As I read that the Israeli interior minister - yet another senior position that went to the extreme-right dumbfucks- was calling for the cancellation of the Tel Aviv gay pride parade, I thought that it was a propitious occasion to write a brief post that would -
a) display my photos from last year's parade!
b) inform Eli Yishai that everyone knows (heck, even I!) that the gay "subculture" in Tel Aviv is not "sub"-anything -- in fact, it so much a part of the city's spirit that Tel Aviv prides itself of not having a gay neighbourhood because there's no need for a geographic distinction, and that therefore he can bark at all the trees he wants in West Jerusalem, this thing won't get cancelled - and that it's only more proof that he doesn't belong in a government but in a house for senile old people where he'll be abused by a 190 pounds male nurse;
c) to shock a little bit a segment of my conservative readership, because I haven't done that in a while (honestly, I love you, dear readers, but I can't help myself);
and more importantly,
d) To give the finger to some people out there. See, I'm a little pissed off. A friend has recently called me, half-jokingly, a 'motabbe3' - a 'normaliser' - (and not even the good geeky kind - the bad one) which is a few inches below being called a traitor.
Which is funny enough, because I'm the one who actually went, lived and worked in Occupied Palestine, while they probably didn't dare join a sit-in in college lest it would be reported to the internal security that they have political activities of sort. But eh.
So anyways. Here are my photos of the 2008 Tel Aviv Gay parade. Those who find them enjoyable will find a few more here. Those who wish to call me a judeogayphile are welcome to do so, for all I care. Suck it.
Now I missed the bulk of the parade - I overslept!- but did catch up with the final party on the beach. It was really fun - and I recognised singer Ivri Lider on stage. People dancing, male pole dancers... It was, well, worth the experience. :)
a) display my photos from last year's parade!
b) inform Eli Yishai that everyone knows (heck, even I!) that the gay "subculture" in Tel Aviv is not "sub"-anything -- in fact, it so much a part of the city's spirit that Tel Aviv prides itself of not having a gay neighbourhood because there's no need for a geographic distinction, and that therefore he can bark at all the trees he wants in West Jerusalem, this thing won't get cancelled - and that it's only more proof that he doesn't belong in a government but in a house for senile old people where he'll be abused by a 190 pounds male nurse;
c) to shock a little bit a segment of my conservative readership, because I haven't done that in a while (honestly, I love you, dear readers, but I can't help myself);
and more importantly,
d) To give the finger to some people out there. See, I'm a little pissed off. A friend has recently called me, half-jokingly, a 'motabbe3' - a 'normaliser' - (and not even the good geeky kind - the bad one) which is a few inches below being called a traitor.
Which is funny enough, because I'm the one who actually went, lived and worked in Occupied Palestine, while they probably didn't dare join a sit-in in college lest it would be reported to the internal security that they have political activities of sort. But eh.
So anyways. Here are my photos of the 2008 Tel Aviv Gay parade. Those who find them enjoyable will find a few more here. Those who wish to call me a judeogayphile are welcome to do so, for all I care. Suck it.
Now I missed the bulk of the parade - I overslept!- but did catch up with the final party on the beach. It was really fun - and I recognised singer Ivri Lider on stage. People dancing, male pole dancers... It was, well, worth the experience. :)
United States of Rainbows
Oh my gosh, gay men!
Dancer in briefs and boots (!!!) over an ad for condoms
Drag-queen on stage
Religious kid who probably lost his way - and enjoying the drag show..
Pop singer Ivri Lider
the fellow did nothing but wave his flags all day. Poor bastard.
9 comments:
Funny, I was just looking over my 2008 Pride photos, too, and they're almost exactly the same as yours. ;)
So why would I be shocked? I'm from the SF Bay Area originally, home of the Original Gay Pride Parade (and it's a hoot and far wilder than anything TA offers). In SF, being gay is considered normal, like having green eyes instead of brown--no big deal.
When you live and work around people demonized by others who don't know a thing about them, you find yourself in an odd position--trying to defend them to the rabid "anti-s" who don't know them and can only spout vitriol.
What did I learn living in a region with an openly gay culture? Talking to my lesbian hairdresser and gay office manager? I found out that they're just like me: they have a mortgage, problems with their parents (even worse than mine), are concerned about crime, schools, the environment....and in talking to them, I found out that this isn't "a lifestyle choice" as so many gay-bashers insist--most of them, given a "choice" would've preferred to grow up in Kansas or Michigan with their high school friends and enjoy working on their cars (guys) or shopping (girls) and going to the prom with a member of the opposite sex.
They were BORN this way, much like I was born with dark hair and green eyes. I can't change my eye color--they can't change their sexual orientation.
My take with the anti-gay crowd, which is either secular and just threatened by what they don't understand, OR religious and quoting Scripture, is this: Gay people were born gay. That means that HaShem made them this way. That means YOUR job is accept them as you would accept all His children---and maybe they're being in YOUR life is G-d's way of testing YOU....because if you can't love them as your brethren, then you can't really love G-d, no matter how much Talmud you can quote, no matter how excellent your hechsher, no matter how many times you pray each day.
Hate and disdain are not religious or family values.
