Krissy Bates z”l, ♥ Fergie Alice Ferg z”l, ♥ Jessica Rollon z”l, ♥ Tyra Trent z”l, ♥ Priscila Brandão z”l, ♥ Marcal Camero Tye z”l, ♥ Shakira Harahap z”l, ♥ Miss Nate Nate (or Née) Eugene Davis z”l, ♥ Lashai Mclean z”l, ♥ Didem z”l, ♥ Camila Guzman z”l, ♥ Gaby z”l, ♥ Gaurav Gopalan z”l, ♥ Shelley Hilliard z”l

May each of these names be for a blessing. 

Related articles

• read more on trans remembrance day by martin rawlings-fein
• https://qjew.wordpress.com/2010/11/10/trans-remembrance/
• Official Transgender Remembrance Blog http://www.transgenderdor.org/?page_id=1663
• From shul to the mikvah, transgender Jews seek place in Jewish life (jta.org)
• Transgender Day of Remembrance (pinkbananaworld.com)
• Transgender Day of Remembrance (queerlandia.com)
• Emerson Whitney: Trans Representation in the Media (huffingtonpost.com)
• Happy to be a girl (connection-revolution.com)
• 13th Annual Transgender Day of Remembrance, 11/20 (uchicagolgbtq.wordpress.com)
• Remembrance Day (mrdavis10.wordpress.com)
• Rebecca Juro: Why Transgender Identity Matters (huffingtonpost.com)

 

LGBT Book Readings at the Jewish Community Library

Reconciling queerness with religion has always been an enormous challenge. When the religion is Orthodox Judaism, the task is even more daunting. The anthology Keep Your Wives Away from Them, edited by Miryam Kabakov, takes on that challenge by giving voice to lesbian, bisexual and transgender Jewish women who were once silenced—and effectively rendered invisible—by their faith. It tells the story of those who have come out, who are still closeted, living double lives, or struggling to maintain an integrated "single life" in relationship to traditional Judaism.

How can transgender people live pious Jewish lives when many of their significant life choices might be considered “un-kosher”? How might parenting be complicated, or perhaps, enhanced, when one parent has changed sex? How does it feel to be in “men only” ritual space when you were once defined by your community as female? Balancing on the Mechitza is an anthology by activists, theologians, and scholars, both transgender and non-transgender allies, who share their interpretation of Jewish texts about ambiguous bodies, as well as their sacred and secular stories

                                                                                                                                     

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

                                                                                                                                                               Both readings are free and open to the public at the San Francisco Bureau of Jewish Education (BJE) Jewish Community Library. The library is located at 1835 Ellis Street, San Francisco, 94115, between Scott and Pierce on the campus of the Jewish Community High School. There is free garage parking at the entrance on Pierce Street between Ellis and Eddy. For more information contact Allison at (415) 567-3327, ext 703 or ajgreen@bjesf.org.

Related articles

• Top 10 LGBT Websites and Blogs (qjew.wordpress.com)
• Tuesday night: Meet me in Marin Co! (jewishexperienceonline.com)
• Meiselman Revisited: reflections on Orthodox feminist literature (haamnews.wordpress.com)
• gays have kids too (qjew.wordpress.com)
• Chinese Jews Feel More At Home In Israel (huffingtonpost.com)

 

Will you join me and pledge to go purple in support of LGBT youth?

Last fall, a young person named Brittany McMillan wanted to do something about the LGBT teens who died by suicide. So she put a call out via a social network for people to wear purple on October 20th in support of LGBT teens and called it spirit day. She thought that only a few hundred at most would wear purple. She never imagined that thousands would respond by wearing purple. But her idea went viral quickly. The cast of Glee dressed up in purple as well as a few of the hosts on The View. Even Anderson Cooper and Dr. Phil got in the purple spirit of spirit day. It was inspiring to see a young person have so much impact.

