Beer Sheva holds 2nd ever Pride Parade
Some 1,000 people march in the southern city; 'It's very exciting that it’s happening in Beer Sheva, and it’s a shame the parade is so short,' says one participant, also noting that 'The homophobia in Beer Sheva needs to be dealt with.'
Among the marchers were also several members of Knesset: Tamar Zandberg and Ilan Gilon from Meretz, and Merav Michaeli, Revital Swid and Itzik Shmuli from the Zionist Union.
The march began at the intersection of Wingate and Sderot Yitzak Rager streets, as participants made their way to the municipality building, where the main event took place.
"It's very exciting that it’s happening in Beer Sheva, and it’s a shame that the parade is so short," said Adamo, a veteran member of the LGBT community. "I hope that in the future we will march throughout the entire Sderot Yitzak Rager street, and not just along a small part of it. It’s my first march in Beer Sheva. It’s very small and intimate, without trucks."
"The homophobia in Beer Sheva needs to be dealt with. I have a neighbor who's been harassing me for the past 12 years. I put up two LGBT Pride flags at my house, to make my position clear," he added.
Shlomit and Refael Bar-David, two residents of Shim'a, also attended the parade in the city.
"We came to Beer Sheva to express our support. We’re proud parents of a lesbian daughter who’s married to a woman. We have two perfect grandchildren. We feel there’s been a change, but there’s still a lot left to do. It seems to us that our government is trying to undermine the community’s progress. We very much want for them to get all the rights to make their life easier," one said.
Or Erez, a spokesman for the Pride House in Beer Sheva, said the municipality has obliged their request to hang the LGBT Pride flags around the city, which has prompted many city residents to write hateful comments on social media, such as “We'll burn your flags" and "We'll come and throw eggs at you."
According to Erez, these comments only reiterate the importance of the parade.
Last year, during the first ever Gay Pride Parade in the city, the police arrested a Haredi man armed with a knife, who attempted to make his way to the main event.a
