Unsanctioned gay protest takes place during WorldPride

Despite a police order against any public protests, a group of about 200 gay rights activists held a vigil in a central Jerusalem park on Thursday, the fifth day of WorldPride events in the city, The Jerusalem Post reports. The protest took place after a long-planned pride parade in connection with the WorldPride festival was canceled due to the war in Lebanon.

The heavily guarded demonstration was allowed to take place after organizers agreed to adhere to police conditions for the gathering, Jerusalem police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby told the Post. But the evening event in Jerusalem's Liberty Bell Park was marred after a group of far-left anarchists joined the gathering, then began waving placards against the war in Lebanon and shouting slogans against the Israel Defense Forces.

The low-key protest, which was one fifth the size organizers had planned, came near the culmination of the weeklong WorldPride event in Jerusalem. A huge red banner read "Jerusalem is for all," while rainbow-colored placards included such slogans as "The path to God is not always straight" and "Senseless hatred."

"We believe that the holiness of Jerusalem is increased by this city being the center of tolerance and coexistence," said Rabbi Ayelet S. Cohen, 32, who lead a delegation from New York City's Congregation Beth Simchat Torah, which is the world's largest gay and lesbian synagogue. Cohen added that organizers of the event understood that the tone had to be "appropriate" during wartime, when "the voices of tolerance and hope are all the more essential."

According to the Post, some Israeli motorists shouted at the protesters to go to Lebanon or to the Palestinian-ruled Gaza Strip. "At a time when Jewish blood is being spilt in Lebanon, all that these self-indulgent, narcissistic, selfish, perverted people can think about is engaging in sodomy," said New York rabbi Yehuda Levin, of the Orthodox Judaism groups Rabbinical Alliance of America and the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the U.S. and Canada, who spearheaded an international campaign against the parade.

The international gay festival, which was originally scheduled to take place last year and had already been postponed until August due to last summer's Israeli pullout from the Gaza Strip, has been widely criticized by a coterie of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim religious leaders in Jerusalem and around the world as a deliberate affront and provocation to millions of believers around the world. (The Advocate)

Reader Comments

These comments are reproduced as written by visitors to this Web site. They have not been edited for content, grammar, or spelling. The viewpoints appearing here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or views of advocate.com, The Advocate, or its affiliates.

Name: ruth
Date posted: 2008-10-22 9:37 AM
Hometown: jerusalem

Comment:

i was there at the park to tell these lovely people to go to iran,iraq,saudi arabia and have their gay rights parade/ i am the most jealous person in the whole world for the holy city, and absolutely no filth of any kind is not welcome. disguise it under any label but filth if filth, according to torah. remember soldom and gomorrah, and the punishment they received. it is extremely offensive to 99% of the residents of jerusalem - we really are disgusted by this. we should be allowed to say what we feel, but our idiot governmentg is to busy bending over to appease our enemies and terrorists. we the people are so fed up. we live in constant danger and dont need perverts crying about their needs. we need to stay alive first.

If you would like to submit a comment for posting, please fill out the form above.

All comments submitted via this form are subject to posting or publication. (To send a private letter to an Advocate editor or writer, please use the e-mail button at the top of the page, or use snail mail.) If you would like your comment considered for publication in The Advocate magazine, please include your full name, your city of residence, and a phone number where you can be reached during business hours so that we can confirm your identity. Your e-mail address and telephone number are strictly confidential and will not be shared or used for any purpose other than to contact you about your comment.

See the Contact page for sending comments for reasons other than responding to Advocate editorial and news stories.

Please note that comments sent by fax or snail mail are unlikely to be posted, although they will be considered for publication along with all letters received via e-mail or via this Web page. Comments that chiefly concern Advocate.com content will be considered for posting only on the Web site. The Advocate reserves the right to edit submitted comments for grammar, spelling, obscenities, or libel; we will, however, do our best to preserve the original comment's style and intent. Comments considered for publication in The Advocate magazine may also be edited for length.

More Exclusives

View From the Hill: The End of DADT?
Defense Secretary Robert Gates revealed that lawyers are exploring ways to ease enforcement of the military's gay ban, but cautioned that the law doesn't leave much wiggle room. He need look no further than DOD history for a lesson in altering the policy.

Hot Sheet: Week of July 5
When you get back from that big 4th of July barbecue, unwind with Sacha Baron Cohen's Bruno and your favorite B-movie-mocking, basic cable robots.

Hungry Like the Wolf
A master of viola, ukulele, piano, and harp, Patrick Wolf is a music prodigy -- one who, the night before this interview, spit on a cop and got himself arrested.

Soapside: Advocate's Guide to Daytime
Forbes March talks about playing gay, Otalia fans outraged, update on One Life to Live’s Patricia Maurceri’s firing over gay plot point, Phillip Chancellor III big reveal, and Erica Kane goes to Africa.

The Faces of Federal Prop. 8
With the federal challenge to Prop. 8 moving full speed ahead, Advocate.com sits down with the two couples named as plaintiffs in the suit.

Mommy, the Gays Are Coming
After a year of advancements and celebration for gay and lesbian Colombians, the community takes to the streets of Bogota for the country's biggest pride ever.

The Pride of Antwerp
Advocate.com hits the gay-friendly streets of Antwerp with openly gay police commissioner Serge Muyters.

Excerpt: Mean Little Deaf Queer
In an excerpt from her humorous and harrowing new memoir, Mean Little Deaf Queer, Terry Galloway recalls her early childhood, describing feelings of ugliness, confusion about gender, and being one of the boys.

Top Political Blogs
From Joe.My.God to The Daily Beast, Advocate.com spotlights a few of the best blogs that cover politics, inside and way outside the Beltway.

The Diva of French Television
A hot young screenwriter who has made gay OK for millions of French viewers, Nicolas Mercier sips champagne, dons a feathered hat, and says he wants to see Colin Farrell and Jude Law go at it.