Opening Ceremonies of the First Outgames, 29 July 2006, in MontrealPhoto: Houssein on Flickr. Used under Creative Commons License. Israel announced the formation of an official delegation to the World Outgames in Copenhagen with support–and some funding–from the Foreign Ministry. The Games will take place in the Danish capital between 25 July and 01 August [...]

Photo: Getty Images After a two-year judicial process–and 14 years after first adopting their son–a court in Ramat Gan has permitted the first adoption by a gay couple in Israel. This decision will allow Yossi Even-Kama to receive the full benefits as a child of his adoptive parents, Prof. Uzi Even and Dr. Amit Kama. [...]

Photo: Haifa Pride Parade 2007By YuvalY on Wikimedia Commons. Used under Creative Commons License. Last week, Israel signed on to a United Nations declaration last week that calls for the decriminalization of homosexuality. This momentous statement came on the heels of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, held earlier this month. [...]

Photo: Getty Images “The Bubble,” a film by Eytan Fox and Gal Uchovsky, has scooped up four Glitter awards at the International Gay Film Awards, held this past weekend in Hollywood.

Yehuda Levi (Jagger)Photo: Deror Avi for Wikimedia Commons Entertainment Weekly magazine has released its picks for the sexiest movies of all time–and included Eytan Fox’s acclaimed Yossi and Jagger (2003) on the list. Fox’s production ranks along such icons as The English Patient, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, and King Kong. We know Israeli [...]

Yesterday, for the first time ever, the NYC Gay Pride Parade featured a group of Israelis marching under the the slogan “I’m a Proud Israeli.” This group of about 50 gay and straight Israelis came to show its solidarity with the LGBT community in New York. The crowd, estimated at one million, applauded loudly all [...]

This year’s Faigele Film Festival at the Manhattan JCC highlights four Israeli films that explore themes like the search for identity and love through all the complexities of Israeli society. The event runs from 17-18 June and tickets are available on the JCC website. Tue, Jun 17, 7 PM Mom, I Didn’t Kill Your Daughter [...]

Photo: Getty Images Experiencing a vibrant gay and lesbian culture is not something that often comes to mind when planning a visit to Israel. Increasingly, however, American organizations have been sending LGBT missions to Israel and this year, for the first time, Young Judea and birthright israel will be offering their own LGBT-themed trips. JPost [...]

A decision yesterday (10 February 2008) by Attorney General Menahem Mazuz broadens the options for homosexual couples who want to adopt a child. According to Haaretz, they can now adopt a child who is not the offspring of either party and can also use the regular state channels to apply to adopt children. JPost gives [...]

Israel today is one of the world’s most progressive countries in terms of equality for sexual minorities. In recent years, Israel has produced more progressive legislation and court decisions in the areas of sexual orientation and gay and lesbian rights than many Western countries. Israel has an active gay community and it is by far [...]