SATURDAY, JUNE 08, 2002
Thousands attend Jerusalem's 1st gay parade
AFP
JERUSALEM: Thousands of Israeli gays and lesbians staged Friday the holy city's first gay pride parade under heavy police protection amid fierce opposition from ultra-Orthodox Jews and other right-wingers.
But no major incidents were reported at the half-hour march, marred only by a few hecklers. An AFP photographer saw about half a dozen anti-homosexual protesters taken away by the scores of police who were posted at every corner.
Organizers said the march was a unique event, aiming to break taboos in a city dominated by religions that oppose homosexuality and bringing together religious and non-religious people as well as Jews and Palestinians.
"We did not believe the day would come when this could happen in Jerusalem," one of the parade's organizers told the festive crowd gathered in the warm sunshine amid blaring techno music and protest songs.
"It wasn't simple but there are people here for whom this is their first day out of the closet to get out of the dark and into the light."
Police said about 4,000 people turned up, although organizers put the figure at closer to 2,000.
Their dress ranged from rainbow t-shirts to red leather; some sported dyed hair and nose rings and the crowd included many non-gays and families who were just out for the music and the sunshine.
"I came here because it's the first time we can show to the city who we are and not be ashamed," said Geila Metzer, 28, a university student of South American literature with bright red dyed hair.
"The people are very strict here and all the time we get remarks," she said. "It's very important, in the capital city of Israel that we celebrate personal freedom for everyone," added Giora Koretak, a tourism worker who marched the kilometre-long (half-mile) route with his wife and three children.
"For everyone, for religious Jews and the other side also," he said. The parade kicked off in central Jerusalem and made its way to Independence Park, where a concert was organized featuring a line-up of prominent gay Israeli singers and entertainers. As with most things now in Israel, the march was unable to ignore the Palestinian uprising which started in late September 2000 and has cost the lives of over 2,000 people. Black ballons were released into the sky to commemorate the victims of the intifada, and among the posters was one saying "Free condoms, free Palestine."
One activist working with Palestinians, Shaul Janon, accused Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority of abusing gays.
"I know for sure that gay Palestinians are being tortured, are being blamed as collaborators with Israel and eventually even been killed."
Police had gone on high alert, not only for potential attacks by Palestinian militants, but disruptions by other Israelis who opposed the march.
But only around 50 protesters were seen holding signs on the side of the parade route, reading "We won't let this become Sodom," a reference to the biblical city known for its depravations.
Yohanam Cimmamon, an Orthodox shopkeeper from the Old City, stood with a group of the protestors at the end of the parade route and said he believed all of Israel was suffering partly because of Jewish homosexuals.
"We honestly believe that if you're unnatural we will all suffer. So it's not just a personal thing, but we believe (any homosexual) is in a boat with us and he's making a hole in the boat."
Homosexuality is not considered a crime in Israel, and a number of courts have even recognised the rights of gay couples.
Gay pride events started more than three decades ago in a handful of US cities to commemorate the rebellion of a small number of gay men and lesbians against police raids and brutality in New York City.
Since then, they have spread to more than 20 countries around the world and draw more than 10 million people, including both sometimes-outrageously dressed participants and tourists.
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