INTERVIEW WITH FRUM GAY GIRL

Yanir Dekel for A Wider Bridge

“Frum Gay Girl” is one of the most interesting blogs on the web, bringing personal true stories from the Jewish orthodox religious world, anonymously. We caught up with the girl herself, to find out a little bit more about her own personal background, and her motives for writing this blog.

The stories on the blog Frum Gay Girl, which we often promote here on A Wider Bridge, are so interesting and dramatic that it sometimes seem like they are fictional: the woman who was married for 25 years before admitting to herself that she’s a lesbian; or, the girl who found out her mom is bisexual. But for Frum Gay Girl, who is already known in the Chassidic-lesbian community, these stories just keep on coming, and they get hundreds of views every day- even months after posting.  “Many of the amazing people I interview are friends, or friends of friends, or people I’ve been talking with for years who aren’t out in their communities,” she tells in an exclusive interview with A Wider Bridge. “More recently, I’ve been getting some stunning referrals, so thanks for those!”

What motivated you to start this blog?

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LGBT-friendly siddur affirms Reform’s open-tent policy

New High Holidays prayer book released at annual convention includes new prayers, multiple viewpoints

By David A.M. Wilensky for The Times of Israel   

PHILADELPHIA (JTA) — The Reform movement’s rabbinic association unveiled its new High Holidays prayer book — one that continues the movement’s trend toward inclusive liturgy — at the group’s 126th annual convention.

Mishkan HaNefesh, the Reform’s first High Holidays prayer book, or mahzor, since 1978, was a major focus of the Central Conference of American Rabbis conference that concluded here Wednesday.

The prayer book features the voices of female writers and language more reflective of the LGBT experience. But the volume also signals a return to gendered language for God in Reform liturgy, including a version of the iconic High Holidays prayer Avinu Malkeinu that refers to God as both “Loving Father” and “Compassionate Mother.”

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Haredi activists visit parents of teen slain at Jerusalem Gay Pride Parade

By Jeremy Sharon for Jpost

They insisted that Yishai Schlissel, who murdered Banki, was not representative of the haredi community.

A group of haredi activists have paid a visit to the parents of Shira Banki, the young woman who was killed by an ultra-Orthodox man during the Jerusalem Gay Pride parade two weeks ago.

The activists, from the Gesher organization that promotes mutual understanding between societies in Israel, visited the Banki family on Friday saying that although they were opposed to homosexual lifestyles, they totally rejected violence.

They insisted that Yishai Schlissel, who murdered Banki, was not representative of the haredi community.

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Watch Orthodox Rabbi Benny Lau’s Powerful Denunciation of Homophobia Justified in the Name of God

‘We must free the Torah of Israel from the handcuffs that she has been bound in by people of darkness’

By Yair Rosenberg for Tablet Magazine

On Saturday night, thousands of Israelis gathered in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv to rally for tolerance. The twin demonstrations followed a weekend of violence that left a 16-year-old Israeli woman and a Palestinian toddler dead—the former stabbed at Jerusalem’s gay pride parade by an ultra-Orthodox man, and the latter burned to death in his home by suspected Jewish terrorists. The gatherings were addressed by many politicians and cultural leaders, including Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and his predecessor Shimon Peres, who each spoke powerfully about the need to fight extremism. But perhaps one of the most moving speeches of the evening came from an unlikely source: an Orthodox rabbi named Benny Lau.

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The Work for LGBTQ Equality Continues

By Jordyn Rozensky, Keshet Blog for MyJewishLearning.com

This week the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission declared that workplace discrimination against LGBTQ employees is barred, citing Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

This decision applies to employment only, and does not explicitly provide protections for housing or education. That being said, the ruling is a victory for the LGBTQ community.

On the heels of the Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of marriage equality, equality seems to be spreading. But even as we celebrate, I am reminded of the often quoted words found in Pirkei Avot: “You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it.” As inclusion and equality spreads for the LGBTQ community, now is not the time to desist from the work.

There is still much to be done, and each step in a positive direction is a call for celebration — and a call for yet another step forward. With so much progress being made, who knows how far our work will take us?

Read more about the EEOC ruling

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