This year, Brittany is asking the world again to dress in purple. She hopes that the LGBT teens who walk into their classrooms on October 20 to see their teachers and classmates wearing purple will give them a feeling of hope. Again, this year I’m joining Brittany on spirit day by wearing purple. It is such an easy way to help bring hope to young people in our San Francisco Bay Area community. I hope that you also choose to pledge to go purple on October 20 too. Then I hope you will put a call out to your synagogue, school, organization or company to observe Spirit Day as well. Do me a favor, email me at work {lisaf @sfjcf.org} or tag me on facebook with pictures of you dressed in purple so I can continue to create a poster of how our Jewish community dresses up to support LGBT causes.

Together, we can show LGBT teens that they are supported. By pledging to wear purple on October 20, LGBT teens can find you, remember who you are and if they ever need someone to trust in coming out they know you can be a safe advocate and friend to connect with.

What is Spirit Day? How can you celebrate LGBT Teens in your Jewish community? Learn more.

Related articles

• LGBT Teen Suicide (somegirlslikegirls.wordpress.com)
• Cyndi Lauper Opens Homeless Shelter for LGBT Youth (inquisitr.com)
• Mayor Declares Stand Up Against Bullying Week! (queerdallas.com)
• Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Teens and Stress (teens.webmd.com)
• Top 10 LGBT Websites and Blogs (qjew.wordpress.com)
• MTV Special for gay youth! (queerlandia.com)

During a gathering at the San Francisco Contemporary Jewish Museum (CJM) LGBT Advocate, Jessica Trubowitch, with Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) speaks with another proud LGBT San Francisco Jewish leader, Rebecca Prozan!

Me with another proud 2010 Spirit Day supporter, LGBT Jewish leader, Jamie Wolfe at the San Francisco Contemporary Jewish Museum!

 

gays have kids too

During these days between the Jewish New Year and Yom Kippur, Jews are told to reflect on what really matters to us. So here it goes, one thing that really matters to me is continually bringing the stories and realities of everyday LGBT Jewish leaders into the mainstream. Many LGBT folks don’t always have the big life concepts mapped out for them. By the way, when I write “them”, I do mean me as well.

I often look to the experiences of my family to help me navigate this world but a few things don’t always translate. Some translations on expectations and roles get lost on me. Not so much because of discrimination any more, but more often the nuance of difference. I work to find community and friendships with other LGBT Jewish leaders, in part because they model one of the many ways that I might too have a healthy same-sex relationship, how to raise children, how to present the gender identity that works for me, or how to juggle the demands of chosen family versus biological family.

Something else that matters to me is a love of democracy and the drama of politics. So when I saw this ad yesterday, pairing my love of politics with a story that brings a local queer Jewish family into the mainstream – I had to link to it. So in honor of speaking out to what matters to me during the Jewish High Holiday’s as well as embracing October as LGBT History Month please take a look at this 33 second ad featuring our LGBT lives having mainstream visibility. The ad features a gay and Jewish former city supervisor, Bevan Dufty running for mayor of San Francisco, proudly introducing himself in his most important identity role: a father.

Related Stories

• Autostraddle, Bevan Dufty Reminds Us Gay Candidates Have Kids Too (link)
• I Want to be a (Gay) Dad, Celebrating LGB Parents (link)
• Queer Landia, Gay SF Hopeful features Daughter in New Ad (link)
• Towlroad, Gay SF Mayoral Hopeful Bevan Dufty Features Daughter (link)
• The Stir, Gay Candidate for Mayor ‘Exploits’ Kid By Admitting She Exists (link)
• David Mixner Blog, Impressions (link)
• Politco, Ben Smith’s Frontiers of Gay Politics (link)
• Gay Politcs, Bevan Dufty in Someplace New (link)
• San Francisco Bay Guardian, Bevan Dufty loves MUNI (link)

 

sweetness follows

we of course, all witnessed the seas of political activists empowered to change their worlds this past year. as we approach the jewish high holidays this evening, i stop for a moment to revisit some of the more local advances and news that i witnessed this past year.

