The San Francisco of the Middle East - Tel Aviv

Translation / Interpretation / Caption Text / Source
Israel is an oasis of LGBT rights and freedom. Israel bans discrimination in the workplace, provides social security benefits to surviving LGBT partners, recognizes the rights of lesbians and gays to serve in the military, provides subsidies to films with LGBT content, and recognizes the official LGBT youth group. Major Israeli employers provide domestic partner benefits. As the San Francisco of the Middle East, Tel Aviv is a refuge for lesbians and gays from less open societies, especially for gay Palestinians fleeing overwhelming oppression and torture instituted by the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Gaza.