Tel Aviv's Gay Pride parade draws thousands to the city

[King_David]

Tel Aviv's Gay Pride parade draws thousands to the cityLiberal, hedonistic and secular Israeli metropolis has ambitions to be world's most gay-friendly place


Share372 Harriet Sherwood in Tel Aviv guardian.co.uk, Friday 10 June 2011 17.15 BST Article history

Rainbows were everywhere – on faces, belts, garlands, T-shirts, paper fans, tattoos and hats. One man had a python draped around his neck, a soldier in uniform carried a rainbow flag, and a young woman, almost naked, danced to the throbbing music, oblivious to the crowds and the searing heat.

On Friday, thousands of people poured on to Tel Aviv's Gordon beach at the end of the annual Gay Pride parade in celebration of sexual freedom, tolerance and their city's ambition to be the most gay-friendly place on Earth.

"The weather is hot, the guys are hot, it's a hot city," said 28-year-old Amit Margalit, wearing turquoise shades and matching beads over his bare chest.

The parade's organisers estimated that more than 100,000 Israelis, plus another 5,000 tourists, took part. Every square metre of shade was crammed, friends greeted one another with sweaty kisses and hugs, stalls selling ice-cold beer were doing brisk trade and traffic jams backed up around closed streets.

Tel Aviv, in sharp contrast to Jerusalem, is a liberal, hedonistic and secular city, where leisure life revolves around beaches, cafes and nightclubs.

Lonely Planet named it one of its top three cities in the world for 2011, describing it as "the flipside of Jerusalem, a modern Sin City on the sea rather than an ancient Holy City on a hill" and adding: "There are more bars than synagogues, God is a DJ and everyone's body is a temple." The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is rarely on the radar.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/10/tel-aviv-gay-pride-parade

[King_David]

1. One of MANY gay prides in The Middle East,

All of which are in The Jewish State !

[King_David]

2. ' 16% to 17% of the city'

'According to Tel Aviv's 30-year-old deputy mayor, Asaf Zamir, 16% to 17% of the city's 403,000 population is gay.'

[shira]

3. This is all just cover for Zionist crimes....

:eyes:

[King_David]

4. LOL

Wait for it : `Israel is not a progressive country` blah blah blah and Hamas really tolerates them Gays.

Mix in some garbage about ' Pinkwashing' and voila !

And someone will then post the article about the Gay shooting in Tel Aviv (that was condemned by every leading Israeli politician -Right and Left)

[shira]

5. Women's rights too - Golda Meir as PM - just cover for Zionist crimes. n/t

[King_David]

6. world famous Gaza City Gay Pride Parade

'A new addition to our collection, due to popular demand, is the Palestine is for Lovers – Gay Edition collection. Perfect for when you next visit Palestine to participate in the world famous Gaza City Gay Pride Parade or party it up in the many gay clubs and cafes in Ramallah.



Not. Actually it seems like the impending arrival of Valentine’s Day is as good a time as any to remind you all of the continued plight of gay Palestinians. I don’t actually expect we’ll sell a whole lot of these shirts, but I do expect to at least shed some light on the situation. Palestinian homosexuals continue to be subject to arrest, torture, rape and murder, both at the hands of their families and the local authorities. International human rights groups operating in the West Bank and Gaza as well as various advocacy organizations around the world continue to ignore this problem. The only relief for Palestinians is escape to Israel, the only country in the Middle East where gays receive a certain measure of freedom and legal protection. Feel free to read these recent/informative articles about the situation. Uh… happy Valentine’s Day…'




http://www.jewlicious.com/2007/01/palestine-is-for-lovers-gay-edition/