In praise of parade 'provocation'
Provocations such as gay parade unavoidable part of democratic life
The debate and discourse on the rights of the homosexual community in Israel, and throughout the world is often strident, vicious and violent. And this is particularly true in traditional societies. (For instance, Human Rights Watch reports on abuse, torture and execution of Homosexuals in Iran).
Yet traditional religious sensitivities must never be a reason, cause or pretext for denying rights. This is especially true when Jewish orthodoxies continue to see homosexuals and their demand for equality as an abomination – that is, as subhuman.
The struggle over holding Friday’s “March for Tolerance and Pride” in Jerusalem has generated the highest levels of venom and dehumanization, and in fact, has contributed little to the precious quiet that some wish for Jerusalem. In fact, it is impossible to achieve tranquility by explicitly or implicitly supporting the suppression of the rights of one community or another.
Many bemoan the "superfluous provocation" of the impending Gay Pride event. In fact, last year's march, in Jerusalem, was so “provocative” that it ended in bloodshed, with three marchers stabbed by a fanatic opponent of homosexual rights.
The memory of last year’s violence and the depraved threats of future violence lead many, including the police, to conclude that the march should be canceled. Under that same reasoning no person should ever peaceably assemble to demand respect for civil and human rights if others, who would deny such rights, threaten or use violence.
The protests against the construction of the separation wall in Bil'in are perfect examples of peaceful protests (or “provocations”) against a gross violation of rights that are often met by belligerence on the part of the authorities.
Similarly, Palestinian olive harvesters and accompanying peace activists are often confronted by settler violence yet both groups continue because the option to stop and surrender your rights is unconscionable.
Provocations are an unavoidable part of democratic life. It was "provocative" for African Americans to march on Washington DC and demand civil rights. It was certainly "provocative" for women to demand the right to vote and the struggle against torture provokes cynical responses in the United States and Israel alike.
Gay rights are human rights
Homosexual rights are human rights and the repression of homosexual rights is the repression of human rights. Let us take Israel and the United States as examples. Important legal judgments in both countries have been handed down that lend support to rights associated with homosexual marriage and partnership.
Yet there seems to be an existential fear on the part of policy makers that prevents them from legalizing gay marriage. Allowing it will, so they assert, destroy the otherwise consecrated institution of marriage; it will violate God's commandments and lead to the collapse of society.
These claims, besides being irrational, are attempts to instill fear in the public in order to preserve a certain social order that is inherently unacceptable. The same arguments and attitudes that are part of the anti-homosexual movement were also dominant in the racist regime that banned interracial marriage in the United States and South Africa.
In Israel, hundreds of thousands of people cannot get married because marriage law has been subjected to religious law. Thus, marriage is available only to those who are "legitimate" members of a religious community.
If you are not a "real Jew" forget about getting married in Israel, you must travel to nearby Cyprus for a civil marriage and the same holds true for couples that simply do not want a wedding that conforms to religious orthodoxy. Of course, if you are a Jewish citizen and you want to marry an Arab citizen this basic human right is denied in perpetuity.
The cause in question extends beyond the particularity of the just struggle of the Gay community. It is an inherent reflection of how society relates to each and every one of its members.
In a society that considers itself to be democratic and liberal yet does not recognize the basic human and civil rights component of this issue it is not surprising that the parameters of basic respect for human worth and dignity will continue to be narrow.
In a society that fully recognizes the human qualities of all of its citizens and of all human beings subjected to its rule, homosexual rights, including the right to march and celebrate one's culture and individuality, even on the “hallowed grounds” of Jerusalem, is a non-question.
The writer is the education & development director of the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI)
