Sunday, October 2, 2011

Out Spotlight

Today's Spotlight is an advocate, author, activist, and a American Reform rabbi. She is also the first female and the first openly gay President of the Board of Rabbis of Southern California. Today's Out Spotlight is Rabbi Denise Eger.

Denise Eger grew up in Memphis Tennessee, and knew she wanted to be a Rabbi by the time she headed to the University of Southern California for college. She said of her upbringing in Memphis, where Jews of all denominations knew each other and interacted, embedded within her a sense of klal Yisrael, the oneness of the people of Israel. Something that she has carried with her throughout her career.

After receiving her bachelor's degree in Religion with a specialization in Judaic Studies at USC she headed back East to New York where she continued her education at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. The four year graduate and ordination program, included a year studying in Israel. Eger received a Master of Arts in Hebrew Letters in 1985 and was ordained in 1988.

In her first appointment following her ordination, Eger took the pulpit at Beth Chayim Chadashim (BCC), the world’s first congregation for gays and lesbians, founded in 1972. It was not the easiest of first assignments for anyone. It was period marked by tremendous loss in the GLBT community

During her tenure she worked extensively (and continues to) with people with HIV/AIDS.

“1988 was a very dark and awful time in the gay community,” Eger said. “People would get diagnosed with HIV and would be dead six weeks later. Mortuaries questioned whether they could take the body, nurses would leave food on a tray outside the door and refuse to come in,” she recalled.

Worse was dealing with patients’ families.

“Jewish parents would swoop in, having not talked to their child for years, and kick the lover out of the house,” Eger said. “And they didn’t understand why the rabbi would not side with them.”

In 1992, she and 35 people from the congregation moved on to found Congregation Kol Ami,a Reform Synagogue for all ( gay and straight)in West Hollywood. In 2001, the congregation completed building their own building, and now has over 300 members.

Through her work and experience, Rabbi Eger has become widely known as an expert on Judaism and GLBT civil rights. First regarding HIV/AIDS rights and now Marriage Equality.

Eger and her followers have been at the forefront of the fight to legalize gay marriage in California.

During the brief window of time in 2008 when same sex marriage was legal in California, Eger had the privilege of officiating at the first legal wedding in Los Angeles County between two women, activist Robin Tyler and Diane Olson on June 16th.

That same summer, Eger married her longtime partner, Karen Siteman. The couple has a 17-year-old son.

In 2009 she wrote Standing Up to Miss California, regarding "Carrie Prejean and the National Organization for Marriage feel they are the victims because of the outcry when Carrie spoke out againt same sex marriage during the interview portion of the Miss USA pageant.

Eger continues to fight for Marriage Equality in California and around the US.

And even with the struggle and opposition, she is thrilled that there are more lifecycles she gets preside over in her congregation than when started.

She noted her career has been all out of order, first funerals, then a gay baby boom, then weddings and now b’nai mitzvah.

In 2008 Rabbi Eger was named one of the Forward 50; one of the fifty most influential Jews in North America for her work in GLBT rights. In the summer of 2010 she was named one of the fifty most influential women Rabbis.

She has previously served as the chair of the Search Alliance Institutional Review Board; Treasurer of the Women's Rabbinic Network and is a past president of the Pacific Association of Reform Rabbis. She has chaired the Gay and Lesbian Rabbinic Network of the Central Conference of American Rabbis and is past chair of the Task Force on Gays and Lesbians in the Rabbinate.

She is also a founding member of the Religion and Faith Council of the Human Rights Campaign and a founding executive committee member of California Faith for Equality.

She was also the founding President of the Lesbian, Gay, & Bisexual Interfaith Clergy Association.

A noted author, she has contributed to anthologies such as Torah Queeries, Lesbian Rabbis, Twice Blessed, and Conflicting Visions: Contemporary Debates in Reform Judaism.

She has won numerous awards for her activism including the Morris Kight Lifetime Achievement Award from Christopher Street West/LA Pride.

