More Than 200,000 Attend Tel Aviv Pride
More than 200,000 people crammed into the streets of Tel Aviv today to celebrate at the largest Pride parade in the Middle East.
Streets were shut down as drag queens, community leaders, political groups and more marched along the beach to Charles Clore Park, where musical acts performed well into the evening. This year's Pride celebration included a film festival, forums and the first Miss Trans Israel pageant.
Tel Aviv has become a major gay travel destination, with popular nightclubs and an unofficial gay beach. But some activists complain the government touts the city as an LGBT tourist destination while Palestinians are still discriminated against and same-sex couples cannot have their relationships recognized.
Security at this year's event was heightened after an Ultra-Orthodox Jew, Yishai Shlissel, attacked celebrants at Jerusalem Pride last year. Sixteen-year old Shira Banki died as a result of the attack. (The Tel Aviv parade began with a moment of silence for Banki.)
Organizers had tried to
“Everyone should be able to live as they want to live," 80-year-old Miriam Yitzhaki told the Times of Israel. “It started out as just a thing for the gays, but now you can see so many groups, including political groups like Meretz and Peace Now. That’s nice to see people getting involved.”
Below, more images from Tel Aviv Pride 2016
