Tel Aviv will soon erect a monument commemorating the countless queers who died during the Holocaust.

As you can see, the designers have been inspired by the ever-important pink triangle, which gay men wore while in concentration camps.

Lesbians, meanwhile, were meant to wear a black patch, which doesn't seem to have found its way into this particular structure.

Israeli police were eager beavers over the weekend.

On Saturday, coppers in Haifa announced that they had arrested 11 men for prostitution after raiding a local sauna. Gay activists, however, say otherwise - the men were just meeting other men, not whoring. Needless to say, the homos are livid. Well, activist Mike Hammel is, at least:

Saying that this place provides prostitution services, is simply ignorance and stupidity. Only in Haifa can they come to a place for gays, remove people as if they were a herd of animals, and simply place them under investigation for prostitution.

Police maintain that the men were exchanging money for sex and, thus, the sauna qualifies as a brothel.

Israel's Attorney General recently ruled that the state should allow gay couples to adopt children. A new case, however, proves the limits of the state's queer acceptance:

The state is opposed to allowing both partners in a lesbian couple to be registered as the biological mothers of their baby boy, even though one donated the egg and the other gave birth, the Tel Aviv District Attorney's Office informed Tel Aviv District Court in a response released Sunday.

The brief, submitted by the state's representative, Attorney Orly Manzur, came in response to a suit filed by the couple, whose names cannot be published, demanding that the Interior Ministry register both partners as the child's biological mothers.

"Before approving the request for artificial insemination, the Health Ministry made it clear that the woman who donated the egg would not [automatically] be considered the child's mother and that if she wanted to be, she would have to adopt him," Manzur told the court

The women argue that joint legality will benefit the child's mental and emotional stability, which sounds sound to us.

It's Hebrew versus Hebrew in Jerusalem, where the conservative Schechter Rabbinical Seminary refused to recognize an American conservative branch's queer inclusion.

New York's Jewish Theological Seminary courted controversy last year when it agreed to include gay and lesbian students, a direct violation with more self-righteous conservative leanings.

Tensions came to a head this week when the brash Americans visited Schechter and attempted to commemorate their historic decision. The Israelis weren't having it, and Schechter honcho, Rabbi Einat Ramon, insisted the Americans follow the universal conservative movement, which prohibits queer rabbis.

CONTINUED »

Israel's getting wise in its old age!

The Middle Eastern nation, which officially turns 60 this year, made a Palestinian gay's dreams come true this week by granting him asylum, thus protecting him from anti-gay attacks in his homeland.

The man had applied years ago for an Israeli visa in order to live with his Israeli lover of eight years in Tel Aviv.

Realizing that acquiring such a visa via normal channels could take many more years, the Palestinian man turned to an Israeli Defense Force commander responsible for civil administration in the area and reported repeated threats to his life ever since his family discovered he was homosexual and in a relationship with an Israeli Jew.

The move's unheard of in Israel and, we hope, sets a precedent. Although, we're not holding out breath.

The World Outgames aren't just a display of gay athletic prowess, but also operate as an opportunity for tourism boards to reach a captive audience. Melbourne, Rio and Amsterdam will all send representatives to this year's games in Copenhagen, as will Israel, a nation where gay rights remain a matter of serious contention:

Copenhagen mayor Ritt Bjerregaard recently approached Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai and invited him to set up a compound at the event in order to promote tourism to the Israeli city…

Huldai appointed City Council member Itai Pinkas and the coordinator of the pride parade in Tel Aviv Adir Steiner to organize the project.
The two decided to erect the compound on the beach, and turn it into a typical Tel Avivian strip of sand, complete with paddle ball games, falafel and surfboards. "This is an opportunity to put Tel Aviv on the world map of gay tourism," Pinkas stated.

The duo have enlisted a number of Israeli cultural figures, including gay filmmaker Eytan Fox, to represent Tel Aviv at this summer's festivities. They're also coordinating a massive dance party, because everyone knows we gays can't resist a little rump shaking!

Art and activism come together in Israel, where Palestinian gays are airing their repression-induced grievances through politically-minded performances.

In an effort to carve out a space for themselves, Palestinian drag queens gather every few months at a club in the heart of Tel Aviv to take part in underground shows. These parties offer a rare forum for them to explore complicated and convoluted ideas about sexuality, politics, nationalism, militancy and religion.

They're forging their identities at the center of what some consider an occupying power. The Palestinian nationalists among them recognize the irony in the fact that Israel has become their sanctuary.

Above you see one such performer, a 26-year old who calls himself "The Bride of Palestine," who sings liberation songs while dressed in a bloody wedding dress. How edgy!