Tel Aviv Pride
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Tel Aviv Pride (
Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
: מצעד הגאווה בתל אביב,
Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
: فخر تل أبيب) is a week-long series of events in
Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the ...
which takes place on the second week of June, as part of the international observance of
Gay Pride LGBT pride (also known as gay pride or simply pride) is the promotion of the self-affirmation, dignity, equality, and increased visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people as a social group. Pride, as opposed to s ...
Month. The key event, taking place on the Friday, is the Pride Parade itself which attracts over 250,000 attendees. As of June 2019, it is the largest LGBT Parade in
Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
.


Historical background

Gay rights in Israel have progressed drastically since the years following the British Mandate over Palestine, when homosexuality was outlawed. The clause stated that “every man who allowed another man to have intercourse with him risked up to ten years of imprisonment.” In the 1960s, the Israeli Minister of Internal Affairs, Dr. Yosef Burg, described the phrase of "homosexual Jews" as an oxymoron given the biblical rejection of queer behavior. This provides a framework for the negative perceptions of homosexuality amongst Israeli politicians in the past. The legal code in Israel that once outlawed homosexuality was changed on March 22, 1988, effectively decriminalizing being gay.


Pride Parade

The first event that many consider to be the first 'Pride' event to take place in Israel was a protest in 1979 at Kings of Israel Square. The first time that the Tel Aviv Pride Parade took place was in 1993. The parade assembles and begins at Meir Park, then travels along Bugrashov Street, Ben Yehuda Street and Ben Gurion Boulevard, and culminates in a party in
Charles Clore Park Charles Clore Park ( he, פארק צ'ארלס קלור, ''Park Charles Clore'') is a beachfront park in southwestern Tel Aviv, Israel. Covering of public land along the Mediterranean Sea, it's named after Charles Clore, a British financier, pro ...
on the seafront. There were 200,000 participants reported in 2016, making it one of the largest in the world. The parade is the biggest pride celebration in continental
Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
, drawing more than 200,000 people in 2017, approximately 30,000 of them tourists. There were more than 250,000 participants reported in both 2018 and 2019. As of June 2019, it is the largest LGBTQ event in
Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
and also the first city in Israel to host a Pride parade. Smaller annual pride parades are also held in Jerusalem, Haifa and Be'er Sheva.


As a part of Tel Aviv culture

In the early years of the Pride Parade, the majority of participants were politically motivated. Later on, as the Parade grew, people who took part came with the notion that the Parade should focus on
LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term ...
rights, equality and equal representation, and should not be used as a stage for radical politics, which are not accepted by most of the Parade's participants. Gradually, the Parade came to be less political due to the scale and diversity of participation. In recent years, the Parade's reputation for inclusiveness, along with Tel Aviv's world-class status as a gay-friendly destination and a top party city, has attracted more than 100,000 participants, many of them from around the world. By 2000, the Parade had evolved from being a political demonstration and became more of a social-entertainment event and street celebration. The eleventh Tel Aviv Pride Parade, which took place in 2008, was accompanied by the opening of the LGBT Centre in Tel Aviv. This is the first municipal gay centre in Israel, whose purpose is to provide services specifically for members of the city's LGBT community such as health care, cultural events, meetings of different LGBT groups, a coffee shop, and many others. During the 2009 Pride Parade, which coincided with the
centennial {{other uses, Centennial (disambiguation), Centenary (disambiguation) A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century, a period of 100 years. Notable events Notable centennial events at ...
celebration of Tel Aviv's historic establishment as a city, five same-sex couples got married in what was called "the wedding of the century" by the Israeli celebrity Gal Uchovsky. The parade on 10 June 2011 grew to an estimated 100,000 participants and included official representatives of LGBT groups from global companies such as
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and
Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washin ...
. (Tel Aviv boasts one of the largest concentrations of hi-tech companies of any city in the world.) In 2012, the parade attracted crowds exceeding 100,000, making it again the largest gay pride event in the
Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...
and
Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
. The event is advertised all around the world by the Israeli Tourism Ministry, marking the city of Tel Aviv as "the" premiere LGBT tourism destination. For 2014, with an anticipated parade attendance of 150,000, a decision was made to move the after-parade beach party from Gordon Beach to
Charles Clore Park Charles Clore Park ( he, פארק צ'ארלס קלור, ''Park Charles Clore'') is a beachfront park in southwestern Tel Aviv, Israel. Covering of public land along the Mediterranean Sea, it's named after Charles Clore, a British financier, pro ...
. The event was hosted by Israeli actress/supermodel Moran Attias, with performances by
Dana International Sharon Cohen ( he, שרון כהן; born 2 February 1969), professionally known as Dana International ( he, דנה אינטרנשיונל), is an Israeli pop singer. She has released eight albums and three additional compilation albums. She wa ...
, Mei Feingold, and Ninet. In 2022 pride activists from the sustainability movement begin working on making the Middle East's largest pride parade more ecologically responsible.


