The 17th Tel Aviv Gay Pride Parade will take place Friday, June 12, 2015, under the slogan “Tel Aviv Loves All Genders”, with the theme of the parade being support for transgender rights and recognition of the contribution of transgender people to the LGBT community and to the city of Tel Aviv. 120 thousand people are expected to take part in the parade, including about 25 thousand LGBT tourists arriving from all over the world.

Thousands of transgender people live in Israel, who, together with other members of the LGBT community, faced legal and public struggles as well as moments of glory. However, the road that the transgender community is facing, being the most vulnerable part of the LGBT community, is still long: Trans people suffer from discrimination in the work market, in housing and school, from a high rate of physical and verbal abuse and abusive and disrespectful treatment in everyday life.

The Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality explained that placing the transgender community in the front of the 2015 pride events was designed to promote the visibility of this community, show support and strengthen the achievements of its members in their continuing struggle for recognition and equal rights. Regardless, the Pride parade and events will continue to reflect the diversity of the LGBT community, and will also include children and families. Other activities will be announced later.

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Tel Aviv-Jaffa, as every year, is investing more than NIS 2 million in the gay community – in support of community organizations, budgeting the LGBT center, where the organization Ma’azarim for transgender people operates, and encouraging LGBT tourism. Among other things, Tel Aviv-Jaffa helps fund temporary apartments for transgender people and encourages integration of trans youth into the labor market.

Yaniv Weizman, a member of the Tel Aviv City Council and responsible for LGBT issues, said “The gay pride parade in Tel Aviv has been the main event of the LGBT community for a long time. This year the parade will march in Tel Aviv with an important message: strengthening the visibility of the transgender community. As a community we must be obligated to strengthen and embrace the weak links in the chain, and we are proud to do it this year. ”

Elisha Alexander, executive director of “Ma’avarim” and director of trans issues in the LGBT Center, said, “The dedication of pride parade to the transgender community represents a major breakthrough for the community today. Transgender people stood in the past and continue to stand at the forefront of the LGBT struggle and the struggle for gender freedom is not only ours but society’s as a whole – the freedom to be ourselves. “