The Pride Parade in Haifa
A sigh of relief rolled down the slopes of Carmel when the pride parade came to an end, and the event at the Mother's Garden also passed off peacefully. For a change, there were no problems with the police in organizing the event, the ultra-Orthodox did not riot publicly and the mayor made sure to avoid going on stage at the event, nor did she make any significant statement regarding the future of the city and the LGBT community in Haifa.
| Why didn't the mayor actually go up to the stage to speak?
It is a well-known fact that events funded by the Haifa public invite an opportunity to reveal to the public the municipal agenda and the plans for the future in the celebrated field. I don't mean the shallow talk of elected officials hugging the singer on duty next to them and joining him in singing at the top of their lungs. I mean the need for a leadership act by a local leader standing on stage and publicly and in sharp colors describing a clear vision and path for the LGBT community. Such a thing is especially needed in light of the problematic relationship with the LGBT community and its representatives in the past.
| The mayor of Haifa chose not to stand on stage
Rumor has it that a kind of gentleman's agreement has been created according to which local politicians will not speak and politicians from the central government will. This agreement apparently served the mayor well, who apparently does not want to poke the eyes of her ultra-Orthodox and religious partners in the council with binding statements. And so we settled for the mayor and the municipality that served as nothing more than a production company for the event. Without added value, without a sharp statement in favor of the city, without the danger of receiving boos against the mayor as already happened in the Haifa theater, and of course without any chance that the mayor's ultra-orthodox partners would get out of their way.
| Pride and primitive conduct
The event of the Pride Parade is an old Haifa institution that grew alongside the slow and consistent strengthening of the local LGBT community. But the event this time was actually a sign of the weakening of this community. The city council's decision to register partnerships is not only not implemented, but the city's leadership shows disregard for its very existence. In context It is worth noting that in Kiryat Bialik they started such registration without any special problems.
In the city of Haifa, there has been no pride portfolio holder for almost a year, and the last pride portfolio holder left his position by slamming a door while claiming to the mayor: "Deplorable lack of cooperation, constant attempts at cuts and a constant communication gap on your part. I can no longer find a liberal and progressive city leadership that understands what The importance of developing the gay community in the city."
Even the particular improvement in the city's position in the pride index (from 7th place to 4th place among Israeli cities) does not leave a special impression in light of the above. So if the picture is not so colorful, and the actions of the mayor in this area are quite gray, then it seems that something quite important was missed along the way...
| The collapse of residents' expectations: events are better than values
I qualify my words by saying that if the representatives of the LGBT community in Haifa are satisfied with a colorful event and nothing else, then let them be perfumed. Posters and two-dimensional pictures. This does not add strength to the city, but only systematically pushes the level of expectations of the residents down. A particularly sarcastic example of this appeared last week in the municipality's publications, when it was excitedly reported about the placement of a "new attraction" on the Lui Promenade and more for free! You know what it is A free attraction? Free observation binoculars towards the bay. There is no doubt that the millions of tourists are already knocking on the city's doors, but not for the binoculars, but to see the strange city where binoculars become an attraction.
| somewhere Over the Rainbow?
It seems that more and more residents are satisfied with limited achievements and ridiculous attractions, to feel that something is happening here. These are excellent news for the mayor, who has already announced her desire to serve another term. But for the Haifa public this is a tragedy. Residents accept the obvious, and sometimes even less than that, with the agreement and understanding that it is better than nothing. Until then we have deteriorated.
It is important that we do not accustom the city leadership to the fact that we are content with little. It is important that they know that the residents' satisfaction cannot be bought with colorful photographs of events and street cleaners - we deserve much, much more!
And regarding the representatives of the LGBT community, why didn't you get on stage and demand what you deserve? Why didn't you publicly declare your vision for the city of Haifa?
The pride event in Haifa was "nice". And that may be enough.
Although I listened attentively (also to the speeches in Arabic and Russian) I did not understand what and why the event was about, was it simply a party for the community to do well and realize its goals as a community in the city? Is it good for companies and members of the gay community in the city?
Do Hoshan lectures enter the schools? Does IGI operate and be supported like any other youth movement operating in the city? Did the welfare department encourage the specialization of attorneys in the community? And another list of questions regarding a community that the research estimates includes about 10% of the city's residents.
