A mural contrasting gay rights was completed Friday in New York’s West Village.

The mural, on a parking lot wall, show the outlines of two men holding hands, according to The New York Times. Above them are the words, “Who Would YOU want at Your Wedding?” The figures also hold two balancing scales.

Above one scale on the side of the mural that reads “Israel,” the text notes that Israel allows same-sex couples to adopt children, that Tel Aviv’s 2011 Pride Parade drew more than 10,000 people and that “gay people serve openly in the military and government” in Israel.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Above the scale on the side of the mural labeled “Israel’s neighbors,” the text notes that homosexuality is illegal in Syria and punishable by death in Iran. “There is no pride parade in Egypt, Jordan or Gaza,” the mural reads.

The mural was commissioned by Taglit-Birthright Israel’s alumni community. Artists 4 Israel collaborated on the design. Chris St. John, a former graffiti artist, did the artwork.

Adem Carroll, a member of the steering committee of the Muslim American Civil Liberties Coalition for Truth and Justice, called the mural “blatantly divisive, opposing Israel against its neighbors in the region,” the Times reported.

Keren Gelfand, senior press officer for the Consulate General of Israel, told the Times that all of the statements in the mural regarding gay rights in Israel were accurate.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount