Celebrating 20 years

Last night's late Maariv service was very moving for me. The Maariv service marked 20 years of the open ordination of gay men and lesbians as rabbis. 20 years since that Seattle conference that was the culmination of so much angst and scrutiny. I was an openly lesbian rabbi serving a gay congregation at the time. The conference was such a big huge step!

I was ordained in the time before Seattle when every breath of rabbinical school was filled with the terror and angst that you would be found out and kicked out.

But last night's celebration of how far our movement has come on inclusion of gay and lesbian people and particularly rabbis was I hope a proud moment not just for those of us who participated in the service but for our whole conference.

Because of the late hour many of our colleagues left and this was disappointing.

But for those of us on the bima-reading some of our stories and reading the liturgy from congregations who have primarily toiled in the GLBT world it was a moving service.

Kudos to our colleague Yoel Kahn for creating an inspiring service.

But as I looked out in the congregation of rabbis still awake--I saw colleagues who are still closeted in their work. I listened to the sweet voice of 5th year rabbinical student Reuben Zellman who is a trailblazer in his own as a transgender person and I look to what his future will be and where will his resolution of support and where will the workshops be to help congregations like the way we had workshops to help educate congregations about gay and lesbian issues?

But I am grateful for the freedom of this 20 years.