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Out on both counts: What Pride taught me about being Jewish - opinion

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

Opinion Sources not specified Context piece
  • The author reflects on her experience at the Jerusalem Pride march, contrasting past fear with present visibility.
  • She draws a parallel between the LGBTQ+ experience of hiding and the experience of many Jews globally who conceal their identity.
  • The article argues that while antisemitism is a real threat, hiding comes at a significant cost, and visibility, though challenging, is essential.

Walking in her first Jerusalem Pride march ten years ago, the author experienced a profound shift from years of hiding her identity. The event, shadowed by the memory of a stabbing at a previous parade, still offered an "incomparable" feeling of being her true self openly. This experience of "cracking open" contrasted sharply with the constant "masking, deflecting, overcompensating" that characterized her life before.

Here I was. Being me. Out in the open. The feeling was incomparable.

— Nicole GrubnerDescribing her feelings during her first Jerusalem Pride march.

The author notes that the "experience of being in the closet" is familiar to many LGBTQ+ individuals, involving a constant performance and management of the gap between one's true self and public perception. This requires immense, often invisible, energy. She posits that if the LGBTQ+ acronym were replaced with the word "Jew," many Jewish people worldwide would recognize a similar pattern of hiding, hedging, and calculating how visible they can be in public spaces.

The experience of being in the closet is one that LGBTQ+ members know all too well. You become fluent in a kind of performance.

— Nicole GrubnerComparing the experience of hiding one's identity.

This parallel is drawn from witnessing the recent Israel Day Parade in New York, which saw a record turnout of over 50,000 people. The unapologetic presence of Jews of all ages and denominations on Fifth Avenue stood in stark contrast to the quiet removal of kippot or tucking Stars of David under shirts that occurs in other cities.

If I replaced the LGBTQ+ acronym with the word "Jew," I think many Jewish people around the world would recognize that experience too.

— Nicole GrubnerDrawing a parallel between LGBTQ+ and Jewish experiences of hiding.

While acknowledging the undeniable rise in antisemitism and the real threat of hateful rhetoric leading to violence, as tragically exemplified by Shira Banki and a growing list of Jewish victims, the author emphasizes that hiding, though seemingly rational, carries a significant cost. The article concludes by suggesting that visibility, despite its inherent challenges and risks, is not mere vanity but a necessary act.

There is no question that antisemitism is rising. There is no question that hateful rhetoric leads to physical violence.

— Nicole GrubnerAcknowledging the reality of rising antisemitism.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Jerusalem Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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