Criticism of the Parade

In Israel, LGBT activist groups have also criticized the
Ministry of Tourism The Minister of Tourism is the head of the governmental department that specializes in tourism, recreation and/or culture. The position exists in many different countries under several names: *Ministry of Tourism and Environment (Albania) * Minist ...
for disproportionately allocating funds to LGBT tourism as opposed to the real LGBT activist organizations. In 2016, the Ministry of Tourism spent $3 million on a campaign that concluded with a press release advertising a rainbow adorned airplane that the Ministry was going to use to transport gay bloggers and journalists to Israel. Meanwhile, Israeli LGBT organizations only receive one tenth of the amount budgeted for this advertisement on a yearly basis. This disproportionate spending angered leaders of the LGBT organizations and caused Chen Arieli and Imri Kalman, who were the co-chairs of The Aguda – Israel's LGBT Task Force, to threaten to cancel the parade. The parade still took place that year, but the main outcome of this threat was that the Ministry of Tourism suspended its budget to attract gay tourism and added separate items to its budget for the LGBT organizations.


Support for the Parade

Proponents of the Pride Parade argue that it is an effective mechanism of integrating the LGBTQ community into Israeli society. While the parade could have resulted in increased homophobia and anti-gay sentiment, it has fostered positive intergroup relationships. The parade is also supported financially and logistically by the
Tel Aviv City Hall Tel Aviv City Hall ( he, בית עיריית תל אביב ''Beit Iriyat Tel Aviv'') is the municipal government center of Tel Aviv, Israel. It houses the mayor's office, the meeting chambers and offices of the Tel Aviv City Council. History ...
. This was the outcome of consistent requests made by Aguda, Israel's LGBT Task Force, in the first five years of the parade's existence.


See also

*
LGBT rights in Israel Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in Israel are considered the most developed in the Middle East. Although same-sex sexual activity was legalized in 1988, the former law against sodomy had not been enforced since a court dec ...
*
LGBT history in Israel Homosexual relations were legalised in the state of Israel in 1988, and during the 1990s various forms of discrimination were prohibited. Debate has since centred on recognition of same-sex partnerships and the rights they confer, including inheri ...
* TLVFest LGBT Film Festival *
Jerusalem gay pride parade The Jerusalem gay pride parade is an annual pride parade taking place in Jerusalem. Since the first March for Pride and Tolerance in 2002, Jerusalem Pride—"Love Without Border"—has become an established event in Jerusalem, each year bringing ...
*
Haifa Pride Haifa Pride ( he, גאוות חיפה; ar, فخر حيفا) is an annual event which takes place in Haifa, Israel, in celebration of the LGBTQ community, was first hold in 2007. The main event is the Pride Parade which was attended by 3,000 peop ...


References


External links

* Toi Staff
Over 250,000 revelers flood Tel Aviv for Israel’s biggest ever Gay Pride parade
The Times of Israel, June 8, 2018 * Information regarding Tel Aviv Pride o
Gay Tel Aviv Website
{{portal bar, Israel, LGBT LGBT culture in Tel Aviv Pride parades in Israel Recurring events established in 1993 1993 establishments in Israel Summer events in Israel Festivals in Tel Aviv