Two Amazing Stories This Sunday: Part 1

We are constantly hearing how we are damn and going to hell but not every religious thinks that way and some of them that don’t may surprise you,

The Road to Pride: Supporting My Transgender Daughter
My Jewish Learning
By Britt Rubenstein

My newly turned 12-year-old child walks into the room trembling and crying.

This is going to be huge. I wondered if I was going to be able to handle what my child was about to tell me.

To quote my child, “Transitioning [from male to female] is not a choice, it is a necessity.”
To quote myself, “Support is not a choice, it is a necessity.”

People tell me when they watch my daughter on TV or see me talk about her that they could never be like us. Please don’t be fooled when you see us now. My husband Stuart, my oldest child Eli, and my soon-to-be daughter, had cried ourselves to sleep at night. We spent many hours in therapy and support group sessions. We got a little feisty with one another from the stress. The first seven months were the worst, and we hit a low point.
[…]
During the first year, we cancelled the Bar Mitzvah that was fast approaching. This was a huge loss for us, because we did not think we could get her to do a Bat Mitzvah. She spent a great deal of time being angry with God. As happiness set in, confidence continued to grow, and support continued to flow from our Jewish community, Lily announced that it was time to start scheduling her Bat Mitzvah.

Two years after my child told us she was transgender, she would chart new territory for our congregation. Lily led Shabbat services, read from our Holocaust Torah, and took her place as an adult woman in our Jewish community.

What can I add? This is a loving family and a loving congregation.