Hurray! A web site for gay Israelis and gay Arabs...

When I lived in Israel for awhile, my friend Ran ran a coffeehouse for gays in the old city and many Israeli arabs came for a coffee....

Matt Lebow and John Leonard wanted to do something different. Fed up with traditional gay Internet sites that offered only crude and X-rated material, the Israel-based students decided to create a new web site that would combine their fervid interest in the region's handsome men with a bit of culture, a dash of political activism and human rights, and most of all peaceful dialogue with other gays throughout the Arab world.

The answer was Mideastpiece.com, a new web site where pictures of bronzed beautiful 'pieces' from Tel Aviv's beaches rub alongside entries on Passover, Arab-lesbian demonstrations in Haifa, and the sexual exploits of a gay Turkish blogger, called Turkishboy.

"Gay Jews and gay Arabs have a great deal in common," 28-year-old Vermont native Lebow explained to ISRAEL21c. "They face similar challenges all over the world. When you share similar struggles and a similar identity, there's no reason not to work together and build a community that offers mutual support."

As the site's mission statement announces: "Gay Jewish Israelis and neighboring gay Arabs have more in common than, say, a gay New York City Jew and a homophobic Salt Lake City Mormon in the US. We must focus on what unites us, instead of what divides us, i.e., a great ass, nice arms, killer smile, etc."

Since it opened some 10 weeks ago, the site has already managed to attract 100,000 viewers, and, adds Lebow proudly, its first advert. This is no small achievement, particularly since the only advertising is word of mouth.