In honor of Coming Out Month we are thrilled to welcome Dr. Dana Beyer on Wed., Oct. 2 at 7:00 pm: “Boychik-Treading Water and Breaking Out-A Life in Two Acts.”  Dr. Beyer, a woman of trans history, will inspire us with her message that “Life is to be lived to the fullest, and that can’t be done ensconced in a closet.  Know thyself–as hard as it may be, as long as it may take, you can and must break out.”  

Consider this interesting research in light of Dr. Beyer’s message: In an article, called “The Lethality of Loneliness: How Isolation Can Kill You,” (New Republic, May 13, 2013)  Judith Shulevitz reports the experience of gay men during the first decade of the HIV/AIDS crisis. Researchers asked:  Why, did some people die faster than others?  They concluded: the social experience that most reliably predicted whether an HIV-positive gay man’s health would decline quickly, was whether or not he was in the closet.  Passing as someone else forced a closeted man to police every piece of information known about him, live in constant terror of exposure, impose sharp limits on friendship.  The reality of a closeted life is one extreme example of emotional isolation, the ultimate loneliness from one’s true self.

Anyone–LGBT or not–can face the challenge of discovering and sharing our truest essence.  Please join us on Oct 2 as we celebrate Coming Out Month (Sponsored by Congregation Beth Ahavah at RS).