Which city surpassed Tel Aviv? A turnaround in the index of the leading cities in relation to the LGBT community

A turnaround in the pride index of the LGBT Association: for the first time the municipality of Givatayim is the city that promoted the needs of the gay community the most in the past year. According to the index submitted today (Tuesday) to President Yitzhak Herzog, the municipality of Ramat Gan is in second place, the municipality of Rishon Lezion is in third place, Kfar Saba is in fourth place and the municipality of Tel Aviv-Jaffa is in fifth place for the first time, while the municipality of Jerusalem, the capital city of the State of Israel, is at the bottom of the ranking this year as well.

The index, which is published in preparation for Pride Month on the eve of the International Day of the Fight Against LGBTphobia, examined the attitude of local authorities throughout the country to the LGBT community and how they supported and promoted the needs of the community in the local area in the past year, with the aim of promoting a safe space for LGBT people everywhere in Israel.

This year, a record number of 85 cities and local authorities were measured in which gay organizations supported by the LGBT Association operate based on 34 questions in five categories: welfare, education, infrastructure, public visibility and culture.

It was also examined, among other things, whether the municipality approved the registration of partnerships for LGBT couples in order to receive rights and services, whether there is an active attorney responsible for the LGBT issue, whether there was training for the welfare teams on the subject and whether the municipality supported the activity to mark the month of pride.

The index data shows that the municipality of Givatayim produced dozens of events and projects throughout the year for the gay community, held special trainings for the staff of the municipal departments on LGBT issues, established a clinic for the gay family, was the first municipality to approve the registration of LGBT couples and even makes sure to address the fight against LGBT phobia in its homes the book.

During the year, the Ramat Gan municipality inaugurated the city's gay center where dozens of activities and events are held for the diverse populations of the gay community, while demonstrating extraordinary LGBT visibility, also as a public response to hate crimes against the community.

In third place is Rishon Lezion Municipality with extensive work in the fields of welfare, education and culture, and new opportunities for community members ranging from pre-military training for LGBT people to a gay sports team. Fourth place is occupied by Kfar Saba with the opening of the first gay Rishon center in the city and various activity groups.

The Tel Aviv Jaffa Municipality operates and finances the gay center, which leads with its support hundreds of activities, events, community projects, volunteering places and services for the entire gay spectrum and will soon open the new gay center with an investment of tens of millions of shekels. At the same time, only less than half of the state schools in the city held workshops on education for tolerance and against LGBT-phobia.

Progress in the south towards LGBT inclusion, but Jerusalem is still far behind

The municipality of Beer Sheva is the authority that holds the highest score in the southern region and ranks ninth with an increase of 20%. The greatest improvement in relation to LGBT was made by the municipality of Dimona, which ranks 30th with a 95% increase from the score it received last year. This year, for the first time, the municipality appointed a coordinator for the LGBT field in the city and activated dedicated welfare centers for the population.

The municipality of Jerusalem, the capital of Israel and home to approximately one million residents, was ranked at the bottom of the ranking, along with 13 other municipalities that chose not to cooperate in responding to the index this year. In the report it is noted: "The municipality avoids taking public responsibility for the needs of its LGBT residents, and avoids providing accessible budgets and services to the community.

"In this framework, it does not participate in the financing of the month of pride and tolerance in the city and it allows the open house in Jerusalem to compete for the support funds only thanks to the ruling of the Supreme Court. Unsurprisingly, even after the ruling of the Supreme Court, the municipality created discriminatory budgeting mechanisms, an issue that is currently being debated in the House Supreme Court".

Less than half of the cities have pride flags, but 70% of them have programs for the gay community

The field in which Israeli authorities invest the most, by a significant margin, is the field of culture, which includes events for the gay community during Pride month and beyond. In second place is the area of visibility in the public space, which includes representation of the gay community in the public space of the authority (flags, signs, official publications), and publication of existing messages to the gay community on official pages, but less than half of the authorities (46%) hung pride flags or dedicated signs during Pride Month. In 69% of the authorities there is a budgeted strategic plan for the community and in 63% of the authorities there is a legal counsel position for LGBT people, and 5 other authorities are in the process of creating the position.

"The local government that they want to damage is the LGBT people's protective wall against a hostile government"

President Yitzhak Herzog said upon receiving the report: "The LGBT community, in all its shades, is one of the cornerstones of the Israeli mosaic. Her contribution to Israeli society and the State of Israel is recognized, appreciated, and has also made her famous and respected all over the world. We must continue to act so that every citizen in Israel feels that their identity is protected and respected, and even more so – their personal and community security."

He added: "We recently learned of a number of incidents in which the LGBT community was the target of attacks – personal and public, and these things shock us all and should motivate us to meaningful and meaningful action, because a person created in Tselem's image is lovable. At the heart of this important report is the welcome and appreciated progress that exists in Israel in general and in the local government in particular regarding the treatment of the LGBT community and I welcome it from the bottom of my heart."

The chairperson of the LGBT Association, Hila Par, said: "The gay community is found in every region of Israel, in all sectors and across the political spectrum, and we will not give up our voice and our place in Israeli society. Precisely when the discourse of hate against LGBT people is rampant on the streets and from within the government, we will make sure that the equality revolution will only continue and grow up In the days when they seek to weaken the local government, the index shows how much the local government stands as a protective wall for the gay community. This is a proud local revolution and we will continue it at the pride events throughout the country."