John Greyson is a Canadian director, writer, video artist, producer, and political activist, whose work frequently deals with queer characters and themes. He was part of a loosely affiliated group of filmmakers to emerge in the 1980s from Toronto known as the Toronto New Wave.
Jonathan Danilowitz was an LGBT activist and former chairman of The Aguda–Israel’s LGBT Task Force. In 2020, he was awarded Tel Aviv’s Yakir Ha’ir in recognition of his struggle for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in Israel are considered the most developed in the Middle East. Although same-sex sexual activity was legalized in 1988, the former law against sodomy had not been enforced since a court decision in 1963. Israel became the first country in Asia to recognize unregistered cohabitation between same-sex couples, making it the first country in Asia to recognize same-sex unions in any capacity. Although same-sex marriages are not performed in the country, Israel recognizes same-sex marriages performed elsewhere. Discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation was prohibited in 1992. Same-sex couples are allowed to jointly adopt, following a landmark court decision in 2008. Previously, stepchild adoption, as well as limited co-guardianship rights for non-biological parents, were permitted. LGBTQ people are also allowed to serve openly in the military.
Lucas Entertainment is an independent New York-based gay pornographic studio started by porn star Michael Lucas, funded by his ex-husband Richard Winger. It is one of the largest such studios in the world. The studio is known for lavish, big-budget films, and it contends that its 2006 film Michael Lucas' La Dolce Vita is the most expensive gay porn ever made. The film won 14 GayVN awards in 2007, the current record.
Etai J. Pinkas Arad is a former leader of the Israeli LGBT community. Pinkas served as chairman of the national LGBT association in Israel and was a member of the Tel Aviv-Yafo City Council and advises the mayor on LGBT affairs.
Michael Lucas is a Russian-American-Israeli businessman, performer, founder, and CEO of Lucas Entertainment, Manhattan's largest gay adult film company.
The Aguda - The Association for LGBTQ Equality in Israel, known commonly as the Aguda, is an Israeli non-profit LGBT rights organization. Founded in 1975, the Aguda is based in Tel Aviv and focuses on volunteer-based initiatives and services for the LGBT community.
Yair Qedar is an Israeli documentary filmmaker, social activist and former journalist. In his project "the Hebrews", he had been Chronicling the lives of Jewish and Israeli figures of the modern Hebrew literary canon, Qedar's 19 feature length documentaries have all premiered at film festivals and have won the director over 30 prizes. Also, Qedar is a leading LGBTQ activist. He created several Queer films and the first Israeli LGBTQ newspaper.
Men of Israel is a 2009 gay pornographic film released by Lucas Entertainment studio. Journalists from The Atlantic, Out Magazine and Yediot Aharonot noted it as a landmark film as the first pornographic movie shot on location with an all-Israeli cast; while Tablet magazine and the Los Angeles Times remarked on it being the first to feature an all-Jewish cast. Director Michael Lucas—who is Jewish and obtained his Israeli citizenship in 2009—undertook the film as "a bold move to promote Israeli culture and tourism" and to counterbalance what he saw as biased portrayals of Israel in mainstream media.
Gay Days is a 2009 Israeli documentary film about the emergence of an LGBTQ community in Israel, starring major activists in Israel's cultural life and LGBT community: Gal Uchovsky, Eytan Fox, Ellyot, Amalia Ziv, Amit Kama and others and some rare archival footage from pride events, feature films and student films.
Homosexual relations were legalised in the state of Israel in 1988, and during the 1990s various forms of discrimination were prohibited, making LGBT rights in Israel the most progressive in the Middle East. Debate has since centred on recognition of same-sex partnerships and the rights they confer, including inheritance, residency, and the adoption of children. The staging of LGBT pride parades has been controversial in some cases.
Tel Aviv Pride is a week-long series of events in Tel Aviv which takes place on the second week of June, as part of the international observance of Gay Pride Month. The key event, taking place on the Friday, is the Pride Parade itself which attracts over 250,000 attendees. As of June 2019, it is the largest LGBT Parade in Asia.
Would You Have Sex with an Arab? is a feature-length documentary film by French director Yolande Zauberman. It premiered at the 2011 Venice Film Festival, and released in France on 12 September 2012.
Amos Guttman was an Israeli film director, born in Romania. He directed the first-ever Israeli LGBT-themed film and most of his films were based on events that happened in his own personal life.
TLVFest, officially the Tel Aviv International LGBTQ+ Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Tel Aviv, Israel. The festival is focused on LGBTQ-themed film from around the world.
Gila Goldstein was an Israeli sex worker, actress, singer and transgender rights activist. She was one of the first activists of the Aguda, the oldest and largest LGBT organization in Israel. She is considered Israel's second openly transgender woman and is one of the most prominent icons of the LGBTQIA+ movement in Israel.
Yariv (Mordechai) Mozer, is an Israeli film producer, screenwriter and film director.
Chen Arieli is the Deputy Mayor of Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality. In charge of the welfare and public health administration in the city. Arieli is the first openly lesbian woman to hold the Deputy Mayor position in Tel Aviv-Yafo. She joined politics after 20 years of working in civil society. Arieli defines herself as a feminist.
Sublet is a 2020 Israeli-American romantic comedy-drama film, directed by Eytan Fox, from a screenplay by Fox and Itay Segal. It stars John Benjamin Hickey and Niv Nissim, and was Nissim's onscreen debut. It had its world premiere at the Philadelphia Jewish Film Festivall on November 8, 2020. It was released in a limited release on June 11, 2021, prior to video on demand on July 9, 2021, by Greenwich Entertainment.
Jonathan Agassi Saved My Life is a 2018 Israeli documentary film about the life of Israeli gay porn star Jonathan Agassi. The film is a Heymann Brothers Films release, written, directed and produced by Tomer Heymann.
