Beyond Tel Aviv and Jerusalem: LGBTQ Pride Hits Israel’s Suburbs

Ra’anana joins 11 other Israeli cities and towns holding Pride events for the first time this year, despite protest from the city's ultra-Orthodox community

There were no sequined drag queens dancing on floats in the style of the Tel Aviv Pride Parade, and none of the heavy security and politically charged atmosphere that characterizes the Jerusalem march.

Instead, the estimated 3,000 marchers cheerfully waving rainbow flags and chanting slogans for tolerance and equality showed a different phase in the fight for LGBTQ rights — its integration into suburban Israel.

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