Making Events Accessible to Deaf People
I am 36 and halfway through law school. My wife and I been together eleven years and had a ceremony 4 years ago. She is Deaf and a lung cancer survivor. She is the most amazing woman I've ever met.
I work as a sign language interpreter and as a law clerk. I have facilitated a support group for young queer women at the Lesbian Resource Center in Seattle, Wash. I'm now co-president of Lambda Law Students at the University of New Mexico law school where I am one of a handful of out lesbians. I'm very proud that we have been able to bring Ben Leal of Lambda Legal and Matthew Coles of the ACLU to speak to students. We regularly hold discussions about marriage equality and "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policies.
I have worked hard within the GLBT community to make events accessible to Deaf people. I was interpreter coordinator for Pride in Seattle, then I worked at San Francisco Pride including the first ever Nectar women's stage, and since moving to New Mexico I have coordinated interpreting for Albuquerque Pride every year.
My family is very supportive. I have a gay younger sister as well. She was best woman at our wedding and learned sign language to communicate directly with her sister-in-law. Our ceremony was well attended; all my family flew in from all over including my very proud grandparents and members of the Deaf community from all over the U.S.
We had a Jewish/Deaf/Native American wedding ceremony at the university duck pond with a gospel singer. My partner comes from a Fundamentalist Christian Assembly of God family (they didn't attend) and she is part Cherokee so we had a special blessing done in Cherokee sign language in addition to all the regular Hebrew, English, and ASL (American Sign Language).
Our family now consists of two dogs and two cats. We are planning to try and get pregnant in the next year or two. I will be testifying this spring at the state legislature in support of marriage equality where a few of my very supportive law school classmates are legislators.
Shoshanah Epstein
Jan. 11, 2008