The prospect of the far right joining government after Israel’s recent election has left the country’s LGBTQ+ community fearing for the future. Elements of the incoming coalition led by the prime minister-elect Benjamin Netanyahu have not hidden the fact that they are hostile to Palestinians and LGBTQ+ people.
Avi Maoz, the leader of the extremist religious nationalist party Noam that helped Netanyahu’s bloc win, has said queer people are a “threat to the family”, and that the greatest achievement women can make is to marry and raise children. Maoz is expected to head a new “national Jewish identity” authority with powers over some school activities, including minority rights and gender equality.
For many leftwing voters, the rise of a homophobic and ultra-religious government was not a surprise after four years of political chaos and successive elections triggered by Netanyahu’s corruption trial. Despite initial coalition negotiation difficulties, it is expected the new government will last a whole term.
With the rolling back of gay adoption and surrogacy laws on the new government’s legislative agenda, Rudner is worried about whether he will be able to have a family. “The future that I see for myself in this country is much darker than before the election,” he said. “I can’t imagine my future not in Israel though. I feel there’s no option but to stay here and fight for my rights.” Israel’s cultural and economic capital, Tel Aviv, is also seen as under threat. Noam has called for the cancellation of Gay Pride events.
Some members of the LGBTQ+ community are thinking of leaving. “I felt betrayed by my own people. It is a big disappointment, and still very hard to accept,” said Shay Lerner, 34, a DJ who is planning a move to Germany. “I’m disappointed in my country because this is not the way I was raised: I was raised to take responsibility for my actions and to look at other people and see them as human beings.”
Israel thinks of itself as a democracy, Lerner said, but finds that hard to reconcile with her experiences as a queer person and a leftwing human rights activist. “You cannot really be a democracy just for one people, only the Jewish people … This is a real fear.
Article URL : https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/22/israel-lgbtq-community-fear-future-far-right-government