TLV Queer-Story: The Early Years

Let's uncover the untold history of forgotten and excluded queer characters, their struggles, and the changes in the LGBTQ community in Israel-Palestine. Join us as we examine solidarity, successes and contemporary struggles of the LGBTQ community. We’ll visit historical places and explore important events and changes that have shaped LGBTQ life, with a focus on Tel Aviv and beyond. Our tours will foster learning and discussion about the intersection of LGBTQ struggles with other social justice issues such as nationality, gender, ethnicity, and of course, pinkwashing. All tours will take place in central and southern Tel Aviv. The tours will be held in English.  

Join us on our first tour, "The Early Years," where we'll journey back in time to explore the origins of Israel-Palestine's LGBTQ community. We'll delve into the groundbreaking work of Magnus Hirschfeld, a pioneer of exploring sexual identities and an advocate for trans and queer rights in pre-Nazi Germany. From there, we'll examine the pre-Zionist LGBTQ scene in Mandatory Palestine, exploring the ways in which orientalism and imperialism shaped LGBTQ experiences at that time. We'll also delve into the criminalization and non-criminalization of same-sex relationships and discuss the challenges that LGBTQ individuals faced in expressing their identities before the 1960s. And finally, we'll look at how cruising and dating in the 1960s helped to shape the LGBTQ community as we know it today. Don't miss out on this exciting opportunity to learn about the early years of the LGBTQ community in Israel-Palestine and the struggles and triumphs that paved the way for today's generation.