In 2009, she became the first female and the first openly gay President of the Board of Rabbis of Southern California.

36 comments:

Wonderful said...

What a wonderful Spotlight today, as always. :)

twitter said...

Zef_B Zef Balbona

@arikowen how was last night?
45 minutes ago

in reply to ↑

Arik Owen
@arikowen

@Zef_B it was cool, had a nice conversation with Jake gyllenhaal. What are u up to?
37 minutes ago via Twitter for iPad

the real m said...

Well I distinctly recall gossip about Jake holding out for more money after BBM. His staff and adviser's I am sure were behind that.

Waiting for Dexter to start in moments. Watched a couple of episodes of the original Queer as Folk today. Interesting to see the original actors who have all gone on to other roles. Charlie Hunnam, Aiden Gillen. I guess European actors are more comfortable playing gay than US actors.

Florida Tom said...

Your right m I havent seen any of the male actors from the American QAF since the series went off:-(

Special K said...

While the majority of the guys haven't been seen Gale Howard (Brian Kinney)has steadily worked in supporting roles.

He co-starred with Austin as Wyatt Earp on Deadwood, also on the series Desperate Housewives, and Vanished and he was on The CW series Hellcats last year. He's back on The CW in a new show, The Secret Circle.

Last I read, Randy Harrison (Justin) was doing theater.

prairiegirl said...

Interesting Spotlight, Special! I enjoyed it - she's done a lot of wonderful things and I like reading how leaders in spirituality are called and the stances that they take.

Just got home after being out practically all day. I haven't checked my Twitter yet. So what form of transportation do we have Jake using today? Rickshaw? Horse carriage? lol

prairiegirl said...

Segway?

prairiegirl said...

Pogo stick?

prairiegirl said...

Moon shoes!

Florida Tom said...

Having a family is what ultimately what made Maher want to be honest about his sexuality. “I have these beautiful children and this extraordinary family,” Maher says, “and to think in any way shape or form that that’s wrong or that there’s shame in that or that there’s something to hide actually turns my stomach.” Maher kept thinking about what daughter Sophia would say when she realized he was closeted professionally. “What would she think if I said, ‘Oh honey, you can’t come with me to work because they don’t know I have an adopted daughter and they don’t know that I’m gay.’ My children and our family, I’ve really never been as proud of anything in my life. I couldn’t be happier at this point in my life, and I feel like we’ve created this pretty extraordinary family.”



I had to post this from WFT2. We all need to read it.

prairiegirl said...

It is very nice, Tom.

But it's not going to change anything I said last night if that is the intent of putting it up.

prairiegirl said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
prairiegirl said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
prairiegirl said...

And frankly, I don't care to read anything brought over from a site where anything and everything I have put up has been deleted/censored no matter how mild it is.

Or posted by someone who allows everyone and their relatives to trash Special, m, M&M and myself.

In fact, all but encourages it.

Trying said...

Jake wanting more money after Brokeback is not the point. That's only natural when you have been involved in a hit movie. Heath received a great payout for TDK. It's only to be expected considering both guys took scale for BbM. The statement was made that money and fame was all Jake cared about. Which isn't true.

Also, I do believe that Jake was being punished for toying with coming out. Just apply logicl The power brokers do not like anyone rocking the apple cart. Ted made clear that he did. He even showed up usually alone at awards shows or with male friends. Sure he didn't step out with Austin, but him showing up at that Lakers game the way he did says that he was proud to be seen in public with his bf.

Special K said...

Reading it, there was something in the EW.com article about Sean Maher's strategy of coming out that struck me. It was how the situation is so incredibly similar to Jake in 2005-06.

So, why does this revelation come now? Maher decided to use his role on NBC’s The Playboy Club — a character coincidentally also named Sean, a closeted man who’s married to lesbian Playboy Bunny Alice (Leah Renee Cudmore) – to finally engage in a dialogue about how being closeted has strained his life in Hollywood. “I was working on other stuff, and then this role came up, which was like a light bulb going off,” Maher remembers. “I was like, This is perfect. I want to do this, and I want to use it as a platform to come out.”

