[Badgirlz-list] jerusalem post

>
> Dal jerusalem post
>
>
> Jun. 9, 2003
> Jerusalem of pink
> By JENNY HAZAN
>
>
>
> A throng of teens and young adults gathered beneath
> the gigantic rainbow
> flag at the Jerusalem Open House LGBTQ (Lesbian,
> Gay, Bisexual, Transgender,
> and Queer and Questioning) Community Center on
> Saturday night to kick off
> the second annual Love without Borders Jerusalem
> Pride week.
> With a line-up that includes a literary presentation
> by Blue 18 author and
> former Ha'aretz journalist David Ehrlich tonight, a
> solidarity meeting with
> professional activists from the Italian Queer
> Organization on Thursday, and
> the grand finale parade on Friday afternoon,
> Jerusalem's Open House - the
> organization behind the event - is putting the holy
> city on the map of
> Western capitals that pay tribute to gay pride.
> But the event in Jerusalem is distinct from any of
> its partner festivals,
> both here and abroad. "Pride in Jerusalem is very
> different than pride
> anywhere else on the planet," said Hagai El-Ad,
> executive director of the
> Jerusalem Open House. "It's the only pride event in
> the world that starts
> with the Traveler's Prayer and ends with Shabbat
> services."
> Love without Borders is tailored to Jerusalem's
> unique population. The
> six-day event - which includes the sponsorship of
> both the Al-Fatiha
> Foundation for gay and lesbian Muslims and the
> Keshet Ga'avah World Congress
> of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Jews -
> takes its name not just
> from sexual orientation, but also from the political
> boundaries between
> Israelis and Palestinians. "We're a social change
> organization, and the
> agenda is to make Jerusalem more open, more
> pluralistic, and more tolerant,"
> explained El-Ad.
> Some of the more than 4,000 participants at last
> June's precedent-setting
> parade used the festival as a pro-Palestinian
> political platform. Marchers
> held signs declaring "Free Condoms, Free Palestine,"
> "Transgender, not
> Transfer" and "Dykes and Fags Against the
> Occupation."
> The event also proved controversial to the haredi
> community, which
> threatened to stop the march by "all means," but
> opted merely to boycott.
> But, the Jerusalem Open House would not be deterred.
> "It's a gradual process
> of the community growing, maturing, and
> understanding what its obligation is
> toward members of our community who don't yet feel
> safe enough to come to
> the center," said El-Ad. "I think that this mixture
> between disbelief and
> fear is beyond us.
> This opens the door to the possibility of a much
> bigger audience - even
> bigger than last year. This is what we're hoping
> for."
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