Andrew Shaw wanted to see more diversity in the Jewish groups at UF Hillel. He found it in his friends who were coming out.
Shaw is one of the creators of Jewish Queers and Allies, a group created for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transexual Jewish students at UF.
Jessie Pincus, 21, an advertising junior, is in charge of event planning for Jewish Queers and Allies. Pincus, who created a Facebook page for the group Oct. 7, said the group's first meeting is being planned in the next two weeks.
"We're a religious-based LGBT group; that's what makes us so unique," said Jeffrey Kaplan, program director for UF Hillel, the Jewish student center for UF.
Kaplan said the group is also focused on allies, or people who are not queer or Jewish but may support the group's values.
Pincus, who is also the Pride Awareness Month public relations director for Pride Student Union, said the students in the union are embracing the idea of a Jewish queer group.
Despite the support, Kaplan admits there are people who disagree with the new group's values.
"With any religious organization, there's automatically a stigma between religiosity and sexuality," he said.
