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Chen Arieli

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Chen Arieli
Deputy Mayor at Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality
Incumbent
Assumed office
April 2019
Personal details
Born (1976-07-09) 9 July 1976 (age 48)
Haifa, Israel
Political partyLabor

Chen Arieli (Hebrew: חן אריאלי) 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.[1][2] She joined politics after 20 years of working in civil society. Arieli defines herself as a feminist.

Chen Arieli was born on July 9, 1976, and raised in Haifa to Dan and Leah, a sister to Orly Zarfati and Ran Arieli.[3]

Activism

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LGBTQ rights

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Arieli has been active in the LGBTQIA+ rights. Prior to becoming Deputy Mayor, Arieli was Chair of The Aguda – Israel's LGBT Task Force.[4]

Arieli helped produced TLVFest, an annual film festival held in Tel Aviv, focusing on LGBT themed film from around the world.[5][6][7] Arieli also helped produce Lethal Lesbian, Israel's only lesbian film festival.[8]

In 2013, Arieli was a partner in the “Gay Literature” project which added a dedicated shelf of LGBT literature to libraries in the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality.[9]

Arieli served as Chair of The Aguda – Israel's LGBT Task Force[4] for two terms between 2015 and 2019.[10] Arieli served as Joint Chair of the Task Force from 2015 to 2016 together with Omri Calman.[11][12] In June 2016, Arieli and Calman threatened to cancel the annual Tel Aviv Pride Parade over inequity in fiscal support for LGBT causes from the Israeli Government.[13] As a result, the Israeli Government increased the budget for LGBTQ community organizations to a record 10 million NIS.[14][15]

In July 2017, Arieli led a protest against discrimination of same-sex couples in the adoption process opposite the Tel Aviv Government Complex with thousands of participants.[16][17]

In July 2018, Arieli led street protests against Israel's anti-gay surrogacy laws, among other issues.[18][19][20] The protests ended with a rally in Rabin Square with the participation of over 100,000 people.[21][1]

In October 2018, Arieli initiated the "Pride Platform," a project training member of the LGBT community to run in local elections and encouraging Israeli political parties to increase LGBT representation.[21]

Women's rights

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She is also one of the founders of the Committee for the Advancement of Women in the Community at the Gay Urban Center.[22]

Arieli is a member of the Public Council of the Itach-Maaki Women Lawyers for Social Justice[23] and a member of the Executive Committee of Matzmichim - The Israeli Violence Reduction Organization.[24] She represents the Tel Aviv Municipality on the Board of Directors of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art and of “Ahuzot Hahof," a municipal company owned by the Tel Aviv the municipality, which has been operating parking lots throughout Tel Aviv.[25]

Political work

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Arieli is the first openly gay Deputy Mayor of Tel Aviv-Yafo, responsible for the social services portfolio. The role addresses LGBTQ issues, including challenges faced by transgender people and other issues raised by the 2018 protest.[26][27]

During the 19th Knesset (2013-2015), Arieli served as a Spokesperson and Political Advisor to Merav Michaeli of the Labor Party, in the liberal democratic wing.[25][28]

Personal life

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Arieli is in a relationship with Halit Levy, a female documentary filmmaker. The two live in Jaffa.[29][1][30]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Meet the New Lesbian Deputy Mayor of Tel Aviv". www.advocate.com. 2019-08-15. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  2. ^ Masters, Jeffrey (August 15, 2019). "Meet the New Lesbian Deputy Mayor of Tel Aviv". Advocate. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  3. ^ ארי, אורית פרץ (2015-11-10). "יש בית לקהילה הגאה". חיפה טיימס haifa-times (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  4. ^ a b Wakefield, Lily (2020-03-08). "20 influential queer women to celebrate on International Women's Day 2020". PinkNews. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  5. ^ "גאים בהם: 40 הלהט"בים המשפיעים של 2016". mako. 2016-06-02. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  6. ^ "Staff and Acknowledgements | TLVFest". Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  7. ^ "Guttman X 5 | TLVFest". Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  8. ^ "לסביות קטלניות: בין המסך למציאות". הטלוויזיה החברתית (in Hebrew). 2015-12-06. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  9. ^ "פרסום ראשון: יוקם מדף ספרות גאה בספריות בתל אביב". Mako. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  10. ^ "ISRAELI LGBTQ LEADER CHEN ARIELI RUNS FOR PUBLIC OFFICE". A Wider Bridge. 3 October 2018. Archived from the original on 17 August 2022. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  11. ^ Stoffel, Derek (2 June 2016). "Israeli Tourism Ministry drops gay pride plane promotion after activists protest". CBC News. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  12. ^ "Israeli LGBT activists angered by focus on tourism". I24News. April 17, 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  13. ^ Baume, Matt (20 September 2017). "LGBTQ Activists Are Choosing Anger over Pride". Vice. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  14. ^ "LGBTQ Activists Are Choosing Anger over Pride". www.vice.com. 20 September 2017. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  15. ^ Dekel, Yanir (2016-10-10). "Israeli government allocates $5 million to address needs of LGBT community". A Wider Bridge. Archived from the original on 2021-06-28. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  16. ^ "אלפי בני אדם הפגינו בת"א במחאה על אפליית הומואים ולסביות באימוץ". Haaretz. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  17. ^ "יום האישה 2019: חן אריאלי מובילה את מאבק הקהילה הלהט"בית לשוויון". www.maariv.co.il. 7 March 2019. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  18. ^ Stutman, Gabe (2019-12-18). "Bay Area rabbis recount 'nuanced' trip that showed many sides of Israel". J. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  19. ^ "LGBT community lays out demands from government for 'full equality'". Times of Israel. 25 July 2018. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  20. ^ "Thousands of Israelis Protest Anti-LGBT Surrogacy Legislation". www.advocate.com. 2018-07-16. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  21. ^ a b "גאים להתמודד: חברי קהילת הלהט"ב בבחירות המקומיות". Ynet. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  22. ^ "גאים בהם: 40 הלהט"בים המשפיעים של 2016". mako. 2016-06-02. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  23. ^ "Public Council". איתך. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  24. ^ admin (2014-11-09). "Executive Committee". מרכז מצמיחים. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  25. ^ a b "2019-2020". THE ALLIANCE FELLOWSHIP. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  26. ^ Wakefield, Lily (2019-08-17). "Lesbian deputy mayor of Tel Aviv says Israel's treatment of trans people is an 'urgent problem'". PinkNews. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  27. ^ "Meet Chen Arieli". www.schusterman.org. 2018-06-13. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  28. ^ "זה המסר שלנו: אנחנו כאן ובכל מקום". Ynet. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  29. ^ "זה ניסיון לפרק את המשקל השלילי שיש לעודף משקל". Ynet. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
  30. ^ Dekel, Yanir (2016-06-13). "Israeli LGBT People Unite With Orlando". A Wider Bridge. Archived from the original on 2021-06-28. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
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