Israel's gay community making inroads into political mainstream

Likud, Labor and Kadima have all opened gay divisions this past year.
By Ophir Bar-Zohar

After years during which the gay community's struggles were associated with the left-wing parties and only Meretz and Hadash had gay divisions, over the past year three centrist parties have joined the pink wave. The first of the large parties was Kadima, which a year ago set up the Kadima B'Ga'ava (Kadima with pride ) section. Labor and Likud also recently established divisions for the gay community.

The two newest members, Labor and Likud, this week held an evening forum at the Evita bar in Tel Aviv. In the presence of a small audience, almost exclusively male, members of the gay community were encouraged to register with the parties. "I joined the Likud around a decade ago, unconnected to the LGBT (lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual ) issue. A person does not have to change his political affiliation because of his sexual orientation," said the chairman of Pride in the Likud, Dr. Evan Cohen, a lecturer in linguistics at Tel Aviv University.

"We don't have to join a specific party because we are LGBTs, but have to ensure that our parent parties promote the LGBT agenda," he explained. The membership director for the group, doctoral student in philosophy Renana Leviani, noted that she was raised in a right-wing, religious home: "Returning to the Likud was going home, being lesbian and also right-wing - the person who I really am."


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