Gay Pri Para Jesalem - Unpacked

Contents:

• GAY PRI PARA JESALEM
• THOANDS NVERGE JESALEM FOR ANNUAL GAY PRI PARA
• JESALEM’S GAY PRI & NETANYAHU’S HOMOPHOBIC COALN

GAY PRI PARA JESALEM

Police bolstered on pal’s streets for annual event; 2 teens taed for puttg up posters agast event; anti-gay Lehava group monstrat agast participants. The annual event is a highlight for the cy’s vibrant LGBT muny, which is often overshadowed by Tel Aviv’s gay-iendly persona and bet by relig and polil tensns ever-prent the pal. As thoands filled the pal’s streets, a small monstratn prottg the para was held by members of the far-right and anti-gay Lehava anizatn.

People at the Gay Pri Para Jesalem on June 3, 2021, look at a photo of Shira Banki, murred by an ultra-Orthodox extremist at the march 2015. I was shocked to the pths of my soul by this wild cement, by the famatn agast the gay muny, the profani, and the ath threats, " said Knset speaker add that he me to the march to "stand up agast this evil spir and say clearly and unequivolly as the Speaker of the Knset that reprents the entire public Israel: LGBTQ people are equal cizens and serve full and equal rights. "Horowz poted to reforms ma surrogacy to allow same-sex upl and sgle fathers to have children through the procs, regulatns issued agast nversn therapy and the approval of allowg gay men to donate blood.

JERUSALEM -- Thoands of people on Thursday marched Jesalem's Pri para — an annual event that took place for the first time unr Israel’s new far-right ernment, which is stacked wh openly homophobic members.The march the nservative cy is always tense and tightly secured by police, and has been wracked by vlence the past. The plan has torn open longstandg societal divisns between those who want to prerve Israel's liberal valu and those who seek to shift toward more relig nservatism.Jesalem's march is typilly more subdued than the one gay-iendly Tel Aviv, where tens of thoands of revelers pour to the streets for a massive, multilored party.

THOANDS NVERGE JESALEM FOR ANNUAL GAY PRI PARA

“This is about the rights and human rights, and this is what brgs Ameri and Israel together.”Prime Mister Benjam Netanyahu's ernment is ma up of ultranatnalist and ultra-relig parti who openly oppose homosexualy, although the Israeli lear has promised to protect LGBTQ+ rights and a member of his party who is gay is the Knset speaker. The untry's Fance Mister Bezalel Smotrich has the past clared he was a “proud homophobe.” Before enterg polics, Natnal Secury Mister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who now overse the police, was a fixture at Pri paras, jog a group of protters who oppose the march.

“It will be the police's duty to protect, guard and ensure that even if the mister disagre wh the para, the safety of the marchers is above all else,” Ben-Gvir said.At one pot durg the para, Ben-Gvir was jeered wh chants of “shame” as he walked on the sil for what he said was a vis to monor secury.Hagar Bonne, of Jesalem, lled the march a “happy ocsn” but also said was the “anthis” to the natnal climate."There are people who are very much homophobic and very much transphobic who are the ernment today and hold posns of power and budget and are workg agast actually right now,” she said.People rried a flag that read: “There is no pri whout mocracy.”Like other years, a small group of anti-LGBTQ+ activists attend Thursday's para.

At the para 2015, an ultra-Orthodox Israeli man stabbed 16-year-old Shira Banki to ath and wound several others.Israel is generally tolerant toward the LGBTQ+ muny, a rary the nservative Middle East, where homosexualy is wily nsired taboo and is outlawed some plac. Members of the LGBTQ+ muny serve openly Israel’s ary and parliament, and many popular artists and entertaers are openly gay. Jewish ultra-Orthodox parti, which wield signifint fluence over matters of relign and state, oppose homosexualy as a vlatn of relig law, as do other relig groups Israel.The nservative make-up of Netanyahu's ernment sparked new fears the LGBTQ+ muny, which had seen gas unr the prev, short-lived admistratn led by Netanyahu's rivals.

JESALEM’S GAY PRI & NETANYAHU’S HOMOPHOBIC COALN

Although Tel Aviv has hosted an annual gay pri para for almost 30 years, Jesalem’s first was 2002. Likud member and newly-stalled jtice mister, Amir Ohana, is the Knset’s first openly gay bet member, and he marched the para.

Many of s rints take relig issue wh the act of homosexualy, viewg as agast Torah Law, and nnot fathom the notn of ndong such a public way Judaism’s holit cy.

A matter of life and ath – In Jesalem’s 2015 gay pri para, an ultra-Orthodox Jewish man killed one and wound five others a stabbg attack. In the ntext of LGBT rights, pkwashg is scribed as the polil strategy of promotg gay-iendls orr to appear progrsive and tolerant. Some have acced Israel of supportg gay rights orr to distract om what some refer to as the occupatn of the Paltian people.

” And famo pro-Israel advote Profsor Alan Dershowz remds  that “Israel is easily the most gay-iendly untry the Middle East, ” whereas “ the Wt Bank and Gaza, by ntrast, gays are murred, tortured and forced to seek asylum.

”Israel as a multifar society and the story of Jtice Mister Amir Ohana – The Knset now has five openly gay members, but Ohana is the only one on the right. ” Ohana is a microsm of Israel’s diversy, notg, “I’m Jewish, Israeli, Mizrahi, gay, a Likudnik, a secury hawk, a liberal and a believer the ee market. ” Chief Rabbi of Jesalem, Aryeh Stern, wrote to Jesalem Mayor Moshe Leon askg that he not allow the gay pri flags to wave throughout the cy on Thursday.

Muny feels threatened by the right-wg ernment and s judicial overhl plan — even wh a gay speaker of Parliament.

Another far-right mister wh a history of homophobia, Itamar Ben-Gvir, who now overse the police, was tasked wh securg Jesalem para is normally a relatively staid annual tradn. Activists have reported a sharp crease anti-gay abe and vlence Israel recent months, and had been expectg a large turnout for this year’s para. Members of Israel’s tech sector, women’s anizatns and army rervists who, together wh the gay muny, have played a proment role the anti-judicial overhl protts, attend the Jesalem para Netanyahu has pledged to protect gay rights and appoted Amir Ohana, a member of his nservative Likud party, as the first openly gay speaker of Israel’s Ohana was publicly weled at a state ceremony this year, markg the 75th anniversary of Israel’s tablishment, together wh his life partner, unrlg the high profile of the gay muny Israel even as hostile rhetoric om officials grows.

“Maybe we won’t see a law sayg gay men have to wear a pk shirt Israel, ” said Jonathan Valfer, chairman of the Jesalem Open Hoe for Pri and Tolerance and a para anizer, of the potential dangers posed by the ernment’s judicial the end, he said an terview, gay rights — such as same-sex surrogacy rights — have mostly been nferred by the Supreme Court rather than the lawmakers. ”ImageAmir Ohana, a member of the nservative Likud party, is the first openly gay speaker of Israel’s Elkayam for The New York TimReflectg the more nservative character of the holy cy, the annual para Jesalem is much smaller and quieter than the rnival-like one Tel Aviv, which tak place a week later and attracts up to 250, 000 Israeli L. Activists had raised fears of vlence durg the para, cg a 2022 report that showed a spike plats about homophobic and transphobic verbal and physil asslts Israel the last two months of last year, a rult, they said, of the oute of the Nov.