(X-Post) 14 Jews Who Changed Queer History Forever
It’s officially the most colorful time of the year — pride month! Which means it’s the perfect time to spotlight some of our favorite queer Jews who have made a lasting impact on the LGBTQ community and world at large.
From Gaby Dunn and King Princess to Ben Platt and Troye Sivan, we’ve written extensively about queer Jewish icons we admire in pop culture. But now, I’m going to give you a brief history lesson about 14 badass LGBTQIA+ Jews who changed queer history forever. Get your notebooks and number 2 pencils out!
First up is badass Betty Berzon who is famously known for being one of the first psychotherapists to treat gay and lesbian patients. After suppressing her homosexuality for the majority of her life, at 40, Berzon came out privately as a lesbian. A few years after that, the trailblazer publicly announced her sexuality at a conference called “Homosexual in America,” making her the first psychotherapist in the States to come out as gay. It was a huge deal because at the time, homosexuality was still considered a disease by the American Psychoanalytic Association. But, just two years after our girl Berzon bravely shared her identity, the APA declassified homosexuality as a mental illness. Fuck yeah!
With Terry DeCrescenzo, her life long partner, by her side, Berzon founded what’s now known as the Society for the Psychological Study of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues. She wrote several books including a memoir, Surviving Madness, a Therapist’s Own Story, and Permanent Partners: Building Gay and Lesbian Relationships, which the LA Times says has been referred to “as a how-to manual for same-sex couples trying to stay together.”
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