The 19th Pride Parade was held this weekend in Tel Aviv with the participation of about 200,000 marchers. Tel Aviv "will continue to be a lighthouse and a compass and we will continue to march so as to inspire our desired change in the country."
The 19th gay pride parade was held in Tel Aviv on Friday, featuring the bisexual community, and supporting the struggle of its members and friends for equality and dignity. About 200,000 people took part in the march, that took off from Gen Meir at 12:00 and included a walk through the city streets, along the Herbert Samuel promenade to the Charles Clore park near the beach. After the march alongside the pride trucks, the marchers arrived at the main event in the park, where DJs Sapir Saban, Julietta, Ishtar and other local artists appeared along with various gay parties.
© Yuli Gordinski
"The Pride Parade for me is not just a celebration, but an important value statement," said Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai. "Tel Aviv, which has already been crowned as the friendliest gay city in the world, will continue to be a beacon and a compass for the values of freedom, tolerance, and democracy, and we will continue to march to bring the desired change in the country." Yaniv Waizman, a member of the city council and in charge of gay issues added: "The heart is expanding and full of pride. You can see it in the thousands who came to march with us, celebrate, protest, and demand equal rights for the gay community in Tel Aviv". And not a word about unicorns...
The theme chosen for this year's pride event was decided by the Pride Administration last January. It was established by vote with a tie between two subjects: bisexuality, and respecting the veteran members of the community. Maybe they'll be honored next year.
© Yuli Gordinski
"We hope that raising awareness on this subject will improve the visibility of the entire attraction rainbow," said Mickey Zaidel, one of the founders of the Polysexuality Forum, which began operating six months ago. "According to all studies, this is the largest community in LGBT letters. With regard to its size, its presence on the agenda is deficient to the point where it does not exist. In addition, we must fight against biphobia that unfortunately is still living and kicking."
Naomi Sarusi, who is also a member of the forum, hopes that the election will bring awareness to all parts of the country, not just Tel Aviv: "The Tel Aviv parade is very important to us, but we want to appeal to friends all over the country so everyone feels included. In the past year, we have worked quite a bit - we have set up parties, conferences, and exhibitions, alongside political activity within the organizations. Choosing the theme is one of the highlights of our work, but it's definitely not the last step."
© Yuli Gardinski