Two cities, two gay parades

The Gay Pride parade in Tel Aviv held at the beginning of June caused about as much interest (outside of the gay community) as the annual Arab-Jewish festival in Yaffo or a concert by the Israel Philharmonic in Park Hayarkon for that matter. Tel Aviv's drivers were annoyed at the traffic arrangments and that was it. Not so in Jerusalem where, by all accounts, all hell is going to break loose tomorrow night. The wilder and younger elements of Jerusalem's haredi (ultra-orthodox) community have vowed to stop the march at all cost and the organisers from the Open House (the organisation that supports the embattled gay community in our intolerant capital) had to resort to the High Court for permission to hold it as planned.

For much, much more on gay issues in Israel see http://www.glbtjews.org/article.php3?id_article=446

This is what the gay parade looked like in Jerusalem last year and there is a school of thought inside the gay community that since Tel Aviv holds a successful parade every year, why provoke a punch-up in Jerusalem? Some also note ruefully that the Jerusalem parade has managed to unite all three monotheistic religions into an ad-hoc anti-gay holy bloc. Perhaps this infant alliance of Christianity, Judaism and Islam, based on their common sacred hatred for gays, could develop into more promising areas, like jointly working for peace for example? Naaaaaah.....

In view of what's going on on the other side of our "border" with the Palestinian authorities (one in the west and another one in the south for god's sake) it's almost refreshing that we are able to concern ourselves with the rights of gays to display their wares in the Holy City. On the other hand you'd think that Him up there would have more important abominations on His mind in His land at this time.