As a rabbi and proud member of a LGBTQ+ family, I want to emphasize the critical importance of free and fair elections, and to urge all queer Georgians and our allies to exercise their right to vote — won in the sweat and blood of those who came before us.
The book of Exodus describes God’s revelation of the Torah to the Israelites on Mount Sinai. At that moment, we are told, the Israelites say na’aseh v’nishmah — in Hebrew, “we will do and we will heed” God’s Torah. Their verbal acceptance of Torah illustrates a timeless principle. Rulers are only legitimate if the people are given a voice. Today, we call that principle “consent of the governed.”
However, our LGBTQ+ community is confronting candidates for office who would deny both our voice and our humanity. A wave of hateful legislation threatens to swamp our hard-fought gains. From draconian restrictions on gender-affirming care to insidious bans on LGBTQ+ discourse in schools, these laws are not just setbacks — they’re attempts to erase us from the public sphere.
The teaching in Genesis that all people are created in the Divine image signals to us that everyone deserves basic dignity, regardless of sexual or gender identity. Our political opponents seek to deny that very dignity. And in a post-Roe world, we are reminded that the Torah instructs us that, during life-threatening pregnancies, the lives of women remain sacred. In such cases, they must retain their right to access the best healthcare through doctors and nurses. Tragically, political forces in this country have perverted our sacred texts in ways that threaten the lives of queer folks and women of childbearing age.
In the face of such challenges, our most potent tool for change is our vote. Yet even this fundamental right is under attack. Voter suppression campaigns and gerrymandered districts designed with mercenary precision threaten both our political power and our very survival.
To my queer community: Embrace your civic duty with the fierce courage that has always defined us. Vote in every election as if your life depends on it — because it does. And to our allies: This is your fight, too. Understand that every attack on voting rights is a direct assault on LGBTQ+ existence. Stand with us, unwavering and resolute.
In the face of those who would not just silence our voices, but deny our very right to live in this nation, let our ballots be our battle cry. Our votes are not just marks on a page — they are the indelible ink with which we write our community’s future.
I am proud to partner with growing numbers of religious leaders across the nation who stand for the dignity and humanity of all God’s children, and who know that fair elections and the consent of the governed must transcend partisanship — they are moral imperatives.