As Israel battles to avoid a resurgence of coronavirus, the four LGBTQ centers that organize Israel's biggest gay pride events, which take place in Tel Aviv, Haifa, Jerusalem, and Beersheba, have made a joint decision to postpone this year's gay pride parades until the end of the summer.
Tel Aviv City Council member Itay Pinkas Arad, who is responsible for the council's LGBTQ portfolio, said, "The LGBTQ battle for equality cannot and must not be stopped. We will not let our rights remain in place. However, it's clear that the parades we have held ever since 1998 have become huge events that could put participants at risk if held."
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All four LGBTQ centers said that during June, Pride Month in Israel, they intend to hold a series of small events, mostly online. These events aim to advocate for the community's fight for equal rights while expressing solidarity with the distress the population at large is experiencing.
The virtual events are expected to include salutes to health care workers and all the aid organizations operating during the corona crisis.
Orel Neuwirth, acting director of the Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality's LGBTQ center, said, "The corona crisis is not allowing us to hold the parade we have been accustomed to. Our energy and resources are now being put into solidarity, community responsibility and support for the weaker sectors of our community.
"We will return to the streets and to the gay pride marches, but until then, this new and unfamiliar situation allows us to be creative and think outside the box to create other, meaningful alternatives. That is the significance of creating a community at a time like this," Neuwirth said.
