Israel – Tel Aviv Mayor: Israel Should Put Gay Marriage To The Vote

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    FILE - A gay man in a wheel chair speeds past a small demonstration of right-wing, religious Jews who protest against the gay pride parage in Jerusalem, Israel, 29 July 2010. Posters read in English :'Gay Play in Hell Not In Jerusalem' and  'Go Straight For Family sake' and in Hebrew, 'Jerusalem is a Sacred City.'  EPAIsrael – Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai thinks that Israel should put gay marriage to a popular vote by referendum, just as Ireland successfully did last week.

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    “I think that the state of Israel can learn from Ireland, that just recently, in a referendum, approved gay marriage. I think that in the state of Israel, given the awakening that’s happening, it’s important for there to be a city that says ‘here, a person can live their life,’” he told The Jerusalem Post Wednesday evening at the launch of Tel Aviv’s Pride festival.

    Huldai is credited with helping the city become one of the top gay destinations in the world, despite his early reluctance to embrace the community.

    Indeed, the municipality is one of the few that financially sponsors its pride parade, and this year it’s expanding into new territory, hosting an event with Facebook about LGBT representation in advertising, coordinating a gay party at a soccer stadium, and calling on municipalities around the country to send their LGBT liaisons to confer at a Tel Aviv Meet-up.

    This year, organizers have put transgender people, the oft-ignored last quarter of the LGBT acronym, in the center. The slogan is “Tel Aviv Loves All Genders,” and the logo is blue mustache over a pink lipstick-painted lower lip.

    By putting transgender issues front and center of pride, Tel Aviv has taken a step that few other cities around the world have.

    Elisha Alexander, director of the transgender program at the municipality, and Ma’avarim, a NGO that supports trans people, said that even within the LGBT community, the transgender cause is often secondary.

    The fact that Tel Aviv is putting the issue front and center gives him hope, not just for the community, but for all of society.

    “This is a struggle not just to change trans acceptance in society, but to change society itself,” he said. “It will create an understanding that it’s ok for boys to cry, and girls can do anything, even grow up to be men.”

    Tel Aviv holds its annual pride festival in June, which will culminate in the pride parade on June 12th.


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    8 Comments
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    ALTERG
    ALTERG
    8 years ago

    TOUGHT ISRAEL IS A JEWISH STATE

    Boochie
    Boochie
    8 years ago

    Its says in the torha a man should not live with another man more then once

    These people living in EY should be put to death

    Mazal1
    Mazal1
    8 years ago

    I hope the rabunat does not go along this idea is the sitra gitra at its worst. The rabbis will fine a way to make financialy without resorting to this monkey business.

    PaulinSaudi
    PaulinSaudi
    8 years ago

    It is an interesting question. Is Israel a democracy or a religious state?

    FranZ
    FranZ
    8 years ago

    We should be more tolerant of gay people. Regardless of what some people think, gay people DO NOT choose to be gay.