Imagine belonging to a faith that is fighting to keep you out—and refusing to leave. Some of you in our Mama Dragons community know this experience well. Some of you are still living it, loving your families and your traditions while also working, every day, to make change from within. That tension—the push and pull between belonging and exclusion—is not unique to any one faith. Today In the Den, Sara is joined by Miryam Kabakov, a national leader who has spent more than three decades walking alongside LGBTQ+ people in Orthodox communities. She is the Executive Director and co-founder of Eshel, an organization that provides support, resources, and community for LGBTQ+ Orthodox individuals and their families—and is helping to quietly, steadily shift what’s possible from the inside. Sara and Miryam talk about what it means to stay in a tradition that doesn’t always make room for you, how families navigate love and religious commitment, and why change—especially in deeply traditional spaces—often begins with small, brave acts of connection.
Listen to the full episode