When I began at Congregation Beit Simchat Torah (CBST) in 1992, the AIDS Crisis reigned unabated, and institutional Judaism formed part of the circle of stigma that was choking the LGBT community. Few synagogues were welcoming of LGBT people. Gay men were dying and funeral homes refused to accept their bodies. Queer people were rejected by schools, employers, their own families. Only gay synagogues would consider hiring gay rabbis. When I started at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 1985, the Conservative Movement would not yet ordain women, let alone out lesbians or gay men. The Reform Movement would not ordain openly lesbian or gay people.
As the Senior Rabbi of CBST, now the largest LGBT synagogue in the world, I have helped shatter glass ceilings and brick walls of anti-gay, anti-women, anti-queer, and anti-Semitic bigotry. Given the current wave of racism and misogyny it may be hard to remember that we have come far, but we have many victories behind us that should give us hope for the future. The pursuit of justice happens one victory, one change at a time. The same principles may lead us forward, but every challenge is unique to the moment we face it.