Jerusalem Pride is not Tel Aviv Pride.

It’s more political, religious and smaller. It has counter-protesters. This is not a parade built around beaches, parties, or corporate sponsorships. It is a march that exists because activists fought for the right to hold it. Since 2002, LGBTQ Jerusalemites and their allies have organized, protested, petitioned courts, challenged institutions, and insisted that visibility belongs in every city—including Israel’s most contested one.

Every year, social media fills with claims that Israel uses LGBTQ rights to distract from other political issues.

The accusation has a name: pinkwashing.

It is a criticism that resurfaces every Pride season, especially around Jerusalem Pride. People who have never attended the march, spoken to its organizers, or experienced what it feels like to walk through Jerusalem’s streets on Pride Day often dismiss the entire event with a single word.

As a liberal Israeli activist, attending Jerusalem Pride each year feels even more important to me than attending Tel Aviv Pride. Tel Aviv is largely a celebration of how........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)