Tel Aviv Gay Pride Parade- shalomlife.com

Last Friday, 100,000 people gathered to take part in the Gay Pride Parade, a fitting end to the annual Tel Aviv Gay Pride week. The parade attracted approximately 30,000 tourists from all over the world and ended with a party on the beach.

Tel Aviv’s pride parade began in 1997 as a political movement, but has expanded to focus on LGBT rights of equality rather than radical politics. This is the largest pride parade in the region and is hosted in the “top gay tourist destination” according to Huffington Post. In fact, Tel Aviv is one of the few places in the region where people can feel comfortable publicly displaying their homosexuality.

The 1998 Eurovision winner, Dana International, is one of the world’s best-known trans-women. Her story is one of incredible courage and perseverance and could not have happened anywhere else in the region. Her career has made her one of the most successful artists in Israeli history, and in a 2005 poll she was recognized as the 47^th greatest Israeli of all time.

Israel’s acceptance of others is not only commendable, but shows that the country is an oasis of tolerance in the Middle East. While many countries surrounding Israel consider homosexuality a crime, Israel acknowledges same-sex marriage. Justice Minister Tzipi Livni actually officiated a gay marriage on June 2^nd!

Like all countries, Israel still has room for improvement. However, its current record of acceptance and tolerance cannot be ignored. As an American Airlines poll suggested, Tel Aviv is the “world’s best gay city”.

For more information about the pride parade, check out- http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/.premium-1.598552

http://www.timesofisrael.com/thousands-celebrate-gay-pride-in-tel-aviv/

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jun/10/tel-aviv-gay-pride-parade

For more information about Dana International, check out- http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/9805/11/euro.transvestite/

http://danainternational1.com/

For more information about Tel Aviv’s tolerance record, check out- http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4174274,00.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/24/tel-aviv-gay-travel-destinations_n_1227888.html

For more information about Livni’s officiating of a same-sex wedding, check out- http://www.jpost.com/National-News/Livni-officiates-same-sex-wedding-355249