JERUSALEM (JTA) — They came out by the thousands across Israel to show their support for LGBTQ rights — but the numbers were a far cry from the Pride parades held annually that were canceled due to the coronavirus.
Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa, as well Beersheba and smaller cities, hosted Pride rallies. The demonstrations, organized by the Aguda Association for LGBTQ Equality in Israel, were held under the banner “The revolution is not complete.”
Among other things, the demonstrators called for making it legal for single men and gay male couples to have children through surrogacy in Israel.
But only some 1,250 people were permitted to participate in the Jerusalem rally because of the coronavirus. Some 27 people belonging to right-wing organizations were detained before the rally due over concerns that they would try to disrupt it.
A similar number showed up for the Tel Aviv rally in Rabin Square — well below the more than 100,000 people who have come out in recent years for the city’s annual Pride parade.
The Tel Aviv-Jaffa municipal building also was lit up for Pride Month.
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