Jews Who Made Rainbow Waves
The Jewish experience is complex and intersectional in that it encompasses both ethnicity and religion. When you add into the mix sexual orientation and gender identity, it adds to that complexity. With this comes exposure to not only antisemitism, but also homophobia and transphobia. Yet despite this, many LGBTQ+ Jews have been on the leading edge of the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement and have found ways to rise above. Here are a few inspirational LGBTQ+ Jews who have done just that:
Edie Windsor (1929-2017)
Rex Block, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Before the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in 2015, another important case helped to equalize the playing field for LGBTQ+ couples in America. That case was United States v. Windsor. In that case, the Supreme Court struck down a key provision of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) that defined marriage as between one man and one woman.
This was important because federal recognition of a marriage between two persons brings with it many, many benefits, including spousal Social Security eligibility, marital tax breaks, veterans benefits, and many more.
Edith Windsor would have received federal tax exemption for the inheritance she received after her spouse (married in Toronto, marriage was recognized in NY) passed away. But because DOMA defined marriage in an archaic fashion, it excluded Windsor, a lesbian, from enjoying the same benefits that straight married couples enjoyed.
Edith Windsor was born Edith Schlain on June of 1929 in Philadelphia to parents of Russian Jewish descent. In a Time magazine article, it was written that “She was not sheltered from anti-Semitism. Her mother taught her that if a boy called her ‘a dirty Jew,’ she should pull his hair and run home.”
Edith passed away in 2017, four years after her name became enshrined in American LGBTQ+ history.
Harvey Milk (1930-1978)
Ted Sahl, Kat Fitzgerald, Patrick Phonsakwa, Lawrence McCrorey, Darryl Pelletier, CC BY-SA 4.0
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
, via Wikimedia Commons
Harvey Milk is an obvious choice to include in this list as the first openly gay man to be elected to office in America.
Harvey Milk was born to parents of Lithuanian Jewish descent on May 22, 1930, in a suburb of New York City.
In 1972, Milk moved to San Francisco and, after launching several unsuccessful political campaigns, was finally elected to the San Francisco Boards of Supervisors. During his short tenure, he managed to push through a non discrimination bill before being assassinated by a fellow supervisor.
His election and his martyrdom solidified his mark on LGBTQ+ history in the United States and globally.
Jazz Jennings (2000-present)
Steven Pisano, CC BY 2.0
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0
, via Wikimedia Commons
Jazz Jennings was born to Jewish parents, but “Jennings” is a pseudonym to protect the family’s privacy. As the parents mentioned in a Miami Herald article:
“Jennings is our pseudonym, to sort of make life easier. We try to hide our real last name as much as possible. Our last name is a very Jewish, long last name. We found it easier at this point. She’s known as Jazz Jennings. With the TV show, they’re not going to tell anybody where we live. The TV show is not going to reference our true last name.”
Read more here: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/gay-south-florida/palette-magazine/article25505500.html#storylink=cpy
Jazz made history when, at the age of six, she appeared on Barbara Walter’s 20/20 show with her parents to talk about her experience growing up transgender.
Since then, she’s become a transgender activist, YouTube star, and has her own reality tv show on TLC called “I am Jazz.”
Rabbi Sandra Lawson (1970 – present)
Rabbi Sandra Lawson made history in 2018 when she became one of the first openly gay, female, black rabbi in the entire world.
Although from a Christian background, Rabbi Lawson has lived a life that defied attempts to put her in a box. She served in the army and later became a personal trainer. It was while coaching Rabbi Joshua Lesser that she was invited to his synagogue and experienced a welcoming and LGBTQ-friendly community.
That then led her to become the first Black and openly gay student to enter the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and, as mentioned, the first Black, female, and openly gay rabbi to be ordained in 2018.