Tel Aviv gay parade draws thousands

Tel Aviv embraced Israel’s LGBT community as it hosted the 13th annual gay parade.

Homosexuals, lesbians, bisexuals, transsexuals and supporters marched through many of Tel Aviv’s most famous streets, among them King George, Ben Yehuda, Allenby and Sderot Nordau.

Kadima and opposition leader Tzipi Livni spoke at the June 11 event, urging Israelis not to give in to hatred and xenophobia. “As a country which is proud of its values, justice and unique society, Israel must denounce hatred.”

Though it did not diminish the colorful exuberance of the march, the trauma of last year’s fatal attack on a counseling center for gay teens in Tel Aviv was not forgotten during the festivities. A moment of silence was held for the victims of the shooting last August at the Bar Noar that left two dead and more than 15 injured. Parade organizers also set up a stand where people could make donations.

— jpost.com