LGBT activist victim of vile ‘homophobic’ abuse by man for being Jewish and gay
Adam Eli was followed out the subway and shouted at for being Jewish and gay. (Adam Eli/ Twitter)
A man wearing a pink kippah faced shocking and vile ‘homophobic’ abuse because a complete stranger didn’t think he could be both Jewish and gay.
Adam Eli is an LGBT+ activist and founder of Voices 4. He told NBC New York that he was “presenting as queer” by wearing the pink kippah and carrying a sparkly, pink handbag.
While leaving a subway station in New York City on Monday, September 9, Eli was followed by the stranger who told him to “take [his] kippah off”, “stay in the closet” and that “this is not Judaism”. The stranger also claimed homosexuality was “an abomination”.
Eli caught the rant on camera and posted it on social media to raise awareness. He wrote on Twitter: “I got harassed, followed and threatened on the street today. Someone was upset that I was wearing a pink kippah, carrying a purse and had a pride patch sewn onto my jeans.”
THREAD: Trigger Warning: violent speech, harassment. I got harassed, followed and threatened on the street today. Someone was upset that I was wearing a pink kippah, carrying a purse and had a pride patch sewn onto my jeans. I am sharing the encounter for three reasons. pic.twitter.com/Y9HWiX2nSs
— Adam Eli (@aewerner) September 9, 2019
He added: “I spent the first 18 years of my life listening to people tell me I couldn’t be gay and Jewish. Today I love my queer Jewish identity and nobody is taking that away from me.
“This is a fraction of what our trans and gender nonconforming family get every single day.
“In this moment I was able to stand up to my attacker NOT because I’m brave, but because I’m a white resourced man in a heavily trafficked place. We know what happens when a white man attacks black trans women.
“To my fellow cis white gays who generally ‘pass’ for being hetero in public: this is what’s out there. Most of the time we can get on the subway, go for a run or go on a date in peace. That does not mean our struggle for queer liberation is over.
“Racism, transphobia, xenophobia, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism and ableism hold hands. Our ancestors taught us none of us are safe until all of us are safe.”
Yesterday, Bee Love Slater was named as the 17th black trans woman killed in the US so far this year.
New York mayor Bill de Blasio retweeted Eli’s post, and wrote: “It takes courage to confront homophobia and tell a story like this.
“I’m sorry you had to go through this, Adam. But we’re proud of how you responded. There’s no place for hate in this city.”
It takes courage to confront homophobia and tell a story like this.
I’m sorry you had to go through this, Adam. But we’re proud of how you responded.There’s no place for hate in this city. https://t.co/9SqgfRQhJd
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) September 10, 2019
According to NBC, Eli did not file a police report.
