Israeli Gay Youth (IGY)
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Israeli Gay Youth (IGY, Hebrew: ארגון נוער גאה) was founded in 2002 in Israel as a non-profit NGO, branching off from the Aguda, the largest LGBT organization in Israel.
[edit] Overview
Currently the chairman of IGY, Yaniv Weitzman is the founder of the organization. Recently IGY had a hostile separation from its mother organization, Aguda, due to management conflicts between the two bodies.
After IGY's establishment in 2002, the organization has rapidly grown into one of the largest and most widespread LGBT organizations in Israel, active in 16 cities across the country and reaching communities that are out of the big cities of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Haifa. IGY organizes activities for gay youth between the ages of 15-18 and 18-21. These activities are based on the structure of social group meetings, support group meetings, and topic group meetings, which break off into youth leader promoting social change and acceptance, groups for religious or transgender youth, feminist groups, creative groups such as theater groups and so on. IGY organizes many events such as parties, fundraisers and cultural events all for the benefit of gay youth activities and for gay youth themselves.
Since the establishment and rapid growth of the organization, there has been a major change in the daily life of youth that categorize them selves in the LGBT sexual minorities. A substantial percentage of LGBT or questioning youth, from all areas of Israel, are now able to find a supportive atmosphere where IGY activities take place. Gay youth in Israel now have the opportunity to speak freely about their sexuality, confusion and difficulties that surround homosexuality, without fearing the judgment of society.
