Pride 2022: Celebrating and Fighting for LGBTQ+ Equality in June and Beyond

In the story of creation, the first story we read in the Torah, we learn that every person is created b'tzelem Elohim - in the holy image of God (Genesis 1:27). Discrimination against any person arising from apathy, insensitivity, ignorance, fear, or hatred is inconsistent with this fundamental belief. It is this principle that guides that Reform Movement's advocacy for LGBTQ+ equality.

However, there is much more to learn from this verse in Genesis, especially in the context of addressing transphobia. The full verse reads "And God created humankind in the divine image, creating it in the image of God - creating them male and female" (Genesis 1:27). While some interpret this to mean that God created men and women in the divine image, Rabbi Margaret Moers Wenig posits that the text actually implies not only male and female but also "every combination in between." As Rabbi Wenig explains, "this verse is a merism, a figure of speech in which a totality is expressed by two contrasting parts (e.g. 'young and old,' 'thick and thin,' 'near and far')." In fact, our Jewish legal texts mention at least six different genders across the gender spectrum.

Every June in the U.S. we celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride Month. While Pride Month is a time to celebrate, affirm, and honor the LGBTQ+ community and the continuing fight for equality, it was originally established to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall Uprising. Following a police raid on the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar in New York City, patrons fought back against what had become routine harassment by the New York City police department. Many credit Marsha P. Johnson, a transgender Woman of Color, with starting the uprising that became an iconic flashpoint that helped sparked the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.

While it is important to celebrate and show up for the LGBTQ+ community during Pride Month, our support (particularly those of us who are straight and cisgender) should not be limited to just one month of the year. Already in 2022, there have been hundreds of bills introduced in state legislatures and state directives that attack the LGBTQ+ community - especially LGBTQ+ children. These include, Florida's "Don't Say Gay" law, which prevents schools from teaching or talking about sexual orientation and gender identity, and Texas Governor Greg Abbott's directive to classify gender-affirming medical care as child abuse. The epidemic of anti-trans violence, which historically targets transgender Women of Color, continues nationwide with 2021 being the deadliest year so far for transgender and non-binary people. At least 57 transgender or gender non-conforming people were killed in 2021 and at least 14 have already been murdered in 2022 , and this doesn't even account for the unprecedented attempted suicide rates of the trans community (41 percent). These legislative and physical attacks harm LGBTQ+ people throughout the year and has the potential to cause years of trauma and generational trauma.