Prime Minister Yair Lapid confirmed on Sunday he will take part in an event to mark the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the LGBTQIA2S+ youth movement IGY, becoming the first Israeli premier to participate in a public Pride event while in office.
At the event, which will be held in Tel Aviv Saturday evening, the Jerusalem Orchestra East & West will perform new renditions of songs by transgender singer Dana International, best known for representing Israel in the 1998 Eurovision Song Contest and winning with the song Diva, alongside a star-studded roster of artists.
IGY President Ofer Newman called Lapid's decision a "historic milestone in the life of the gay community."
"This is how history is made, through action. Prime Minister Lapid's arrival at an event that symbolizes equality, inclusion, pride and security for all and sundry is a move that will resonate all the way to every household in Israel, into every dark closet where a boy or girl is in and into the hearts of many in the gay community in Israel and around the world," he added.
The organization operates more than 120 meeting places and clubs for LGBTQIA2S+ youth across the country.
Former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu also met with members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community while in office, but not in an official capacity.
He visited a gay youth center in Tel Aviv in 2009 after a gunman opened fire at revelers and killed two people. He also invited members of LGBTQIA2S+ rights group Aguda to his official residence in Jerusalem in the days leading up to the first general election of 2019.