overall folks within my community seemed to mostly agree with natalie portman in not wanting anything to do with john galliano. we wrestled through a few of the more challenging conversations with courtesy from tony kushner’s views on israel to ballot measures seeking to outlaw circumcision. we saw the demise of don’t ask don’t tell celebrated in the streets and hardly had time to pay attention to a new state law created by jewish gay leader, mark leno that requires lgbt history be taught in california textbooks. within a more hyper-local perspective we celebrated everything out and proud about gertrude stein, marched to honor 30-years of AIDS activism, watched allen ginsberg howl on-screen and sang our good-byes to both elizabeth taylor and debbie friedman.

still thinking locally, it has been a great year for many of our outstanding lgbt jewish leaders to shine. just to name two of the many deserving leaders, roberta achtenberg, was appointed as the first lesbian to the federal civil rights post and bevan dufty, whom if elected in november, would be san francisco’s first gay (and possibly third jewish) mayor. while we still can’t beat the reputation of states like new york that decided everyone can get hitched there this year we did just learn that our dear city of san francisco did not loose first place in hosting the highest concentration of gay and lesbian couples over the past decade.

at my synagogue, congregation sha’ar zahav, i participated with 40 other members in the year of civil discourse and learned together through the training how to disagree with people i respect but don’t always want to listen to. on a even more personal note i moved once again back into the castro.

as i am approaching my own sense of sweetness on this last day of the Jewish month of elul 5771, i pause to remember that not everyone’s life is so full of honey right now. this morning i watched with sadness as alyssa rodemeyer, the sister of jamey rodemeyer, discussed the continued bullying of her late brother after he took his own life this last week at the age of 14. it made me realize that we still have a lot of work to do together. i look forward to seeing what sweetness we can create together in community in 5772.

Related articles

• Alyssa Rodemeyer Talks About Continued Bullying Of Late Brother Jamey (lezgetreal.com)
• Jewish New Year Brings New Music (npr.org)
• Hundreds Attend 14-Year-old Who Committed Suicide, Jamey Rodemeyer’s Funeral (perezhilton.com)
• Jamey Rodemeyer’s Sister Talks About the ‘We’re Glad You’re Dead’ Chants at Homecoming Dance: VIDEO (towleroad.com)
• Celebrating life, legacy and 5 foot tall lesbians (qjew.wordpress.com)
• Gay Ugandan refugee finds home in Jewish Bay Area (qjew.wordpress.com)
• PHOTOS: Gay Jews And Pals Party Like It’s 5772 For Rosh Hashanah (queerty.com)
• Obama, Rick Perry, others greet the Jewish New Year (thehill.com)
• Lady Gaga towers over Obama fundraiser in Northern California (latimesblogs.latimes.com)
• Curve Magazine Calls Bevan Dufty an International Supergay (blogs.sfweekly.com)
• Big Girls, Small Kitchen: The 9 Best Jewish Dishes For The High Holidays (huffingtonpost.com)
• One Drop of Honey Sweeter Than The Last (beittshuvah.wordpress.com)
• Curve Magazine Calls Bevan Dufty an International Supergay (blogs.sfweekly.com)
• Big Girls, Small Kitchen: The 9 Best Jewish Dishes For The High Holidays (huffingtonpost.com)
• One Drop of Honey Sweeter Than The Last (beittshuvah.wordpress.com)

 

Celebrating life, legacy and 5 foot tall lesbians

Each time I walk by one of the many billboards across town proudly showcasing a rather butch-presenting 5′ tall Gertrude Stein, I have a little self-loving-pride moment. I have a feeling that I am not the only 5’3″ Jewish woman who finds the sight similarly validating. But sadly, this spectacular pride-filled San Francisco Summer of Stein will come to a close at both the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) and the Contemporary Jewish Museum (CJM) on September 6 (event listing)… So, folks, go to the exhibitions soon or you will miss it… Need a little nudge to get there? Take a look at a few shots of folks in our community who have already enjoyed a little Parisian summer time fun…

Don’t let the summer go by without experiencing how the City of San Francisco is celebrating the life, legacy and lesbianism of two Jewish icons, Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas on view now through Sept. 6 (learn more). Continue to get to know who makes up this incredible queer Jewish community by tagging yourself and your friends in these and more of the photos from the summer on facebook.

