Throughout the month of May I translated a number of articles for the online magazine of the LGBTQ organization A Wider Bridge:
Gay Israeli Singer’s Mom Is His Biggest LGBTQ Advocate (May 1, 2018)
Two months after singer Harel Skaat came out of the closet, he had a festive birthday performance at Shuni’s Amphitheater in Israel. At that performance his mother, Ahuva, chose to voice her support in a very public way. “I asked his manager to come on the stage and congratulate him for his birthday. Harel didn’t know about my initiative, if he had known he wouldn’t have agreed. I went onstage, wished him Mazel Tov, and took the opportunity to convey a message to the audience – that us as a family love Harel and are very proud of him, and if there is one person in the audience who is in the closet, he should know there’s nothing to fear because the worst is to live with the secret.” Read more
Transgender Beauty Queen is a Top Miss Israel Finalist (May 5, 2018)
After the incredible achievement of being the first transgender woman to participate in the national Miss Israel beauty pageant, Talleen Abu Hanna finished up as the third runner-up (4th place) at the beauty contest. Abu Hanna, who was also the oldest contestant among the year’s finalists, took to Facebook to express her gratitude. “I wish Mazel Tov and good luck to my dear Nicole,” Talleen wrote. “We had an amazing experience together. I would [also] like to thank each of the judges and members of the beauty contest team for their amazing attitude and wonderful friendship.” Read the story
NYC Council Members Visit Tel Aviv’s LGBT Center (May 5, 2018)
A group of 18 New York city council members, including the council spokesperson, arrived at the Tel Aviv LGBT center in order to study its work, being the first LGBT Center in the world funded by a city municipality. Read the story
The Fight For Surrogacy for Gays, and Feminism (May 7, 2018)
The Justice Ministry clarified this week in a Knesset debate that it opposes surrogacy for gay couples. It’s easy to blame Minister Ayelet Shaked, but the truth is that behind her are the prime minister, the Likud ministers, and the leftist Knesset members who line up with the darkest forces in our politics. Gal Uchovsky tries and fails to understand them. Read the story
An Open Letter from the Incoming Chair of Havruta (May 8, 2018)
Avichai Abarbanel has been voted in as the new Chair of Havruta, Israel’s organization for religious gay men. He welcomes the second decade of Havruta with a rousing call for community in this open letter. Read the story
Netta Receives Praise from the International and Israeli Gay Communities (May 16, 2018)
In an interview with Neta Barzilai conducted by veteran Israeli newswoman Ilana Dayan, the esteemed interviewer said to her: “It frightens me that someone will take you and promise you a great career and you will go on the path that all of them go on and the first thing you’d do is lose weight.” Barzilai was surprised by the question, but quickly pulled out: “I’m not going to pay attention to what other people think, and if I diet, it’ll happen and I’ll change.” Read the story
For the First Time, Mobile Blood Donation Unit to Be Set Up at Gay Pride Event in Tel Aviv (May 18, 2018)
For the first time in Israel, a blood donation campaign targets the LGBT Community. The Magen David Adom (MDA) pilot for LGBT people began last month, in which gay men were allowed to donate blood without having to wait 12 months since having sex with another man. Now a mobile blood donation unit, in cooperation with the Tel Aviv municipality, will be set up at a gay pride event next Friday in Tel Aviv. Read the story
The Pink Roof: 33% Of The Gay Men Who Arrive Are Arabs (May 23, 2018)
The “Pink Roof” was established in Tel Aviv two months ago to provide shelter and care for homeless LGBT youth. Over 33% are from the Arab sector, a much higher proportion of their relative share of society. “If I go back home, they’d kill me,” says Omar (not his real name) who was forced to leave his home. “Our default mindset is acceptance is in any situation, we don’t want to say ‘no’ to anyone,” says Shani Werner, director of the place. Read the story
Police Demands Israeli Gay Pride Parade Put Up High Fence, Stay Away From Ultra-Orthodox (May 24, 2018)
The organizers of the Gay Pride Parade in Kfar Saba were stunned by the police’s demand to fence the entire parade route as a condition for holding the parade. These measures are needed to protect the marchers and because “this is a sensitive event that requires a large police deployment,” said the police. Read the story
Reflecting back on Wigstock 1998: Israel’s own Stonewall (May 24, 2018)
After the wonderful victory of Netta Barzilai in the Eurovision Song Contest, Famous Israeli Drag artist Gil Naveh, AKA Galina for de Bra, reflects on Wigstock 1998, Israel’s own Stonewall moment, 20 years ago, when the police arrived with rubber gloves to stop the event. As Wigstock 2018 approaches on June 6, she looks at how far things have progressed. Read the story
Being Bullied at School Pushed This Non-Binary Person to Become A Teacher (May 30, 2018)
Lee Arnan was on the way from work to his Neveh Tzedek (a Tel Aviv neighborhood) home when a group of boys began harassing him. “Are you a man or a woman?” They asked again and again, and when they didn’t get an answer, they grabbed him and pulled down his pants. Only then, when they seemed to have received an answer to their intrusive, disturbing, illegitimate question for they were total strangers, they left him alone. Read the story