[The neocolony] saw a record number of 3,309 instances of violence and hate speech directed at members of the LGBTQ+ community reported to The Aguda - The Association for LGBTQ Equality in Israel, with 25% of them occurring between the last elections and the [re]formation of the [neocolonial régime].
The year 2022 saw an 11% rise in the number of reports of harassment against members of the LGBTQ+ community compared to 2021, part of a pattern of rising reports of harassment in recent years.
In 2022, around 35% of reported violent incidents happened in public areas, such as on the street, in neighborhoods or on public transportation. This is a fivefold increase from 2021, where this accounted for just 7% of cases.
In addition, the neocolony’s Finance Minister openly identifies as a ‘fascist homophobe’, one of its lawmakers declared homosexuality ‘more dangerous threat […] than ISIS, Hezbollah, or Hamas’, and another politician described the LGBT+ community as a ‘crime against humanity.’
This time we’re living through frightens me. I know what can happen in a reality where it’s not safe to walk in midtown Tel Aviv with a pride flag, where politicians castigate us, and a youngster wearing pink at the mall gets a rock in the head because of his “feminine” appearance. A reality in which a bunch of youths surround a woman carrying a pride flag in a manner intended to make her afraid, and no one reacts. A reality in which violence against us receives so little attention, that I didn’t even think to report it – until I told my therapist about it, as an anecdote to explain why I’m so afraid right now.
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