We believe Queer News Tonight anchor Al Ferguson is the only LGBTQ reporter in Tel Aviv. He has been reporting live. Early Monday morning, he personally witnessed a ballistic missile attack on central Tel Aviv, just blocks from his hotel.
At first daylight he went to the square where buildings and countless businesses and windows were destroyed or severely damaged. That same morning he visited the LGBTQ center just a 10 minute walk from the attack location to tour the first and only city-run LGBTQ center in the world.
Program Director Noam Gross toured Ferguson through the many floors that are the heart of the Tel Aviv LGBTQ community. Health and Mental care, social gathering point, a 400 seat live production theater and unfortunately, a bomb shelter are part of the center.
Gross, a member of the LGBTQ community expressed his pride in the city of Tel Aviv’s relationship with the gay community and the pride of diversity of men, women and trans members of the LGBTQ community. The center produces Tel Aviv Pride that was cancelled just hours after the attack on the Iranian nuclear sites early Friday morning.
Al was in Tel Aviv to cover the Pride events. A Trans staff member of the center is the producer of Wigstock, a massive Tel Aviv event that celebrates Drag Queens and trans artists and last Wednesday’s event drew more than 2000 participants. While Gross expressed pride in what they have accomplished he also expressed his sadness of how other LGBTQ communities across the world have treated LGBTQ Israeli’s. He said
“We had so many friends in Berlin, New York, Miami and across the world. But that seems to be gone now. There is politics and there is the LGBTQ community. We are all brothers and sisters and we thought you were with us. We are deeply sad to realize that may not have been true.”
One thing was clear about the visit with Gross and the LGBTQ Center. It is very much like the Pride Center of Equality Park in Wilton Manors. It serves the community. But unlike South Florida, Israel is being attacked with ballistics missiles every day. Just hours before this interview, a 32 foot missile hit just blocks away. The LGBTQ Center did not close. Through all of this Al Ferguson said,
“Regardless of the politics of Israel, we can admire their desire to survive. What Israel faces is not unlike the history of LGBTQ. Historically a desire to harm and even destroy your existence. So our roots at the Stonewall Riots are so very similar to what I have seen here in Tel Aviv. Their desire to survive. And there is no question, while they are hurt on how the world treats them… they too, will survive.”
