In Israel, everyone is accepted. Although there are full of controversies and different currents. But here in Israel, everyone has their own voice. This is our uniqueness. I am proud to be Israeli.
Thanks for the reaction! As for your comment on how is the situation in Israel, Well..... I must remind you guys that we were the first country to send an amazing trans singer already in 1998! And of course she won ;) So.... Mostly very excepting and loving ❤
He is talented and his voice is incredible , I usually don't like this type of performances.. But when you listen to Michael talk you can't help but love him. Super modest sweet and warm. He generally seem like a good person, I'm happy for him
You're amazing, guys! And Michael is too. (by the way, his name is pronounced mi-cha-el, not like may-kel, and it's "Ben Da-Veed") About your question about LGBT in Israel - last year there were pride parades and events in more than 50 cities in Israel, big and small (that's a lot for a small country like ours), and largely there isn't a discrimination for LGBT people. There still is homophobia here and there, and the situation is far from perfect, but we're making a very good progress, especially in recent years. You are more than welcome to come visit! 🙃 By the way, on X-Factor Michael talked a lot about how we was being bullied when he was a kid, how people threw him into a trash bin and other cruel stuff. He said that him being so out and proud in the contest made a lot of teenage boys telling him how watching him makes them stronger. He sang a song about that in the show. And you also have to watch him singing "It's A Sin".
I live in Israel with my husband and our twin daughters, so I can tell you that we are one of the most liberal country in the world when it comes to LGBT rights (although there a few more fights to get for full equality).
This songggggg omg I’m in love it’s so going to be the winner I already know itttttttt😍😍😍😍 And you all should come to Israel 🇮🇱❤️ love you all and let’s see Michael winning this competition 👑
I'm from Israel & bisexual, there's prejudice sometimes like everywhere and there are some parliament members who are against LGBTQ people and make it hard for us to pass laws but generally treatment on the street will vary depending on how out with it you are and WHERE you are- in the state of Tel Aviv or the state of Jerusalem. As you said Tel Aviv is a very accepting place while Jerusalem has a large religious population who would usually be against LGBTQ people.
Hi I’m from israel, most of us embrace the gay community with love ❤️. Of course in the religious courses the attitude is a bit different… but who cares. Yizhar Cohen the first Israeli winner in the contest is a proud gay, and back in 1977 it wasn’t as easy. And another winner is the great Dana international, and she is a transsexual. Israel is an amazing place for the gay tourist. You are most welcome 🙏
Hey guys fro Israel loved your coverage and your dog. You raised a very important quetion re gays situation in Israel. We are a young country liberal in most areas like Tel Aviv (very very gay friendly) in other parts people still struggling but no violence ever. Michael himself said that when he was a child children laughed and verbally abuse him. He is 25 so a lot has changed since then. The majority in Israel voted yesterday for Michael so we like a talent no matter what is your sexual preference.
Micheal is my winner's! He is actually giving him self a self lifting song, as he was outcast kid and was bullied! So the message is great! The song will get a revamp that will release next month, this performance micheal prepared for the x factor final only in 1 week, so let's imagine what will happen in 2 months :) fun fact- in the oriental part the female singer is Moran mazor who represented Israel at eurovision 2013!!
As an Israeli who isn't part of the LGBTQ+ community & don't live in Tel Aviv, I'm proud to say that most of the people I know absolutely accepts the community - but unfortunatlly some ultra religious people (or just super dark minded) DO NOT accept the community. PERSONALLY I love every single person as they are because love is love. We still have a long, long, LONG way to go as an Israeli community but basically we're good I guess. Thanks for this video!
I saw someone say: A journalist asked Michael, "Do you plan to improve the adaptation and direction?" And his answer was: "Sure. We worked on this song very fast. I worked on the choreography for less than a week. It all happened very fast. I'm sure we'll open the song in-depth and make it even better." They didn't have much time to make the songs, as they did 2 songs so each of the finalists, I think it was like 1-2 weeks before the release of the songs to the public. Personally, I think 3 other songs are better, but the performances didn't hold up, and Micheal DELIVERED!! So I can't wait for the revamp of the song!
