As a teenager in the late 1970s and early 1980s in Los Angeles, I didn’t feel safe coming out as gay — even to my liberal Jewish family. Although strides were being made by the LGBT community, rampant homophobia kept me in the closet. When I finally came out as a young adult, I was …
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It is difficult to imagine the contours of my life without the influence of one of my heroes: Harvey Milk. As a young Jew who was just coming out as gay, I was deeply inspired by Harvey’s courage, confidence and secure sense of self.
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Today marks the first World AIDS Day under the Trump Administration. As Policy Advisor for Sexual Health and Rights at AJWS, I recall sitting down by my desk at this moment last year to reflect on what the eight years of the global AIDS response under President Obama achieved.
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In 2015, Aldo Alexander Peña was on his way to a pride parade in the capital of El Salvador. He was excited. It was his first time joining the parade since he began hormone replacement therapy, which helped his appearance align with his identity as a transgender man. But what should have been a day …
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Since Haiti was devastated by an earthquake in 2010, the country’s already-marginalized LGBT community has faced a surge of attacks at home, including attempts to pass harsh legal measures that would further restrict LGBT rights. In response, Haiti’s LGBT community has become progressively more organized and active, pushing back for the first time. In an …
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