Tens of
thousands of rainbow flag-toting revelers attended the lesbian, gay, bisexual
and transgender parade in Tel Aviv on Friday, billed as the largest of its kind
in the
deeply conservative Middle East.
The annual
parade featured floats with blaring sound systems and gyrating dancers.
Revelers could be seen dancing on the balconies of surrounding building.
"We
need to show ourselves and we also need to fight for others who need to feel
like they can show themselves too, to empower everyone around us," Max
Kratz, a parade participant from Germany told Reuters.
Same-sex
marriage is against the law in Israel, but polls published in the country's
media this week suggested that around three quarters of Israeli Jews supported
permitting it.
"We are
here to party and to celebrate with them, their freedom in Israel and we are
hoping they are going in the right direction and have more privileges in the
country," party-goer Shir Geri told Reuters.
The parade
caps a week of pride festivities in the city, which authorities expected to
draw 35,000 tourists. The parade is sponsored by the municipality, which said
it had invested heavily to promote gay tourism in recent years.
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