Gay Pride, Jerusalem 2005

I decided to go to Jerusalem to march with the parents participating in the Gay Pride parade yesterday. I was grateful that the parade was scheduled to begin at 7PM, when the heat of the day is over. We were blessed with wonderful weather and excellent police protection. Sad to say, we needed the police: three paraders were stabbed by ultra-religious objectors [UPDATE: news reports say it was one "youth" who escaped, with the aid of fellow gangsters cohorts]. Luckily the victims were not critically injured, and were taken to hospital immediately.

[UPDATE: news headlines state that the parade was stopped. It was, for about five minutes, and then it resumed. I guess they didn't have room in the headlines for "briefly."]

Compared to Tel Aviv, it was a completely different experience. Much more confrontational, scary, smelly (stink bomb from objectors). In sum, the Tel Aviv Pride parade is like a party, the way I imagine Mardi Gras in Rio, whereas the Jerusalem Pride parade was like a protest march.