Now...I have a question....what IS it with the "normalization" thing and why is being a "normalizer" an insult? You alluded to this once before to me in my piece about Assad, and I'm lost here. If "normalization" is a no-no, how do you expect to have peace without it?
Mo-
em.....Isn’t like blogging supposed to be about fresh, new affairs? The least you could do is post some pictures of today's (2009) parade...though I am betting it was identical to the 2008 so it's probably OK after all :).
About the “Normalizer” thing. I now you have discussed it in the past but I still don’t get it. Is someone telling these Normalization fighters that no-one in Israel gives a hoot except the right-wingers who love it and consistently use it to ‘prove’ there’s ‘no point’ in doing peace?
I mean I don’t mind not ‘Normalizing’ but why obsess about it so much?
Mo, I don't mind you "normalizing", but I do mind and even feel afraid from the normalization of the "average" Egyptian citizen. I believe you have the ability to look at the overall picture.
And concerning the gays issue . I am unaware about any gays nearby and I don't think I will feel comfortable in case there was any. Yet, I wouldn't mind anything that would oppose this crazy interior minister.
Lisa - how strange I wonder why. :)
Aliyah06 - i wasn't referring to you. :)
As for 'normalisation' - well, in the absence of a clear definition, it very much depends on what is meant by the speaker. And, as I wrote, it's an almost insulting thing to say in an Egyptian context. (Egyptians out there, do you agree?)
As for 'have peace without it' - again, we may not be agreeing on the definition of 'it' - well, Egypt and Israel are doing fairly well, no?
G - Oh come on. I didn't go to this year's parade! Snif!
Is it really the right wingers who consistently use it? I stumbled upon this article yesterday - see here:
"Israel has always demanded "normalization," so much so that the word has become an insult in the Arab world. Israel proclaimed a "new Middle East," and from that moment those words were published, the Arab world freed itself from the approach as someone who awakes from a nightmare."
I don't obsess about it, but there are plenty of people back home (mine, I'm talking) who do. Which is why someone would care to bring up the question of Israeli books in the Egyptian parliament, for instance.
Khaled Long time no see. :)
This interior minister is obviously a raging madman. Can someone put him out of his misery?
The 'average' (and not very average, trust me) is nowhere near making buddies with Israel. So much it actually surprises me sometimes!
Mo, I constantly read your blog.:) But recently I got busy with work and come back to home dead tired.
Mo;
The Israelis who demand 'Normalization' from the Arab countries and PA - are of course the ones who want it the least, namely the right and far right. It’s just a ‘comfy’ way of transferring the 'burden of refusal' to the other side. Israelis, as a culture, are not interested in any exchanges with neighboring countries and news coverage is limited to events, which affect Israel.
In this sense, the average Jewish Israeli are ‘against normalization’ as much as the Arabs, but without the obsessing and the mouth foaming…its simply a non-issue.
But you didn’t answer my question: WHY is this normalization such an obsession for Arabs and especially Egyptians? From Israel it seems almost ridiculous: Egyptian MP’s losing it over some obscure publication of an Israeli book or some Israeli persona visiting or whatever. Is this part of the self-illusion that making a big deal of normalization means difficulty for Israel and hence helping the resistance?
G
IN all fairness, national news coverage (not the 24/7 international variety) in almost all countries is limited to events which effect that country--spend half a day with Sky News, for example, and you too, can find out what the British soccer scores are, the traffic jams, car accidents and latest stabbings....
Well, I'm starting to get a sense of what "normalization" means and I guess it means its a full-on relationship 'demanded' by Israel and hence something bad which must be resisted and denied? Am I close? The concept is a bit confusing....peace usually means normal relationships between countries, so a "peace" without a normal relationship and a hostile relationship instead isn't really peace, is it? The absence of war isn't the same thing.
I would agree with G--I don't hear the average Israeli 'demanding' normalization---most are happy to spend a holiday at Taba or Sharm, and think that's as close to normalization as they're going to get.
BUT...I don't think Israelis talk much about normalization because we've sort of accepted that we're on our own here and the neighbors hate us and would prefer us dead. That doesn't mean we don't want normalization--personally, I'd love to visit Alexandria and go shopping in Beirut. I'd love to see Isfahan
someday......sigh....probably not in my lifetime, huh?
G - you surprise me when you say that 'the average Jewish Israel is against normalisation...' well, alright then!
Why is it an obsession? I don't know. Perhaps because it has taken connotations of 'collaboration' (in the WW2 meaning of the term), and as such is almost an insult that one needs to vehemently shrug off..
Aliyah
Normalisation, in the common local language, would mean 'establishing normal relationships' - trading, tourists here and there, joint businesses, allowing movement of people and students, etc..
But it surely isn't necessary. Again, Egypt and Israel are at peace, without necessarily being best buddies. So it works.
And for other Arab countries, normalisation would begin by establishing diplomatic relationships.
Plus there's an important point about all this: 'establishing normal relations' is one of the few things that Israel wants and we can withhold. It's something that, therefore, we tend to withhold for until a peace agreement is in place.
(eek, I feel that i'm writing franco-english today.. hope my rant makes sense :)
Post a Comment