Supporting Our Trans & Queer Youth Now
March 24 at 8:00 pm – 9:15 pm
On January 20, an executive order was issued that denied the existence and identity of trans and non-binary people. Since then, a cascade of restrictive laws and funding cuts have diminished basic rights for millions.
At Moving Traditions, we are focused on supporting all Jewish youth – rooted in our conviction that all are created in the image of G-d, b’tzelem Elohim – including trans, nonbinary, and queer youth.
Join us on March 24, one week before Trans Day of Visibility, for an important discussion co-sponsored by Keshet about how to support trans and queer Jewish youth in our current reality – socially, emotionally, and spiritually. We will address the threats trans and queer youth are facing state-by-state, and discuss strategies to support our youth at home, in synagogues, and in the classroom.
Our panel of experts will approach this topic from legal, Jewish, and youth perspectives, featuring:
- Rabbi Dr. Jay Michaelson, professor, writer, journalist, and rabbi
- Katya Gerwein, MD is a parent of two adult trans kids and a pediatrician at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health
- Ari Merrill, a high school senior and former Kol Koleinu Teen Feminist Fellow
This free Raising Up Teens webinar for parents and educators of Jewish youth will also include actionable takeaways and resources to use with the teen in your life.
Featured Speakers
Rabbi Dr. Jay Michaelson (he/him) is a visiting professor at Harvard Law School, a journalist, and a longtime LGBTQ activist. Jay was a professional LGBTQ+ activist for ten years and is the author of God vs. Gay? The Religious Case for Equality, a Lambda Literary Award finalist. Jay’s advocacy work has been featured in the New York Times, NPR, and CNN, and he has been listed among the “most inspiring LGBT religious leaders” by the Huffington Post and among “our religious allies” by The Advocate. He founded Nehirim, which ran spiritual retreats for queer Jews, and co-founded Eshel, which supports orthodox LGBTQ Jews and their families. In the last year, Jay has written in Rolling Stone and appeared on CNN to oppose the the Republican Party’s misrepresentations of trans lives.
Katya Gerwein, MD (she/her) lives in Berkeley California, where she was born and raised. She is the loving mother of two adult trans kids and is a member of congregations Netivot Shalom and Beth Israel. She is a pediatrician at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health who loves having important parenting discussions and encouraging her patients to make healthy choices. Katya is also a potter who enjoys baking sourdough, riding on her flower-bedecked bike, and generally being as Berkeley as she can be!
Ari Merrill (he/him) is a former Meyer-Gottesman Kol Koleinu Teen Feminist Fellow and a senior at Hunter College High School. He is editor-in-chief of his school newspaper, The Observer, president of the Transgender/Non-binary Alliance club, and an avid music lover/guitar player. Through his Kol Koleinu capstone project, he founded the Interactive Bilingual Children’s Program, which partners with local elementary schools to provide ESOL support for young migrants from Latin America.