LGBTQ+ is pretty strong in Israel in general not only in Tel Aviv. Also in western Jerusalem, Haifa, Eilat and in most of the country (excluding Gaza, parts of the West Bank and in specific ultra-orthodox communities). Highly recommended to visit!!
Hi and greetings from Israel! So this year, the X factor franchise took on the choosing of the Eurovision song. That's why you can see the "X factor" symbol at the end there. This year, the X factor show was called: "X factor to Eurovision". To answer your question regarding gayness and queerness: Tel-Aviv is of course the number one city for ALL that is gay and gay culture. Our mayor (of TLV) has established it as a number one priority and he speaks about it all the time. Regarding all the rest of Israel the overall approach is positive and accepting (of course there are parts of Israel with a majority of religious population so naturally these areas are less open to LGBTQIA+). Anyhow! Go Michael! Great vocalist and I wish him luck!
Tel Aviv is the gayest city in the world lol. Israel in general is like any other western country, some parts are more conservative and some are more open minded. I feel like the mainstream approach is positive and accepting
hello from Israel, In Israel, there is acceptance of every person, regardless of gender, race, religion and certainly not sexual choice. Maybe the world needs to learn from us ... In Europe anti-Semitism against the Jews is rising every year .. It's just a shame, especially after what we went through with the Holocaust...
We have 2 gay ministers and another 3 gay parliament members all openly gay. Many gay t.v stars and more and more cities all over the country holding gay prides and not just tel aviv. As part of the middle east israel is definitely the best country to live in as gay. 🇮🇱
Israeli society is very diverse, as are opinions about LGBT. The quality of life of LGBT people really depends on where they were born - there are secular groups in Israel that are really liberal, and there are also religious groups that represent the the complete opposite. In terms of politics, we have some but not all rights because of the need for balance with the extremist religious politicians.
@@guyhuli That's more accurate, yeah. Hopefully things will get better there too, but I think in every society, the more religious folk are less tolerant of LGBTQ people, so I'm actually impressed by how many religious families in Israel seem to succeed in embracing their LGBTQ kids.
Of course Israel would have preferred a song more tied to tradition and soul, that's what came out and say thank you for what is. Israel is very friendly with the gays and lesbian community, do not forget that Dana International in '98 won as a transgender.
You can see how accepted the LGBTQIA+ are as Micheal is gay, one of the judges is bisexual (married to a man), Inbal (one of the finalists) is bisexual as well, it feels so natural and simple, as an Israeli bisexual I am so happy.
Did you want to know about the situation of the LGBT community in Israel? I will just mention that in 1998 Israel was the one that sent Dana International to the Eurovision Song Contest.
Israel is the most liberal country in the middle east, despite having a big religious population. In most places you can definitely be openly gay and proud.
Im so happy for him he deserves this win a lot and love your reaction great energy !! And I think he won and a lot of people here in the country say that And it's not because he's gay or he's extroverted or anything else he's just a great entertainer !! Born for the stage in my personal opinion , because in the moment of truth he is the only one who was not affected by the pressure / class / excitement .... and he slayed it on stage and gave an impressive performance. Inbal was definitely the leader before the final but this whole situation affected her and the two performances in the final were unfortunately bad . Eli's song / performance was good but no more than Michael's so in my opinion it was completely fair. It's at the end of Eurovision day and needs a lot of responsibility and Michael totally has it
I know that many Israelis commented on this vid already, but Israel overall is quite supportive of the LGBTQ community, and there is a trend of acceptance in communities that are more on the conservative side - not all of them, but some of them I used to identify myself as a religious Jew, so I know some religious Jews, and most of them accept the LGBTQ community (they were quite liberal though) Also there are pride parades in most cities in Israel (including Jerusalem), so it's out and proud as you've said in your video (I'm ofc also a supporter of the LGBTQ community 🙂)
Being gay is not a problem everywhere here, I live in the north part of our country and my child is in school with a girl that have two daddies and she is celebrated like everyone else. Of course everything in not prefect. But LGBTQ+ community is living free.
