JQY (Jewish Queer Youth) on Righteous Crowd This Week!

Jewish Queer Youth (JQY)
Supporting LGBTQ Youth in the Jewish Community

June is Global Pride Month and we are excited to feature an organization that supports and empowers LGBTQ youth in the Jewish community. JQY fights to ensure the emotional and physical health and safety of these individuals, with a special focus on teens and young adults from Orthodox, Chasidic, and Sephardic communities. JQY supports unique needs of its members through social and support programming, advocacy and education efforts. 

On their website, JQY shared: 

"As the world responds to COVID-19 with important safety measures that include staying at home and sheltering in place, it is important to think about the young people who rely on resources outside of their homes to be themselves. LGBTQ teens from Orthodox, Chasidic, and Sephardi/Mizrahi homes are more likely to face homophobia and transphobia in their households. The majority of JQY participants are not yet "out" to their parents. They often rely on their "chosen family" at school, on campus, or at JQY events for the opportunity to be their full authentic selves. The Coronavirus pandemic has temporarily taken away these spaces, and so for these young people, the quarantine at home can present serious challenges, risks, and dangers. JQY crisis and support resources are needed more than ever."

To read more about their COVID response, including a virtual drop in center, crisis hotline and "Closeup Conversations" series, click here.

Righteous Crowd supported JQY in June 2019. To read that interview with Founder and Clinical Director, Mordechai Levovitz click here.

JQY Executive Director Rachael Fried is a proud member of Righteous Crowd.