Bridgeway

Care Management & Home Care

A Division of Feinberg Consulting, Inc.

Overwhelmed by

caring for an aging
family member? f,

,
Pam Feinber a-Rivkin

iJ • SN, CCM RRN, ABDA

t4rvenfionist
°under & CEO

'

We Can Help

Faith In The Future

Jewish Gay Network welcomes
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Elizabeth Applebaum I Special to the Jewish News

Caregivers:
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• Help Around the Home
• Meal Prep for Special Diets
• Attending Appointments

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

For additional services visit: www.BridgewayCare.net

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10 January 1 • 2015

JN

Debora Renner and Faith Robinson

agency — because the world has become
much more accepting of diversity — and
a challenging time because there are still
so many who need help, she says.
Among JGN's newest projects is
Free To Be Me, which meets the first
Wednesday of every month at the JCC in
West Bloomfield. Headed by Kara Elias
of Community Network Services, Free
To Be Me provides mental assistance to
anyone who is lesbian, gay, bisexual or
transgender. Depression and substance
abuse are frequent concerns among
LGBT individuals rejected by family,
Robinson says.
She also initiated JGN's first
Candidates Night in November, which
attracted more than 75 guests and
15 candidates, both Democrats and
Republicans. Robinson says the program
will become a regular event.
She also is looking to create more
opportunity for Jewish gay and lesbian
elders and hopes to provide more inclu-
sion training for Jewish organizations
throughout the area.

Varied Experience
Robinson and Debora Renner recently
celebrated 35 years together and were
married on March 22 this year at the
Oakland County Clerk's office during
the short window when same-sex mar-
riages were legal in Michigan. Robinson
was married for a time to a man, with
whom she had two daughters. After they
divorced, she realized "I had to do some-
thing to support myself'
She initially planned to be a teacher
and majored in education at Wilmington
College in Ohio, but decided teaching
was not for her. She remembered watch-
ing electrical work done at her family
home and thinking, "This is fascinat-

ing:' So she moved from Battle Creek to
Detroit where she hoped to become an
apprentice.
But it wasrit exactly an easy, open
market for a woman, so Robinson
looked elsewhere — and found a job
with Orkin Pest Control. She became
the first female exterminator at Wayne
State University, prompting a newspaper
story to identify her as "Hired Killer on
Campus:'
Resist any temptation to think, "Did
the job bug her?" when she opted
to leave. Not at all. Robinson simply
decided to move on and found a position
working with Michigan Bell, stringing
cable and setting up poles, working
beside men who were sometimes nice
and sometimes not. She stayed 27 years
before retiring.
Over the years, she has been active not
only with LGBT rights, but also on issues
of importance to women, who often get
short shrift because of economic con-
cerns, she says. Men — gay or straight
— still command bigger salaries.
Today, Robinson enjoys sewing, cook-
ing, gardening and singing with two
local choirs, in addition to her work
with the JGN. She and Renner belong to
Temple Emanu-El, where Renner serves
on the board.
Robinson is both reflective, remem-
bering painfully difficult times for the
LGBT community, and appreciative that
today's world is much more tolerant.
She also wants to make it clear that
her greatest dream isn't living in some
kind of secluded world where the rabbi,
her boss, her mechanic and the mailman
are all gay. "I don't want to be separated:'
she says. "I want to be part of life
The JGN welcomes friends and
volunteers of all ages. For information
about upcoming events, visit www.
jccdet.org.

❑