Israel is generally very accepting of the LGBT+ community. There are obviously homophobes like in any country but the average Israeli, including most of the moderately religious, are fine with gay visibility. The song and its theme aren't considered to be provocative or controversial. Most of Israel's male singers over the last decade were gay, it's just that Michael is what you would call "flamboyantly gay", so his song reflects that.
Israel is the only country in the middle-east where gay people can feel safe. Our minister of health is gay, and Tel Aviv is one of the most liberal places in the world regarding LGBT rights and acceptance. but like everywhere, you will find some extremist people with dark views.
Hi guys, I'm glad you're curious about the queer community in Israel but don't let some of the guys in the comments fool you. Israel is definitely behind for a western country in many regards. Gay (or even just civil) marriage is not legal but conversion therapy still is and many of our politicians are openly homophobic and transphobic. Yes, some cities like Tel Aviv have a huge gay scene which is amazing, but some people use it in order to make it seem like the entirety of Israel is completely accepting of us which it is not. Every Israeli who fooled themselves into believing that queerphobia is over needs to take a closer look around them(and at themselves)
תודה לך על ההסברה המדהימה למדינה. למה את לא אומרת להם שהסיבה היחידה שהומואים לא יכולים להתחתן פה זה בגלל הפוליטיקאים החרדים שהם מיעוט? היום חילוניים ורוב המסורתיים מקבלים את הקהילה. אף אחד לא אומר שמושלם פה, אבל רבאק, תחשבי שהם קוראים את התגובה שלך עכשיו ומפחדים לבוא לארץ, ואת יודעת שאין להם שום סיבה לפחד.
@@ofeka105 מצטערת אופק, אבל קווירפורביה ממש לא נגמרת בחרדים, והעובדה ש"למיעוט" שלהם יש כל כך הרבה כוח פוליטי היא גם עובדה מפחידה. לא אמרתי שקווירים נסקלים ברחובות, אבל אם שואלים אותי מה המצב פה אני אגיד את האמת. ואם אם כל כך אכפת לך מהתיירות הקווירית אולי תלך להציק לההומופובים הישראלים ביוטיוב ולא לי, הם אלה שהופכים את זה למפחיד להיות קוויר בישראל
I'm Israeli and this gotta be one of our worst entries ever. It just shows how bad eurovision has become. No musical value what.. soo ..everrr And regarding the LGBTQ acceptance question. One of the biggest pride parades anywhere in the world is held annually in Tel aviv. Jerusalem is 60 km and 60 centuries away.
Yeah, Israel is pretty liberal and gay friendly country. Of course there’s no such thing as a country with no homophobia at all, but generally speaking, Israelis are very laid back about it. Go visit, you’ll be surprised. 😊
There were 2 better songs in the final which is very frustrating 😿😿 But you liking this one at least gives me hope that we won't end up disqualifying..
Israel is THE place for LGBTQ in the middle east and one of the best countries in the world for gay rights. being gay today in Israel is not an isue and i must say the current government is even doing lots of new steps to bring gay rights to the place it should be. last month Israel made an history In January 2022, the Israeli law regulating surrogacy (the Agreements for Carrying Embryos Law (Approval of the Newborn Agreement and Status), 1996) was updated so that it allows same-sex couples to undergo a surrogacy process. Until the law is amended, many same-sex couples , Especially of men, could undergo surrogacy proceedings only outside Israel (usually in the United States and India) a process that is considered particularly expensive and procedurally complicated. The next law is on the tables of this current government is same sex marriage in Israel. the country is recognizing it if you do it abroad. the day this kind of marriages will take place in Israel without going abroad will come soon too.
Eli lost by one point from Michael. Israeli X factor is their selection for Eurovision. Please react to Eli's version of Toy. Netta said he could also win Eurovision with it.
The gay section in Israel is not very big it's just that he won it is not really related to it through pear I am from Israel מאתגר למילה בעיברית: פטרוזיליה
I like the attitude but the message/content is a bit expected and now it's getting repetitive...everyone singing about being empowered... I think we got it... Anyway don't like the music and the vocals much
