Raising The Next Gender Nation

      In a time of increased polarity, where the right seems to be growing more violent, afraid, and vindictive, and where queer people are caught in the spotlight of the culture wars, I feel so lucky to be a Jew.  Certainly not all Jews and not all Jewish communities are open and welcoming to LGBTQ folks, but many are.  Every Jewish service or gathering that I have been to in the past couple of weeks has not only mentioned the problem of harassment toward LGBTQ students and it’s root causes, but issued a call to action from its members to act on this problem.  As a queer Jew in non-queer Jewish spaces, this has lifted me up, and filled me with hope.  Not all LGBTQ youth experience harassment and bullying in schools, and no one should have to experience this type of intimidation and violence.  Knowing that many Jews and Jewish communities support my convictions makes me feel even that much more comfortable within the Jewish spaces that I inhabit.
The current rash of teen suicides also holds deeply personal meaning for me.  I teach middle school students, and also train teachers in working with LGBTQ youth and teach them strategies for creating safe environments for all students in their classes.  I am also currently in production on a film, The Next Gender Nation, which highlights the particular challenges faced by gender variant students (those who do not neatly fit into the girl/boy model of school life).