Reform congregations take action for transgender rights

This year, International Transgender Day of Visibility coincided with the first day of Passover, a particularly meaningful coincidence. On International Transgender Day of Visibility, we celebrate transgender people and the courage it takes to live openly, while recognizing the discrimination and violence that trans people continue to face. On Passover, we celebrate the Israelites’ exodus from slavery in Egypt, while recognizing the many forms of oppression that continue to plague our society.

Under the leadership of the Religious Action Center’s Urgency of Now Transgender Rights campaign, 15 Reform Congregations from across the country came together to raise the issue of transgender rights and visibility in their local school districts. As Eli Mandel, a leader at Temple Emanu-El of Dallas, taught us, “when transgender students see themselves reflected in the policies of their schools, they are visible and they can thrive.” The following are a few highlights from our collective actions:

• Izzy Hochman, a high school senior from Congregation Rodeph Sholom in  New York, attended the RAC’s L’Taken Social Justice Seminar this year. Izzy learned about the opportunity to act and took their passion for gender inclusion back to their congregation to act. They mobilized the leadership of thier community to send letters to the Superintendent of their school district.
• Rabbi Marci Bellows, along with the Social Action Committee at Congregation Beth Shalom Rodfe Zedek in Chester, CT wrote a letter that was published in their local newspaper.
• Rabbi Amy L. Memis-Foler of Temple Judea Mizpah in Skokie, IL brought the action to her Sunday school class. The students each wrote letters, using the RAC’s resources, to their school districts.  
• Dean Abelon and the Social Justice Committee at Beth Israel of San Diego wrote a letter to the Superintendent of the San Diego Unified School District. Their letter expressed the community’s support for the rights of transgender students.

We are appreciative of the many rabbis, cantors, leaders and teens who came together to take action for International Transgender Day of Visibility. We know that when we act together, our message is stronger.

If you would like to learn more about this campaign and get involved, please contact Noah Fitzgerel or Lizzie Stein and visit the Urgency of Now Transgender Rights website. For regular updates on the campaign, join our group in the tent.