Dana Weinberg is the epitome of grace and respect as motherhood changed for her recently. In 2003 she, her husband Steve and eight-year-old son Rae moved to Malibu and quickly became part of the community. Life changed in 2016 when Rae affirmed his identity as a man and transitioned from female to male and officially changed his name to Raoul (in honor of Dana’s late father) Weinberg. Dana uses the pronoun “he” as effortlessly as if she’d been using it for 21 years.
On learning about receiving the Rosie Award, Weinberg stressed that her love for Raoul should not be considered exceptional.
“I feel very honored. I also want to address that I shouldn’t be singled out as an extra special mother just because I treated my child with the dignity and respect that he deserves—that everybody deserves,” Weinberg said. “While I understand how it’s very difficult for some families to go through this journey for a variety of reasons, having done so I’m not any more special than anyone else. I didn’t give up a kidney.” Still, Weinberg said she would like to raise awareness and respect for the transgender community.
Weinberg’s son, Raoul, is about to graduate from Goucher College. He’s been nominated for a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship, which is a grant to study abroad. Weinberg wants to study gender and discrimination against the gay community in India.
“There is a difference in which policies and culturally trans people are accepted because it is illegal to be homosexual, but the society accepts trans people more easily than gay people,” according to the elder Weinberg. “While it’s against the law to be gay, if you are part of a gay couple and you transition to the opposite sex, then you are no longer a gay couple and therefore it’s legal. In Pakistan the first openly trans woman was just hired to anchor a national news broadcast which is extraordinary because it’s against the law to be gay.”
Dana commented, “Being a mother is the most fulfilling experience of my life.” She also said she knows that many young people struggle with their gender and that she was glad to have provided a “safety net.”
“None of us can possibly imagine what it’s like to never connect to your body during your young life,” she said. Weinberg credited her own parents for their support as well as the community at Malibu Jewish Center and Synagogue.