Bayit Yehudi minister: Gays are 'not normative,' won't get government recognition

Housing and Construction Minister Uri Ariel came under fire once again for his comments on homosexuality Saturday night, calling gay people "not normative." Meanwhile, on Sunday, the Ministerial Committee for Legislation came to a tie on a bill proposed by Yesh Atid faction chairman Ofer Shelah forbidding discrimination based on sexual orientation, with five ministers in favor and five against. Health Minister Yael German submitted an appeal, so the proposal will be brought to another vote. A bill by MK Dov Henin (Hadash) giving same-sex couples equal benefits to heterosexual married couples in applying for a mortgage was voted down.

Responding to a question on Channel 2's "Meet the Press" about the Bayit Yehudi's opposition to a Yesh Atid bill that would give male homosexual parents an equal tax break to heterosexual parents, Ariel said "the government does not need to recognize the rights of same-sex couples in an official way." The Bayit Yehudi opposes the proposal by MK Adi Kol (Yesh Atid), because it would set a legal precedent of recognizing gay partnerships, but offered alternative language to be used in the bill that would still grant the tax benefit, which Yesh Atid rejected.

"Gays chose what they want to be, and the government needs to respond but doesn't need to recognize them," Ariel said. "This isn't a normative, regular or important thing. We think there are other things that need to be taken care of first." In June 2012, Ariel said in an interview with the Knesset Channel: "If I had to decide, I wouldn't recruit homosexuals to the army, because some things harm the army's ability to fight." "We need to act in the spirit of Judaism," Ariel stated.

According to Ariel, homosexuality is a phenomenon that was "common in other nations," which some Jewish people picked up, and as such "the Torah comes out sharply against it and sets heavy punishments for it." Meretz's Nitzan Horowitz attacked Ariel as an "unenlightened politician." &quot Ariel's) homophobic comments represent his party, which believes in discrimination and religious coercion," the Meretz MK stated. "The question is why the prime minister allows a minister in his government to harm hundreds of thousands of Israelis, and why his coalition partners, like Yesh Atid, back him." Horowitz said the country will recognize same-sex couples, in defiance of Ariel.

http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/Bayit-Yehudi-minister-Government-wont-recognize-gays-who-are-not-normative-334329