Queer urban movements in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem: A comparative discussion

Many regard urban metropolitan centres as sites of sexual freedom and presence, cultivating LGBT and queer movements and activism. This study compares the sociocultural, spatial and political aspects of LGBT and queer urban movements in Israel’s largest cities – Tel Aviv and Jerusalem – focusing specifically on Tel Aviv’s Gay Centre and the Jerusalem Open House (JOH), which of both serve as community activism hubs. An analysis of these two sites and the urban social movements and political shifts that they generated suggests that while both movements operate within the same Israeli structure of opportunities, there are major differences between them, leading to distinct politics and, in turn, to different forms of spatial visibility for, presence in, and activity from LGBT and queer urban movements.