Ex-Hasidic Women Shares Her Coming Out Story — and How She Won Back Custody of Her Kids
March 7, 2018Chavie Weisberger was raised in a Hasidic family — an ultra-orthodox Jewish sect — and “was groomed for the ultimate level of success, which was marriage,” she tells PEOPLE.
But after she came out to her family, “all hell broke loose,” says the 35-year-old Brooklyn native who now works at Footsteps, an organization that helps people who want to leave or have left the ultra-Orthodox community. “I lost my job and the support of my family and friends.”
She also lost custody of her three children, but after a five-year battle in court, she won her appeal in August 2017. Since then, it’s been “a whirlwind of new experiences and beautiful family bonding time.”
Chavie Weisberger
Sarah Goldstein
In Coming Out Stories, a new video series from PEOPLE and Entertainment Weekly, 16 LGBTQ people from all walks of life share how they opened up to friends, family and the world — and how their lives changed.
One inspiration for the series: the new movie Love, Simon (in theaters March 16), a moving comedy-drama about a gay teen (Nick Robinson) struggling with how to come out to his friends and parents (played by Jennifer Garner and Josh Duhamel). Love, Simon director Greg Berlanti (the producer behind TV’s Riverdale and Supergirl) tells his own coming out story in the series, as does costar Keiynan Lonsdale.
Others sharing their stories include Modern Family actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Grey’s Anatomy actress Sara Ramirez, retired NBA player Jason Collins, social media star Tyler Oakley and Brooke Guinan, a New York City firefighter who is transgender.
PEOPLE and EW partnered with GLSEN, a nonprofit that fights to make schools safe for all kids, to create Coming Out Stories. See all the hilarious and heartbreaking tales at people.com/comingoutstories or on PeopleTV (download the app on your favorite mobile or connected TV device).