It makes me think even more that Jake saw BBM in much the same the way. Jake's people didn't want him to take the part but he went ahead and did it anyway. And from the what we can see now in hindsight he was taking steps to come out too between late 2005 into 2006.

Back to Maher's personal situation. This was not his first gay role. He played in another movie for openly gay producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron.

In Wedding Wars, Maher actually did play a gay character — a scary position for a gay actor attempting to appear straight. “This was where it’s still kind of tricky,” Maher remembers of the Wedding Wars time period. “We decided to do no press for it because I wasn’t ready to answer the question. Neil and Craig knew, so we just decided, okay, I was a supporting character anyway. The press was going to fall on [star] John Stamos anyway.”

Coming out is an individual decision and really big one. It has to be the right time and there needs to be a support system of friends and/or family when you do. Jake was pretty much shoved back in the closet by his people. But he did try to come out.

prairiegirl said...

Everyone's situation is different. No one's life is a cookie cutter of another. And that applies to not just coming out but a lot of life's decisions.

tweet said...

♡Hilary Landers
@HilaryLanders ♡Hilary Landers
HAHA look what I found..@itz__mizzlizz and I and Jake Gyllenhaal back when we were little ones. #toocute #awkwardstage pic.twitter.com/59sF4zEI

prairiegirl said...

Hope you saved that picture, tweet, because she's already taken it down. I always wonder when people take down a picture soon after it goes up.

Hey, so when Jake went to the Sting party, he got to see Lady Gaga, too! That's pretty cool.

I cannot believe Sting is 60 years old.

prairiegirl said...

Oh no, I'm wrong. It's there.

Operator error!! lol

Blogger.com said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
prairiegirl said...

Let's see, when you are left with nothing, what's the last resort? Petty, jealous personal attacks, sabotage and hostile, criminal invasion.



The jealous are troublesome to others, but a torment to themselves. ~William Penn, Some Fruits of Solitude, 1693

Interesting! said...

No comments here about Jake's 10th Street BATH HOUSE visit?

prairiegirl said...

Hey, another sighting of Jake in Tribeca.

LineyintheCity Caroline Anthony
Just passed Jake Gyllenhaal in line to get coffee on my street, wanted to ask for a photo but had to get kiddies back home...bummer :(
10 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Special K said...

No comments here about Jake's 10th Street BATH HOUSE visit?

It was already posted first thing yesterday morning. Go back and check for yourself, it's on then end of the comments on Saturday's post.

And if you are so interested, is there something you want to say about it?

prairiegirl said...

Let's see what I said again and I'll have another chuckle:

Prairie Girl Said:

I'm still LOL'ing the steam bath. I think Jake was just needing to see some naked male skin, myself.

October 2, 2011 11:33 AM

twitter said...

ultrateg Donny Tsang
oh hey took me 70mins to get to work (normally 25mins) & saw jake gyllenhaal on the 2 train
1 hour ago

prairiegirl said...

Okay, folks, here we go. An impromptu timeline documented from Twitter of Jake Tweets while in NYC this last week and weekend. Let's see what we notice. This will take several posts, I think. I've posted the Real Time(s) of the tweets, all in Eastern Time.


ReginaBlandon Regina Blandón
Just saw Jake Gyllenhall walk by. He was like 8 feet away from me. I almost fainted.
22 Sep 11:41ET

VICtheWise Victoria Boisson (Brooklyn)
I saw AND briefly spoke to Jake Gyllenhaal!! He was so nice about not taking a picture since he was on the phone. =D
22 Sep 17:30 ET

petstarr Petstarr
OH MY GOD - JUST SAW JAKE GYLLENHAAL ON THE STREET. I WAS 1M AWAY FROM JAKE GYLLENHAAL. I AM HAVING A MOMENT.
23 Sep Favorite Retweet Reply 21:50ET

carlyfaye1979 Carly Diroll-Black
Just saw Jake Gylenhaal on East 1st. Rather, Andy saw him, and I was too busy looking at pretty signs.
23 Sep 22:41 ET


hiprobbie Robbie Sokolowsky
Jake Gylenhall just walked out of the quad theatre alone with a backpack like a student. He's just like THEM
24 Sep 20:31ET

prairiegirl said...

