Temple Beth El’s Pride Shabbat

Our keynote speaker will be the Rev. Dr. Donnie Anderson.

Raised in Cranston, Rhode Island, Dr. Anderson is an ordained minister, educator, counselor and social justice activist who lives in the Elmhurst Section of Providence, RI and is currently serving as the interim minister for the Pilgrim United Church of Christ in New Bedford, MA.  After over six dark decades of confusion, fear, and dysphoria she revealed to her family and everyone that she is transgender.   She is involved in several social justice organizations in Rhode Island and currently serves as Co-Chair of the Rhode Island Commission on Prejudice and Bias, the Co-Chair of the State Advisory Committee to the United States Commission on Civil Right and was recently elected to the Executive Committee of the Rhode Island Democratic Woman’s Caucus.  Nationally Anderson serves on the board of the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists, a member of the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care Interfaith Working Group and one of the Co-Facilitators of the Jewish/Christian Dialogue sponsored by the National Council of Synagogues and the National Council of Churches.

In addition to Rev. Dr. Anderson, the congregation members will read Pride related liturgy throughout the evening.

Last but certainly not least, the Pride Team wants to demystify the “alphabet soup”(LGBTQIA) that is widely used and often taken for granted. The team agrees that this congregation and our Shofar would be a safe space to do so.

One thing to keep in mind as you hear the definitions is that much as our religious texts are living and breathing, so are these definitions. They change constantly to describe and be more inclusive of the ways in which queer people move through the world.

For more information go to https://www.temple-beth-el.org/

The definitions were provided by the Human Right Campaign.