Why Straight People Go to Gay Synagogues
http://www.forward.com/articles/107069/Jay Michaelson
6/3/09
In the next few weeks, gay and lesbian synagogues and Jewish organizations will be marching in New York, San Francisco and other cities around the country as part of gay pride parades. But many of the people marching won't be gay themselves: More and more "gay" or GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender) synagogues have significant percentages of "straight allies" among their membership — in some cases, even majorities. Although there are no precise statistics quantifying this trend, it is unmistakable to anyone who visits one of these congregations, and, in an era of shrinking synagogue affiliation, prompts the question of why these institutions are growing among a population they do not even try to serve. Maybe all of us have something to learn here.
