This phrase is coined by a drag queen featured on RuPaul's Drag Race.
Drag queens teach us the art of fearless self-expression, transforming stages into vibrant canvases of identity and empowerment.
And I strive to embrace their bold creativity, amplifying my own voice and celebrating every inch of authenticity in my journey. Whether that means expressing myself through modeling, go-go dancing, making reels, music, poetry, body-paint, nurturing friendships, or exploring new avenues of creativity and inspiration.
Pride Shabbat, last year I presented a powerful speech and was invited to do so by Rabbi David Kay. During the event, I had a moment of realization: am I the guest speaker?
Having attended the yearly event a few times before, I recalled there was always a guest speaker in attendance.
As he gave my introduction, it suddenly clicked for me: "Oh, holy crap! I am the guest speaker!"
After the event, he asked me for my words, but I wasn't quite ready to give them up. I needed time to process this speech. Now that I've started diving back into writing, I feel it's a great time to revisit the opportunity to share my thoughts.
Friday, October 13, 2023 • 28 Tishrei 5784.
I dedicate this Poem from my novel, Viva La Yves for anyone who is suffering from pain, loss, or who feels like they don’t have a place in this world.
You Matter
My voice is deep, Eloquent.
Tonight I don't have
Much to say.
But you are brave Not for your looks, Not for your walk, But for your Soul.
You are loved, And you Matter.
I grew up in this Jewish Community and I’ve been blessed to see amazing changes supporting the LGBTQ+ over the last decade. When I embraced my own desire to spend my life with a woman or a man, or whomever I choose, gay men and lesbians in this Jewish Community were only beginning to use the term queer to include not only each other, but also people who identify as transgender or bisexual, like myself.
Today marks the 5th Pride Shabbat and I am so proud of what our community, kehilah has provided to support and include the LGBTQ+.
There was a time of personal shame and I just want to share that you should never be ashamed of the skin you live in, your own experience and scars are your story of valor. As confident as I may seem in my skin, I still remind myself this.
As I dive into this week’s Torah Portion,
I want to confirm and explain that there is more to living than how traditional society tells us to.
Often heard in our lives is the story of Creation, Adam and Eve. This week’s Torah portion is B’reishit Bara Elohim. In the beginning, God created. It is the inception of what we believe to be the world as we know, as we have been taught.
This story can be analyzed in many ways… As today marks Pride Shabbat,
I decided to look at it through a non-binary lens. To tell you all that this first parashah can be a story of feeling loneliness and the development of human love. It can be read without the heterosexual normative that Adam was the first man and Eve was the first woman.
So, we read that God has created all of these wondrous things…the sun, the moon, the sky, the waves, the stars, heaven, animals, etc. then God creates a being in God’s image, Adam. Adam is created from ashes and dust, Adam comes from the Hebrew word adamah, meaning "ground," "earth," and "soil."
This parashah recognizes that Adam is human, but does not inform us that Adam is a man. When you translate “Adam,” we receive the word “person.” The beginning also delivers us the base that Adam was lonely. I personally have identified with the fact that Eve was made for a man, and have struggled with this ideology – but after investigating this week’s parashah, I’m stating Adam is not just a man, Adam is a human and Eve symbolizes the need for companionship, something most of us long and hope for.
It doesn’t matter if Adam is or isn’t a man and if Eve is a woman, the lesson is not about gender. The focus here would be that since the beginning, we are taught that love, connection and partnership are the first fundamental part of what makes us human.
The human experience includes loneliness but it also carries the emotion of love. Whether that be romantic love, platonic love, or familial love, all of us together descend from common ancestors and are equally sacred.
The original human doesn’t have a specific gender. With God’s divine creation in motion, in this parashah we can allow ourselves to spotlight the yearning for contact, companionship, and not feeling shame. We can see Eve, a vessel for connection. With all of this being said, we should continue to love one another and spread kindness and keep communication open.
Thank you, Shabbat Shalom.
Thank you for taking the time to read my speech. It was no easy task getting up in front of my Jewish community and almost re-coming out to a large room filled with both familiar faces and strangers. No one clapped when I got off the bima. I believe my words shocked some and others were in awe of the power the words held. I'm happy to be revisiting my words and sharing them with you all.
Please feel free to explore my blog VivaLaYves.com and connect with me, online.
To Order your copy of Viva La Yves: https://forms.gle/k7ZgU391rJ69zZVM6
For Questions and Connections,
Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jgetty.artmodel/
Feel your feelings
Love the skin you're in
Keep creating
Janna
Commenti