Tel Aviv may still be the gay capital of the Middle East, but 29 other municipalities – including those with councils that include representatives of ultra-Orthodox communities – are also reaching out to their LGBT residents, as old social prejudices fall by the wayside. Accompanied by the mayors of Rishon Lezion, Kiryat Bialik, Ramat Gan, Ramat Hasharon and Givatayim, chairwoman Hila Pe’er and members of the executive of the Association for LGBT Equality in Israel – which lobbies for lesbians, homosexuals, bisexuals and transgenders to have the same rights and privileges as heterosexual citizens – presented the Municipal Index in relation to Gays to President Reuven Rivlin on Sunday. When he was Speaker of the Knesset, Rivlin demonstrated great empathy for the tribulations of the LGBT community, and as president has continued to do so, always welcoming representatives of the community to his office.