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This Year's Lehrer Prize: Supporting Trans Kids
Tune in Wednesday, February 7 at 8 p.m. on WNYC to hear a discussion of the awards, and conversations with this year's winners of the Lehrer Prize for Community Well-Being.
Community well-being is a phrase drawn from the public health arena that takes into account the combination of social, economic, environmental, cultural, and political conditions that affect people in a particular community.
This year's theme: People and organizations whose work supports transgender children and their families.
The Winning Organizations and their Leaders:
Wren Rhodes (they/them), executive director of The Sam & Devorah Foundation for Trans Youth. The foundation provides evidence-based mentorship programs, youth retreats, and leadership retreats for trans and non-binary young people. Their Trans Mentor Project (TMP) pairs trans youth (ages 13-24) with trained trans mentors for structured, secure online support.
Rabbi Mike Moskowitz, Scholar-in-Residence for Trans and Queer Jewish Studies at Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, the world’s largest LGBTQ+ synagogue. Rabbi Moskowitz's experiences with a trans loved one has pushed him toward an interpretation of Jewish faith, particularly in more conservative sects, that embraces gender as belonging to the soul, rather than the body, and pushes beyond 'tolerance' to celebrate trans people as sources of spiritual wisdom and inspiration. He has written many books about the moral imperative in Jewish law to be allies and activists for social justice.
Marjie Kemper, Chair of the inclusivity team at a Unitarian Universalist congregation in Croton, in the Hudson Valley. Their initiative "Fourth Fridays" is just a year old, and creates social spaces for LGBTQ+ people in a relatively rural part of our community. In addition to social events for youth and training workshops for adults, they are looking to create a network of school-based GSAs and other supportive civic organizations to coordinate the existing patchwork of support that exists in the Hudson Valley.
Plus: Comic illustrator and graphic designer Rhea Ewing, author of Fine: A Comic About Gender (Liveright, 2022) talks about their gender journey, and how trying to communicate gender through art helped them better understand how to think about gender.
About the Lehrer Prize:The award is named after WNYC’s Peabody Award-winning host Brian Lehrer, whose daily call-in show aims to build community by bringing listeners together with elected officials, community leaders, policy-makers, journalists, and each other to convene conversations about the issues affecting our city, our nation, and our lives. Founded to commemorate Brian Lehrer’s 30th anniversary on-air at WNYC, The Lehrer Prize recognizes a standout idea, person, group, or effort that has contributed meaningfully to life in New York City and the surrounding areas over the past year. Each honoree receives $2,500 to continue their organization's outstanding work.
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By Tune in Wednesday, February 7 at 8 p.m. on WNYC to hear a discussion of the awards, and conversations with this year's winners of the Lehrer Prize for Community Well-Being.
Community well-being is a phrase drawn from the public health arena that takes into account the combination of social, economic, environmental, cultural, and political conditions that affect people in a particular community.
This year's theme: People and organizations whose work supports transgender children and their families.
The Winning Organizations and their Leaders:
Wren Rhodes (they/them), executive director of The Sam & Devorah Foundation for Trans Youth. The foundation provides evidence-based mentorship programs, youth retreats, and leadership retreats for trans and non-binary young people. Their Trans Mentor Project (TMP) pairs trans youth (ages 13-24) with trained trans mentors for structured, secure online support.
Rabbi Mike Moskowitz, Scholar-in-Residence for Trans and Queer Jewish Studies at Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, the world’s largest LGBTQ+ synagogue. Rabbi Moskowitz's experiences with a trans loved one has pushed him toward an interpretation of Jewish faith, particularly in more conservative sects, that embraces gender as belonging to the soul, rather than the body, and pushes beyond 'tolerance' to celebrate trans people as sources of spiritual wisdom and inspiration. He has written many books about the moral imperative in Jewish law to be allies and activists for social justice.
Marjie Kemper, Chair of the inclusivity team at a Unitarian Universalist congregation in Croton, in the Hudson Valley. Their initiative "Fourth Fridays" is just a year old, and creates social spaces for LGBTQ+ people in a relatively rural part of our community. In addition to social events for youth and training workshops for adults, they are looking to create a network of school-based GSAs and other supportive civic organizations to coordinate the existing patchwork of support that exists in the Hudson Valley.
Plus: Comic illustrator and graphic designer Rhea Ewing, author of Fine: A Comic About Gender (Liveright, 2022) talks about their gender journey, and how trying to communicate gender through art helped them better understand how to think about gender.
About the Lehrer Prize:The award is named after WNYC’s Peabody Award-winning host Brian Lehrer, whose daily call-in show aims to build community by bringing listeners together with elected officials, community leaders, policy-makers, journalists, and each other to convene conversations about the issues affecting our city, our nation, and our lives. Founded to commemorate Brian Lehrer’s 30th anniversary on-air at WNYC, The Lehrer Prize recognizes a standout idea, person, group, or effort that has contributed meaningfully to life in New York City and the surrounding areas over the past year. Each honoree receives $2,500 to continue their organization's outstanding work.