For Community Events

JQY Speaker’s Bureau: Community and Campus Panels

The JQY Speakers Bureau features an array of compelling speakers from Orthodox communities who are able to speak to the challenges, hopes and fears that exist around being LGBT in the frum world.

JQY is proud to have created the "It Gets Better for Gay Orthodox Gay Jews" video. The JQY "It Gets Better" video has become the premiere educational tool in Orthodox circles when it comes to teaching about LGBTQ sensitivity.  The Youtube movie has been viewed over 135,000 times.

Since its inception JQY has organized over 50 speaker’s panels and workshops for College Campus Hillels, Orthodox Synagogues, Jewish conferences and organizations.

Most famously JQY organized the Yeshiva University Gay Panel

  • YU Gay Panel - Being Gay in Yeshiva
    • JQY organized the groundbreaking speaker’s panel in Yeshiva College at Yeshiva University. The JQY panelists (consisting of YU students and alumni) talked about what it was like to grow up gay in Yeshiva. The event had over 1000 attendees and the subsequent online videos of the event have over ten thousand viewers!
    • The program has been credited with inspiring the The Statement Of Principles, in which over 200 Orthodox Rabbis called for the welcoming and acceptance of gays in the Orthodox community.
    • Press Coverage
    • Press Coverage
    • View the videos for this panel.

JQY provides panels and speakers upon request. Our speaker's bureau consists of individuals who are willing to share their personal stories to raise awareness of the issues faced by LGBT Jews in Orthodox communities. We work together with institutions to design a program that fits the organization’s individual needs and concerns.

Our speakers represent a range of experiences, ages, orientations, and gender identities. We also have a wide network of allies, parents, rabbis and mental health professionals with experience speaking about LGBT issues in the Orthodox community.

Past Panel Topics have included:

  • Growing up Gay and Orthodox
  • Counseling Gay Orthodox Jews: what helps, what hurts?
  • Being Gay in Yeshiva
  • Staying Orthodox while being LGBT
  • Bullying and homophobia in the Orthodox community
  • Keeping families together
  • Orthodox parents of LGBT Jews

For information about available speakers, honorariums, and logistics, contact us.

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