O pinion
LGBTQ People Lack Full Legal Protections in Every State.

Jews Need to Be Part of the Solution
BY STACY SCHUSTERMAN
IN THE 1980s, Dennis Neill, an
employee of our family business,
came out as gay to my late father,
Charles Schusterman. Coming
out in Tulsa, Oklahoma, during
the height of the AIDS crisis
was a risky thing to do, and it
could have cost Neill his job.

But my father embraced Neill
and assured him that his job
was safe.

At the time, there was no law
in Oklahoma to prevent Neill
from being fired or discrimi-
nated against simply for being
gay. My father provided that
protection on his own. Nearly
20 years later, Neill’s story and
many others like it inspired me
to ensure that our company
extended full benefits to
LGBTQ+ people, even though
no federal law and very few
state laws mandated we provide
such benefits.

Even today, no such laws
exist in many states or at the
federal level. Despite measur-
able achievements for LGBTQ
rights, such as legalizing
same-sex marriage, the federal
government has never passed
comprehensive legislation for
fair and equal treatment of
LGBTQ people.

That could change soon as
the U.S. Senate prepares to
vote on the Equality Act. If
signed into law, the Equality
Act would prohibit employers
in all 50 states from discrim-
inating against employees
on the basis of sexual orien-
tation and gender identity. It
would also protect LGBTQ
people from discrimination in
housing, education, govern-
ment services and public
spaces. As a business owner, philan-
thropist and American Jew who
strives to honor the dignity of
all people and to work toward a
more just and inclusive society,
I believe this is a critical
moment for our community to
mobilize in support of LGBTQ
rights. Beginning under the
leadership of my mother, Lynn,
our family’s philanthropy has
proudly supported efforts to
advance LGBTQ equality for
more than two decades. We
have seen how investments in
LGBTQ rights — in the U.S.,
Israel and in our home state
of Oklahoma — have led to
significant progress and, in
turn, helped to strengthen
communities civically, socially
and even economically.

Today, I call on all American
Jews to join with Keshet to
support the Equality Act so that
all people in the U.S. — regard-
less of their sexual orientation
or gender identity — can live
with dignity. Reach out to your
senators to tell them to vote for
the legislation. Encourage your
family and networks to do the
same. And urge Jewish organi-
zations you are a part of to join
Keshet’s coalition of partners.

We need all American Jews to
take action.

Numerous polls indicate
that roughly 80% of Americans
— including a majority of
Democrats, Republicans and
Independents — support a
bill like the Equality Act. Yet
LGBTQ people continue to
lack full legal protections in
every state.

The impact on people’s
lives has been disastrous.

For example, in Missouri, a
lesbian couple was denied an
apartment in a senior living
community because their
marriage is “not understood
in the Bible.” And in my home
state of Oklahoma, a professor
at Southeastern Oklahoma
State University was denied
tenure and not permitted to
reapply to teach the following
school year after she came out
as transgender.

The safety and dignity of
LGBTQ workers should not
depend on the generosity
of individual employers.

Similarly, housing security for
LGBTQ tenants should not
be subject to the whim of a
landlord. Passing the Equality
Act would ensure that LGBTQ
Americans nationwide —
including many members of
our own Jewish community
— would not be denied oppor-
tunities simply because of their
sexual orientation or gender
identity. Historically, many faith
groups have fueled discrimina-
tion against LGBTQ people in
the name of religion. I fear that
conservative religious voices
will continue to grow louder
in the coming weeks. That is
why Jewish communities must
uphold the ethical mandates
of our tradition by advocating
for justice, equality and basic
human dignity for LGBTQ
Americans in all 50 states —
now more than ever before.

We know that when the
Jewish community organizes
for LGBTQ rights, we make a
critical difference. For example,
in 2018, when anti-trans groups
sought to legalize discrimina-
tion against transgender people
in Massachusetts, Keshet
mobilized the largest Jewish
campaign in history to protect
transgender rights — and their
work paid off. Seventy percent
of Jewish community organi-
zations in Massachusetts,
including 100 synagogues,
joined Keshet’s campaign.