I would appreciate an article that provides a general picture
Some shocking facts: the LGBT organization receives 750 thousand NIS from the municipality every year. In Tel Aviv it is NIS 3 million. If they try to cancel the budget, the High Court orders to give it.
A huge LGBT flag that hangs from the roof to the ground now and every year in June covers the left side of the entrance in front of the city hall.
The CEO of the New Israel Fund: "Without us there would be no LGBT organizations in Israel." So the Lahatb movement, which is also being promoted in the world, aims to impose values on the general public as stated here. In Israel, the goal is the recognition that, as their words imply, our basic self-definition of male and female does not exist, so the definition of the state as Jewish should be canceled until Israel becomes Palestine
The holder of this pride bag - an archaic, sexist, unnecessary concept that had better never come. There is no single file holder, single parent file holder and single file holder. The time has come for the LGBT community or any other name (the names change all the time, have you noticed?) to understand that if they demand to be "like everyone else" it is impossible to demand unique and old budgets. They are not a sector and the attempt is also to demand sectoralism and unique budgets while at the same time telling us that they are are not different and want equality, they just don't get along. By the way, this is the same failure of the ultra-Orthodox and Arab sectors. If you want to integrate, stop differentiating. If you want to integrate, stop differentiating and only integrate within sectoral organizations and within differentiating neighborhoods. I guess it won't be far today that the LGBT sector will demand Establish separate neighborhoods for the straights, the ultra-Orthodox and the Arabs? Is this the next step?
By the way, the attempt to refer to every performance, speech and statements that a politician in this case a mayor says is obviously a failure in itself. We have a prime minister who made public statements before the elections READ MY LIPS I will not sit in the government with an anti-Zionist party, we will form a right-wing coalition. So he said, then he declared, what are statements worth? What were Klish's statements at the rally worth?
Really, why does she need to get involved with a community, whose request to remove a pride flag that is not an official flag in a library that serves the general public, was eaten alive. A justified demand, as we would not want a paratrooper flag, the United States flag, an Olympic flag or any other flag in the library. A library is an urban public place where statehood is needed. The demand was justified, but the "LGBT community" started fighting against the municipality as if they were forbidden to kiss in the street. In such a situation, why should it give them choppers?
and another thing.
The time has come for the municipality to say clearly that there will be no more marches in Moria. And no events in Moria. And nothing that would require closing Moriah Street or the Carmel Center for many hours. There are no alternative roads, this is not Tel Aviv with parallel streets in the form of a grid, every closure of streets creates a serious nuisance. That's exactly what I thought you could give the portion of criticism, then at least there would be some justice in the regular review column. This is an unnecessary nuisance that closes entire neighborhoods where the population does not have a car and bus lines stop coming, which can be moved to the Bat Galim Promenade, Hecht Park, the Technion Promenade and the Technion Grass, the Neve Shanan Athletics Center or the Louis Al Gan Ham Promenade. There are plenty of alternatives to the chaos created in Moria. It is enough to close Moria.
Quote you and ask what exactly you want?
"Liberal and progressive urban leadership that understands the importance of developing the gay community in the city" - what development? What does the community need a KY subsidy for?
"What a shame that the leadership behavior leaves behind the essence and values" - what essence is there here, and what values? What value is there in the lives of LGBT people who forcefully push us the need to legitimize their reality, the value of live and let live, is anyone stopping them from living their lives?
"The mayor who is probably not interested in poking the eyes of her ultra-Orthodox and religious partners in the council with binding statements" - the one poking the eyes of the gay community is called a dark clerical homophobe, the one poking the eyes of the ultra-Orthodox and the religious is called tolerant and liberal. Is only a certain sector or community entitled to tolerance and consideration, while another sector should absorb mud for its opinions? Where has the respect for others gone and the acceptance of opinions freely when it comes to Mitzvah observants?
"And regarding the representatives of the LGBT community, why didn't you get on the stage and demand what you deserve? Why didn't you publicly declare your vision for the city of Haifa?" - What vision are you talking about, encouraging the youth to have same-sex relationships? A vision in which the LGBT flags will hang in all the streets of the city alongside the flags of the nation and the flags of Haifa?
Let's just imagine if we all become LGBT, what will happen to the next generation??? It's okay there won't be a next generation, there is no way that the LGBT will agree to be a surrogate for a couple of chauvinistic men who shy away from women.