Monday, August 13, 2012

Israel at Hamburg Gay Pride Parade

Khaled sent me this:
"This might interest you; it has been at least 6 years since I last visited a Gay Pride event in this wretched town but on the urging of a friend, I accompanied him to this year's parade. It was the usually hyperbole of über-commercialized wagons, dance and superficial displays of "gay" life.  I felt quite neutral watching the people go by until, low and behold, at the end of the parade I saw Israeli flags being waved! There was a group of young people marching while waving several flags of the state, others with the Star of David in rainbow colours and one in PINK with a drag queen in tow!  The people there were handing out flyers, buttons and small flags. I was so pissed of I did not take one of the flyers with me, but I did see the title as "Israels Stellung zur Homosexualität" (Israel's Position in Homosexuality) Pun anyone? I am not sure if the public was even aware of the politics behind it all, still they were snapping up the mini-flags like crazy. Back home I started looking online and it turns out that this part of the parade was sponsored by the Israeli Embassy / Consulate itself and
that it has been taking place since 2010! Here are the links, all are in German, unfortunately: 


2010, blog:
Israeli Embassy's (Berlin) Blog on the participation
in 2011:"