Israel's transgender community had much to celebrate at this year's Tel Aviv Pride. Two days before the Pride celebration the National Labor Court banned discrimination based on an individual's gender identity.
The June 10 decision, announced by the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission, a division of the Economy Ministry, came at the right moment for Israel's transgender community as Tel Aviv Pride celebrated the "T" in LGBT.
Eurovision 2014 winner Conchita Wurst, a gender-bending drag queen from Vienna, Austria, headlined this year's celebration, which had as its theme "Tel Aviv Loves All Genders."
(The reporter's trip was sponsored by the Israeli Ministry of Tourism.)
Wurst "hopes that it will help with the broader community's understanding of the trans community," she told reporters at a June 11 press dinner.
The transgender community's largest organization, Ma'avarim, kicked off the June 12 parade, leading marchers down Bograshov to the Mediterranean Sea, where the parade flowed toward Charles Clore Park.
It was Tel Aviv Pride's largest celebration to date, with a crowd estimated at 180,000.
"It's really amazing and exciting," said Elisha "Shuki" Alexander, the head of Ma'avarim (translated means transitions or passageways), a grassroots organization based in Tel Aviv. "It puts a focus on the community and a focus on the important issues that we face."
Gabriella Yenis, a 31-year-old transgender lesbian woman who was celebrating Pride with her girlfriend Maura Finlay, 32, a bisexual woman, agreed with Alexander and was excited about Tel Aviv Pride celebrating the trans community.
"It's kind of cool that it shines a light on us," said Yenis, who lives outside of Haifa, San Francisco's sister city in northern Israel.
It meant to her, "That we exist. That we are not just outsiders ... we are a part of society. We should be known about. There's no reason to hide what we are and who we are as a people."
Friday's Pride was a temporary celebration for Israel's transgender community as it still has much work ahead of it to reach equality, as two separate reports have found.
Reality check
In March, the Economy Ministry found that 68 percent of the transgender community experienced discrimination at work. Some of the discrimination included forcing transgender employees (39 percent) to dress according to their legally documented sex at birth, reported the Jerusalem Post.
Lesbian, gay, and bisexual employees (39 percent) also experienced discrimination, according to the report, which was released at a conference on equal employment opportunities.
The survey received 400 respondents.
A separate report on the transgender community conducted by Dr. Ruth Gopin of Clalit Health Services Gay Clinic found that 40 percent of transgender people are employed full-time and 30 percent are employed part-time. Another 30 percent of transgender individuals are unemployed. Out of the transgender individuals who are employed, 57 percent are working in minimum wage jobs. Last December, Israel raised its minimum wage from 4,300 shekels ($1,076) to 5,000 ($1,252) per month, according to the Economy Ministry.
Employment discrimination is only part of the story. According to Gopin's findings 70 percent of the transgender community experiences verbal abuse and about half of the community reported being physically attacked (48 percent of trans men and 55 percent of trans women).
Marina Meshel, a transgender woman, stood up against her employer, who she believes fired her due to her gender identity. She filed a lawsuit against the Center for Educational Technology, where she was employed. The case made it all the way to the judges in the NLC.
The parties compromised with each party maintaining its position.
Stepping up
However, the Israeli government has stepped in to help improve transgender individuals' lives by instituting an employment program for transgender youth, said Alexander.
"Discrimination still exists, but since the past six years there are changes," said Alexander, a 38-year-old self-identified gay trans boy who has been a transgender activist for 10 years. "There's [an] employment empowerment program for trans youth funded by the state and the municipality."
Last year, the Israeli government made major changes to the process for transgender individuals to receive the state sponsored sex change operations they need making it easier, Alexander added.
Updated, 3/1/24: This article has been updated to indicate that Heather Cassell's trip was sponsored by the Israeli Ministry of Tourism.
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