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100,000 protest in Tel Aviv over anti-LGBT discrimination
Tens of thousands of Israelis packed into Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square on Sunday night to protest the exclusion of gay couples from a recently passed surrogacy law that has drawn accusations of LGBT discrimination in the Jewish state. Gay rights advocates and their supporters observed an unprecedented one-day strike earlier on Sunday, and large demonstrations were held in major cites across Israel, where hundreds were seen waving rainbow flags, blocking traffic, and shouting "shame." Many focused their anger at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who last week pledged to pass legislation supporting surrogacy for gay fathers, but then voted against it, reportedly under pressure from ultra-Orthodox coalition partners. "It’s very important, I’m not from the community, but I believe in equality," a protester named Eti told the Times of Israel. "It’s just not right that some people can’t have kids." Sunday’s protests were announced last Wednesday by Agudah ‐ Israel’s umbrella organization for the LGBTQ community ‐ shortly after the Knesset voted on a surrogacy bill which extended eligibility to single women, but not to men, effectively preventing homosexual couples from having a child via a surrogate. Netanyahu had initially expressed support for a clause to be added to the legislation that would extend surrogacy rights to gay couples, but at the last-minute voted against it, apparently to appease ultra-Orthodox cabinet members who oppose giving gay men the right to father children through surrogacy. Channel 10 reported at the time that in return for Netanyahu’s vote, the Haredi parties agreed to support the Likud-backed Jewish nation-state bill, another controversial piece of legislation that was up for its final votes later that week. Amid mounting criticism, Netanyahu later denied that he changed his mind his position on surrogate parenthood for same-sex couples, saying he voted against the measure to ensure the bill would pass. He vowed to support a separate bill legalizing surrogacy for gay couples at a later Knesset session. Posted by: trailing wife 2018-07-23 |
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| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=519137 |