mattkulper Matt Kulper
Yes. That's Jake Gyllenhaal. Dude loves his coffee. twitpic.com/6qxw24
26 Sep 09:28 ET (Jake alone w/laptop & headphones)

marillali Marilla Li (location of tweeter – Queens)
Jake Gyllenhaal at my local coffee shop. Sunglasses draw just as much attention as no sunglasses. They can't win
26 Sep 10:03 ET

nettysetgo Netty Devonshire
I just remembered I saw Jake Gyllenhaal today in Union Square, but then I saw a really awesome dog so forgot all about it.
26 Sep 22:43 ET

tsmeeton Tyler Smeeton
Dear Jake Gyllenhaal, eyeglasses are not a disguise & I will follow you onto the Brooklyn-bound Q train even though I'm taking the uptown 6
27 Sep 16:04 ET

AshleyBRoberts Ashley B Roberts
ALSO Jake Gyllenhaal It actually happened on Wednesday at Columbus Circle and you're dreamy AND why were you in the train?
27 Sep 01:04ET (REALLY OCCURRED SEPT 28)

taraleighburns Tara Burns
@JakeeGyllenhall You are quite a cutie, Mr. Gyllenhall. Just saw you in my favorite healthy NYC restaurant, what a pleasant surprise!
28 Sep 22:05ET

prairiegirl said...

FROM FACEBOOK: or the swoon-inducing (excerpts from her post): Jake Gyllenhaal quietly eating breakfast in my regular cafe.

poor Jake started packing up his Macbook and his iPod and carried his dishes over to the counter.
Thurs, Sept 29th?
(^^ Interesting that she has private-d this post on Facebook.)

missy__m Adele
Jake Gyllenhaal just looked into my eyes. Twice. I am going to take a long long time to recover from this.
29 Sep 12:14ET

cupcakelover89 Sara Cupcake (Big Apple Circus)
Jake Gyllenhaal made my night ;) sooo sweet & nice!
10 hours ago Sept 29 12:57 ET

klarikah Klarika
@ @keepsworkshop That means I saw Jake Gyllenhaal with his mom at the MoMa. And La Colombe? Which one? I always pass by Lafayette
29 Sep 12:58ET

Pkillah Priscilla Crowe
Jake Gyllenhaal sighting. Within arms reach. He caught me staring. Can you get pregnant through the eye contact? #ILoveNY
29 Sep 15:32

BenCapozzi BenCapozzi
Jake Gyllenhall goin' to the Cafe at MoMA. yfrog.com/kg1gpbbj
29 Sep 15:45 Alone (said to be with his mom in another tweet)

patrickcotnoir Patrick Cotnoir
Oh hi walking by Jake gylenhaal in union sq
17 hours ago Sept 29 18:11ET

JayPowPow Jason Powell (NYC)
Jake Gyllenhaal in the house instagr.am/p/OlxxJ/ (Jake alone)
15 hours ago Sept 29 20:03 ET

ridingbieber people (New Jersey)
Met Jake Gyllenhaal today (: I love life.
14 hours ago Sept 29 21:11 ET

prairiegirl said...

bethdavidson_ Beth Davidson
Jake Gyllenhaal in the common room, hiyyaah
5 hours ago Sept 30 05:33ET

artfulgourmet Kristen Hess
OMG just saw Jake Gyllenhaal drive by in an SUV in TriBeCa. Love this town!
2 hours ago Sept 30 14:08 ET

joikimball Joanna Kimball
Just saw Jake Gyllenhaal at a cafe in Tribecca he's a hottie
1 hour ago Sept 30 15:15ET

