Give

OUR MISSION

To Empower Communities to Advance and Celebrate Gender and Sexual Diversity Across The South.

OUR VISION

A South rooted in belonging, full inclusion, and justice.

Core Values

  1. Jewish Identity – SOJOURN serves both Jewish and secular communities while centering Jewish identity within our vision of a big tent. We support people who may feel ostracized from their Jewish heritage, as well as those who feel deeply rooted in Jewish life, in creating welcoming LGBTQ+ Jewish spaces rooted in belonging, connection, and shared values.
  2. Liberation – We support each person in their personal journey of the freedom to be their true self without any oppression. This is a liberatory concept and SOJOURN honors the individual journey to liberation. 
  3. Individual Worth – Humans are B’tzelem Elohim – made in the image of God so each individual is holy, precious, beloved, and valuable.
  4. Intersectionality – Intersectionality encourages us to remember that people should not have to choose between their identities, be it gender, sexual orientation, race, ability, socioeconomics or connection to Judaism. Identities should not need to be prioritized. Each individual is entitled to identify when, where, and to whom they wish. 
  5. Empathy – Empathy is the ability to feel another’s story as your own. Developing empathy helps us to see and feel the hearts of others, even if they are different from ourselves.
  6. Education – Accurate, factual information provides the foundation for SOJOURN programs. Along with data about the landscape of LGBTQ+ needs, interests and policy, education on queer culture, Judaics, and the changing landscape of gender identity and sexual orientation is core to SOJOURN programs.  
  7. Community – Community brings connection. Connection brings support which leads to self worth. SOJOURN helps people and entire communities develop and maintain deep and meaningful connections across multiple identities.

Why GSD?

SOJOURN uses “gender and sexually diverse” – or the acronym “GSD” – to refer to the community that we serve and advocate for.

The term “gender and sexual diversity” refers to the infinite variations on gender expression, sexuality, and the combinations thereof that can inform a person’s identity. As our notions of binaries in both gender and sexuality are eroding, it’s becoming clear that not everyone whose gender or sexuality differs from the heterosexual, cisgender norm sees themselves fully represented by one of the categories in the LGBTQIA+ acronym. “Gender and sexual diversity” also provides space for people still figuring out who they are to exist within the community without having to attach themselves to definitive labels.

PRESS RELEASES AND STATEMENTS

  1. SOJOURN stands with trans youth, always: A statement on the U.S. v. Skrmetti decision, June 18, 2025
  2. A Statement on Recent Anti-Semitic Violence, June 4, 2025
  3. Statement on RFRA Passage in Georgia, April 7, 2025
  4. It’s Jewish To Support Trans Rights, January 31, 2025