Thanks to the work of a broad
coalition of partners, including
Keshet, voters resoundingly
defeated the effort to rescind
legal protections for trans
people in Massachusetts.

When I think back to the
1980s, I’m proud that my father
embraced and supported Neill.

And under my mother’s leader-
ship, Neill went on to become a
leader in our family’s philan-
thropic efforts to advance
LGBTQ rights in Tulsa. But it is
unconscionable that nearly 40
years later, people still cannot
rely on the law to protect them.

No one should have to live in
fear that they will be fired from
a job or denied an apartment
simply for living their lives.

Passing the Equality Act
would be a major step toward
building an American society
rooted in justice and dignity for
everyone. I urge all American
Jews to join Keshet’s campaign
to help pass the Equality Act.

Together, let’s build an inclusive
future that reflects our Jewish
values and benefits us all. l
The board’s tough decision
to take this step was carefully
evaluated. The decision was
motivated by the trustees’
and professional leader-
ship’s resolute commitment
to continue and renew the
museum’s mission of telling
the inspiring stories of how
America benefited the Jewish
people in ways that weren’t
possible anywhere else in the
world, and how American
Jews contributed to “building
a more perfect Union” here in
the U.S.

We were prepared to work
through the bankruptcy
process, building on the
momentum of our recent
successes: a hit special exhibi-
tion, “Notorious RBG: The Life
Stacy Schusterman is chair of the
Charles and Lynn Schusterman
Family Philanthropies.

NMAJH Set to Rebound in 2021
BY MISHA GALPERIN
14 APRIL 1, 2021
“The reports of my death have bankruptcy protection. The goal
been greatly exaggerated ...”
was to reduce the unsustainable
— Mark Twain burden of debt the institution
had been carrying since the 2010
ON MARCH 3, 2020 — just opening of its magnificent new
over a year ago — I wrote a building on Independence Mall
piece for this very publication in Philadelphia overlooking
entitled “Is American Jewish Independence Hall and the
History Worth Telling?”
Liberty Bell (with its inscrip-
The National Museum tion from Leviticus, “Proclaim
of American Jewish History liberty throughout all the
had just filed for Chapter 11 land”).

JEWISH EXPONENT
See Galperin, Page 26
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM



O pinion
Asian Americans Carry Generational
Trauma. We Need to Talk About It
BY JENNY WONG
MANY IN THE Northern
California community may
know me as Berkeley’s elected
city auditor. In that role, I
project an image of profes-
sionalism, competence and the
confidence that comes with
decades of experience and an
advanced education. But the
recent murder of eight people
in Atlanta, six of whom were
Asian-American women —
following attacks on Asian
Americans in the Bay Area —
hit me especially hard.

They brought f lowing
back memories of a lifetime
of discrimination because of
my race and class, experiences
I only started talking about
when I ran for office nearly
three years ago.

The Atlanta murders cap a
year of growing discrimina-
tion and violence directed at
Asian Americans, spurred in
large part by former President
Trump and his supporters
branding COVID-19 the
“China virus.” Hate crimes
against Asian Americans have
increased nearly 150% in the
past year and are significantly
underreported. Many who
have been silent for so long in
the face of years of discrim-
ination are summoning the
courage to speak up.

Like many of the Atlanta
victims, my parents were
working-class immigrants who
toiled at a small business for
a better life for their children.

JEWISHEXPONENT.COM When I saw the pictures of
the women and pictures of the
children who lost their mother,
I thought, “Those women
could have been my mother
and those children could have
been me.”
I came to the United States
at age 6 with my family. We did
not have much, and my parents
were able to work managing a
low-end motel — the kind that
rents by the hour as well as
the day — thanks to a relative
who was already in the United
States. My childhood involved
living in, cleaning and helping
manage a series of motels until
my parents were able to scrape
together the money to buy
one that provided us a more
family. Except for the one time
in elementary school when I
slapped a girl who would not
stop picking on my younger
sister, I kept my head down. If
only I worked hard and did not
cause any trouble, things would
get better. That was what I was
taught by my parents and the
Asian immigrant community,
and so that is what I thought.

