SOJOURN: Southern Jewish Resource Network for Gender and Sexual Diversity

SOJOURN: Southern Jewish Resource Network for Gender and Sexual Diversity asks, as Hillel once did, “If I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?”– even more urgent at a time when the rights of LGBTQ people across the country are at risk. The organization advances LGBTQ affirmation and empowerment by building inclusive communities inspired by Jewish and universal values in a part of the country where they are desperately needed. While sojourn typically means a “temporary stay,” this organization is working to make sure that inclusion is permanent. Whether it’s doing that over its monthly Queer Women’s Shabbat Dinner, parent workshops, or SOJOURN in the Sukkah, it’s doing it with Jewish traditions and Jewish values—while also making sure to include interfaith programming to reflect the Christian influence of the South.

As a faith-based agency, SOJOURN is able to access religious communities in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Louisiana where faith is a major part of society and where no LGBTQ group has had any presence. It is using this pivotal access to help queer members of the tribe use Judaism as a way to both gather and affirm their equal rights. SOJOURN hosts workshops like “Homosexuality and Judaic Text,” which uses ancient and contemporary texts to compare traditional and changing attitudes. Its 18-month-long Welcoming Communities Project partners with clergy, professionals, and community members to help create more welcoming Jewish institutions. SOJOURN offers safe-space training workshops to synagogues, schools, summer camps, and community organizations to train staff, guide families, and provide LGBTQ-specific suicide prevention techniques. Its Early Development of Gender Equity Program works with kindergarteners and first graders to eliminate gender inequity and also seeks to stop discriminatory legislation. SOJOURN also throws big parties, understanding the need for both advocacy and community building. It has a major presence at Atlanta Pride and hosts the largest Purim party in the South. Additionally, it invites guest educators and speakers to the South, bringing transgender activists to Atlanta and Birmingham, Alabama. SOJOURN has even started to print LGBTQ city guides, starting with Atlanta. Across the map, SOJOURN is working hard to call people in—not out—throughout the Southeastern U.S.