Youyoung_Lee Youyoung Lee
Spotted: Jake Gyllenhaal and Fabrizio from the Strokes. Spotted also: Asian girl furiously texting about it, e.g. me.
30 Sep 22:15ET

Wk of 9/25 sighting at 10th St Steambaths – no mention of companion/ no specific date or time given


@marcgcairnsMarc Cairns
Jake Gyllenhaal at @BOFFO_NY opening on Walker St last night. He is Tom Cruise short, this makes me feel better about myself. #celebspotting
4 hours agovia web 08:58 Oct 1

xSteveEdgex Steve Vanica
jake gyllenhaal sighting at Angelica Kitchen. Dude rode here on his bike in the rain.
1 Oct 15:38ET

LineyintheCity Caroline Anthony
Just passed Jake Gyllenhaal in line to get coffee on my street, wanted to ask for a photo but had to get kiddies back home...bummer :(
1 hour ago Oct 3 10:31ET

ultrateg Donny Tsang
oh hey took me 70mins to get to work (normally 25mins) & saw jake gyllenhaal on the 2 train
4 minutes ago 10:59 Oct ET

prairiegirl said...

Phew. That was hard work, I ain't kidding, lol.

And who's to say they're all legitimate? But when you have more than one around the same time around the same area or place, then probably the smoke is legit.


I notice 1 thing for sure:

Why is Jake taking his laptop/headphones every time he's seen at a coffee place or even eating breakfast like that lady saw him? You will see in several of the coffee pics that Jake has his laptop and in one he has his headphones on.

If Jake has a place in NYC, you know that he has to have WiFi at home. And he has been spotting purchasing bags of coffee beans.

So why is he constantly going out for coffee and using these coffeehouses' WiFi to get on his laptop?

If you had your own place in NYC, wouldn't you for the most part, choose to drink and get on the internet in the comfort of your own home?So you had a bathroom nearby, you could lounge around in whatever, chat with family members?

But he's alone. In a big city. Alone with his laptop and headphones.

Makes you wonder, doesn't it?

prairiegirl said...

Now, it's not like he's alone all the time because he's been a busy guy on the social circuit and good for him on that. Sting's party, the fashion party.

But notice he is out many times late, like 9-10-11. He also seems to be out a lot around late afternoon. It just seemed like I saw 1500 a lot. You also didn't see any 7, 8am's with the exception of that Common area thing and I don't know about that one anyway.

My pondering on the 1500 tendencies? Nap times. The late night times? After small ones are safely tucked into bed.

prairiegirl said...

Hey, last night was Andy Rooney's last night on 60 minutes.

It astounds me that Disney makes a bunch of money off of The Lion King and then years later, re-release it in 3D and make a ton more.

Now if they re-did Mary Poppins in 3D, I just might go see that.

It just seems kind of a lazy way to make a ton of money. But hey - it worked. **shakes head**.

destiny said...

Kids movies seem to be the only ones making money at the box office lately. Maybe Disney will put everything in 3D after Lion King's success. ;0

destiny said...

Jake was mentioned in a short story in the Wall Street Journal about that jewelry store opening for the designer Irene Neuwirth went to Friday night. Unfortunately the on-line version is only available to subscribers (not me), so I'll have to type it up:

Mr. Gyllenhaal, nonchalantly mingling with the musicians, casually leaned against a wall and chatted up a woman.(He declined to have his photo taken.) Asked who the actor might be jewelry shopping for, Ms Neuwirth said "Oh, nobody here!"

Mr Gyllenhaal was asked if he supports the Wall Street protesters, but he only laughed and shrugged. Pressed for further comment, he zipped his lips with a finger, still laughing.


Two other things of note, they made it sound like Jake was the only actor there, and that it was mostly indie musicians, including Ed Droste, lead singer of Grizzly Bear, who told the paper that he'd married his boyfriend the previous weekend on Cape Cod.