And in many ways they
did. I graduated from college,
obtained a graduate degree
and embarked on a career
as an auditor at the federal
Government Accountability
Office. While I still continued
to face discrimination from
time to time — such as when I
went to Los Alamos to conduct
I have clear memories of these early years.

I remember my dad being thrown “like a
chicken,” according to my mom, through a
window by a disgruntled customer, breaking
several bones.

permanent home.

I have clear memories of
these early years. I remember
my dad being thrown “like
a chicken,” according to my
mom, through a window
by a disgruntled customer,
breaking several bones. I
remember weekly comments
by elementary school class-
mates making fun of the shape
of my eyes, admonitions to
“go back to China” and taunts
about the “smelly” Chinese
food my mom sent me for
lunch. In junior high and high
school, the comments lessened,
but I still faced monthly racial
insults. Through these experiences,
I rarely fought back or spoke up.

We were immigrants, without
proper papers for a time. I lived
in fear that something would
happen to my parents or our
an audit and the officials
demanded to see my passport,
but not my white colleague’s,
to prove I was a citizen — life
improved. I was able to establish the
life my parents dreamed for
me. I married, have two high
school-age kids and do not face
the economic challenges my
parents did. But the memories
of the discrimination I faced,
and continue to face from time
to time, never went away.

My experience with racism
and discrimination is not
unique. In fact, it is quite
common, yet seldom talked
about. Many Asian Americans
carry a lifetime of memories, or
even generations of trauma, yet
our stories are seldom centered.

Living in a culture that does
See Wong, Page 23
JEWISH EXPONENT
KVETCH ’N’ KVELL
Bartos’ Pride Misplaced
WHY IS JEFF BARTOS (“Jeff Bartos Announces Bid for US
Senate,” March 18) still proud to say that he voted for Donald
Trump, an inveterate liar who was impeached twice, reinforced
divisions among our people, refused to accept the results of an
election that was proven numerous times to be legitimate and
used repeated lies to foster an insurrection on our Capitol?
The first time, perhaps, we could excuse a voter for making a
mistake. But, twice, after so much had been revealed about this
misguided and soulless person? Other than Israel, Trump has
treated our allies with disrespect and our countries of concern
with undeserved generosity and praise. Surely Bartos knows
that there is more to being a good Jew and a good American
than supporting the settlements in Israel and moving the U.S.

embassy to Jerusalem.

Quite honestly, I felt ill when I read this article. I couldn’t
sleep. So, I ask Bartos to reconsider his loyalty to Trump. If he
truly wants to help our country fulfill its potential and unite
all Americans, he will distance himself from Trump and all of
his enablers. This is the time for men and women of integrity,
honesty and a genuine understanding and appreciation of who
we are to help lead America out of the expanded wilderness that
Trump created.

Alexis Gerard Finger | Bala Cynwyd
Co-author’s Anti-Semitism Should Have Been
Acknowledged Jesse Bernstein’s review of the book “Except for Palestine:
The Limits of Progressive Politics” (“Reviews: Failed Case,
Compelling Treasure Hunt,” March 18) neglects to mention the
most crucial fact: Marc Lamont Hill, one of the co-authors, was
fired by CNN for his anti-Israel comments before the U.N., and
was also condemned by Temple University, whose trustees said
that Hill’s comments are “widely perceived as language that
threatens the existence of the state of Israel” that “has been used
by anti-Israel terror groups.”
Furthermore, the trustees said that Hill’s words were criticized
as “virulent anti-Semitism” and “hate speech.” Surely Bernstein
should have mentioned that, in addition to being “muddled and
confusing,” the cogent fact about the book is that Hill, one of the
authors, has reiterated his genocidal call for an end to Israel as
the Jewish state a recent interview. The Exponent owes its readers
book reviews that provide such critical background to prospec-
tive readers. l
Stephen A. Shalet | West Chester
STATEMENT FROM THE PUBLISHER
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ters to the editor published in the Jewish Exponent are those of the authors. They do
not necessarily reflect the views of the officers and boards of the Jewish Publishing
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