Related articles

• SFist Reviews: Four Saints in Three Acts (sfist.com)
• Volunteers are my personal hero’s and further, they are serious superstars! Thank you for your help. (qjew.wordpress.com)
• Lesbian couple ejected from Gertude Stein exhibit (jta.org)
• Gertrude Stein Through Artists’ Eyes (npr.org)
• The infamous brownies of Miss Alice B. Toklas. (inaparisstateofmind.wordpress.com)
• After Anti-Gay Incident, Let’s All Hold Hands At SF Museum (lezgetreal.com)
• be here or there or there rain or shine (qjew.wordpress.com)
• Exhibition Shows Fierce Art Patronage of the Fierce Steins (nytimes.com)
• SFMOMA ‘Steins Collect’ – labels tell more (sfgate.com)

 

Interested in a comp ticket to schmooze over cocktails while celebrating the remarkable life and legacy of Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein?

 

I hope that you have been able to participate in this spectacular summer of Stein. If you have not yet seen the exhibitions at the Contemporary Jewish Museum and SFMOMA (San Francisco Museum of Modern Art) , no more excuses folks: you have got to get out and see how San Francisco is all about celebrating the life, work and art-centered-legacy of the once-local Jewish Lesbian, Gertrude Stein, z”l.

 

Here is your chance. Via my work at the Jewish Community Federation I have one comp ticket to give away to Thursday’s art-filled-LGBT-centered-celebration called, An Evening in Gay Paris. Interested in being my plus one? Let me know and I will enter you into our raffle for the ticket.

 

Related blogs 

• Contemporary Jewish Museum to Host “Hand Holding Day” This Sunday (sfist.com)
• The Personalities of Paint in The Steins Collect (blog.sfmoma.org)
• There will be no gay hand holding at the Gertrude Stein exhibit in San Francisco (vol1brooklyn.com)
• Lesbian Couple Told to Stop Holding Hands at Gertrude Stein Exhibit in San Francisco (towleroad.com)
• wayne koestenbaum takes on the stein’s as a queer historian (qjew.wordpress.com)
• Picasso’s Portrait of Gertrude Stein: Mona Lisa of the Twentieth Century (cjmvoices.blogspot.com)
• Sitting with Alice B. Toklas (blog.sfmoma.org)
• Lesbians Kicked Out of Gertrude Stein Exhibit for Holding Hands [Ironic] (gawker.com)
• The Steins Collect: Back to the Bay Video (blog.sfmoma.org)
• After Anti-Gay Incident, Let’s All Hold Hands At SF Museum (lezgetreal.com)
• Another spectacular Stein opening (qjew.wordpress.com)

 

An Evening in Gay Paris!

Professional networking, going to tres-gay parties, chasing movies and cute movie goers at Frameline and San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, AIDS Walking and schmoozing have dominated my queer Jewish summer thus far but don’t worry – plenty more options are already on the calendar that will further entice you into this incredible Bay Area Jewish community I work and live in. Just in case you missed it here are a few of the highlights I promoted recently at work…

A Great day-time opportunity: This coming fall the LGBT Alliance is inviting all Bay Area Jewish community professionals to a LGBT Networking Lunch series. Each of the five lunches will take place at the San Francisco Federation and Endowment building (learn more).

Not to be missed next week: An Evening in Gay Paris a party at SFMOMA and the Contemporary Jewish Museum. To get $4 off the entrance you can enter the promo code “JCFLGBT” when you purchase your tickets online. Also, don’t worry, the Jewish Film Festival still has one more screening of Tomer Heymann’s documentary The Queen Has No Crown as well as this summer’s Jewish Film Festival popular musical hit, Mary Lou will return to the Castro Theater in September.

