Whether the White House proclaims it or not, June is LGBT Pride Month. I know I’ll be rocking my favorite Jewish gay pride shirt: a retro-style tee that features the classic Love sculpture with a Magen David in place of the O; and underneath, the words “your neighbor” are emblazoned in a swirly, sky-blue 1970s font. It also pays homage to my hometown, St. Louis, with a rainbow Gateway Arch in the background. Who knew a shirt could say so much?
If you’re jealous of my shirt, fear not: There are tons of ways that you can show your allegiance with the LGBT community—Jewish or otherwise—which continues to battle for basic human rights in the U.S. (and around the world, for that matter).
Start with Shabbat. There are still three of them left in the month, so why not show your pride via your kippah? Everybody at shul will be jelly.
If you celebrated marriage equality with a wedding of your very own, mazel tov! You now get to fulfill the mitzvah of wearing a tallit. Why not try a rainbow-colored one? (The rainbow design is especially symbolic this year because Gay rights activist Gilbert Baker, who designed the rainbow flag, recently died.)
You could also show pride in your Saturday best with a statement tie. This one is basic—rainbow, with Stars of David. This is a “gay black Jewish” one.
If shul’s not your thing, you can also represent your pride around your house. This duvet cover is bound to be a good pre-schtupping conversation starter. Or a nightly self-reminder mechanism.
If you’d like to be more subtle but still want to get the message across to your (Shabbat) dinner guests, here’s a rainbow mezuzah. Spruce up that drab doorway of yours, ya know? This’ll be good through June.
You can also extend your Jewish gay pride to your pets. “Chai on love dog” tag, anyone? (Raises hand.)
And if you have no idea what the heck you’re trying to say, here’s a Jewish gay confederate flag Christmas ornament, showing once again that the Internet can be both a horrible and horrifying place all at once. (Seriously, who dreams up this stuff/demographic?)
If rainbow isn’t your most flattering look, or if you don’t yet feel comfortable enough to advertise your identity, you can still support the cause by going to these events.
Wherever you are in your journey—whether you identify as LGBT, or just consider yourself “A,” for ally—reading is also a great way to celebrate Pride Month.
Here are some relevant reading lists, with age-appropriate suggestions for both the young and the young-at-heart.
Another option is to learn about gay experiences in the Jewish community from Tablet writers themselves—experiences at summer camp, at Yeshiva University, and on the bima.
As always, check out Tablet’s extensive coverage to educate yourself on recent issues facing the LGBT community. A few suggestions to whet your appetite can be found here, and here and here.
Happy pride! I’ll be wearing my shirt. How about you?
Sophie Aroesty is an editorial intern at Tablet.