Shabbat Shalom and here are some Related articles

• The Bay Citizen: A Film Festival Revisits an Audience’s Outcry (nytimes.com)
• Frameline Opens Tonight with a host of LGBT Queer Jewish filmmakers to support! (qjew.wordpress.com)
• ‘Between Two Worlds’: Jewish identity turf wars (sfgate.com)
• Frameline festival celebrates 35th year (sfgate.com)
• Jewish Film Festival lauds Kirk Douglas at Castro (sfgate.com)
• PHOTOS: Oscar-Winning Heartthrob Takes The Stage At Castro Theatre (huffingtonpost.com)
• After Anti-Gay Incident, Let’s All Hold Hands At SF Museum (lezgetreal.com)
• Volunteers are my personal hero’s and further, they are serious superstars! Thank you for your help. (qjew.wordpress.com)
• After Anti-Gay Incident, Let’s All Hold Hands At SF Museum (lezgetreal.com)

 

although we live with hope we still plan on walking next year too

This summer marks thirty years of the global HIV/AIDS epidemic and according to the SF Chronicle, more than 28,840 San Franciscans have been diagnosed with AIDS, and it has claimed the lives of more than 19,000 San Franciscans.

Although our local community is strong and learning how to thrive and live within this epidemic we still need to walk to raise awareness, walk to celebrate those who live with the disease, walk to remember those whom we have lost and walk to find a cure.

This summer our Jewish Community AIDS Walk Team, organized by the San Francisco based Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund, was just one of the nearly 1,000 teams that helped raise over $3 million for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.

Together our Jewish Community team was able to raise over $3,000. Our collective donation will be dispersed by the San Francisco AIDS Foundation as grants to strengthen HIV prevention efforts as well as for advocacy, medical care, housing and social services programs for people living with or at risk for HIV/AIDS.

Thank you to those who were able to show up this year and spend a wonderful day in the sun for a good cause! I received a commitment from the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund to help organize our Jewish community to walk together again in 2012 (details) so save the date to join us again.

In the meantime, take a look at more of our photos on facebook and take a look at our video of the great time we had together:

Related articles

• taking a step forward 30 years later. sunday is the san francisco aids walk. (qjew.wordpress.com)
• Workplace policies are critical in ending AIDS (sfgate.com)
• The State of AIDS CHART: Learn the numbers, facts and stats about HIV/AIDS (one.org)

 

marc smolowitz is still around and shines brightly with 15 stories of hope

you might know my friend, marc smolowitz. maybe you know him from his days organizing in the castro with the act-up movement. maybe you took one of his courses at the art institute of california, or you might know his name because he directed and produced a few highly awarded films. you might know him because of his local leadership at full circle fund, sf public press, jewish film festival, or san francisco’s access public cable tv. folks might know him because he served on the jewish community federation’s lgbt alliance board. i just know him, love him, have been mentored by him and want to share that he is very much still around.

this month is the 30th anniversary of HIV/AIDS. and marc has been preparing by devoting the past two years to create the HIV Story Project. this new npo produced an unrivaled collection of 15 stories by local directors. each story speaks to what survival for our times mean. still around shows people living and thriving with HIV/AIDS. even 30-years into this epidemic, this work is groundbreaking by featuring stories of hope and courage. marc’s most recent work is a definitive ‘must see’.

let me know if you will be in the audience supporting this film, these local producers, directors and frameline on friday june 24 at the castro theatre (1:15pm w. a 3:30 after-party at the Lookout co-hosted by AIDS Healthcare Foundation). trust me, you can do all of this before pride shabbat begins this friday (get tickets). the screening is co-presented by various HIV/AIDS nonprofits and the directors and subjects are expected to be in attendance for a post-screening question and answer session.

Related articles

• Frameline Opens Tonight with a host of LGBT Queer Jewish filmmakers to support! (qjew.wordpress.com)
• What We’re Reading: How Ghana has more than halved its HIV/AIDS rate (one.org)
• AIDS/LifeCycle Stories: Oldest LifeCycle Participant Inspired By Daughter’s Early Work With HIV Patients (towleroad.com)
• The Stigma Double Standard (projecthopeful.wordpress.com)