Survey: Third of Israelis 'disgusted by gays'

A new survey published on Thursday revealed that homophobia was still alive and kicking among Israelis: A third of respondents said that they are "disgusted" by sex between men, 19% of parents said they would prohibit their children from meeting gays or Lesbians and 17% said they would support a law limiting homosexual relations.

The survey was conducted by the School of Psychology at the Center for Academic Studies in Or Yehuda, among 516 respondents.

The poll found that 56% of the public had no problem with gays; 25% said that they completely object to homosexuality; 7% stated that they opposed it because it was forbidden according to their religion; and 12% said that they did not mind homosexual relations on television, but not under their roof.

Thirty-two percent of respondents said they found sex between men to be disgusting, while 6% said the same about sex between women. About 40% of residents stated that when it comes to sex "anything goes."

Should homosexuality be legally restricted?

Asked whether sexual relations between men should be legally restricted, 45% replied that Israel is a democratic state and therefore no such restriction should be introduced. Some 37% of respondents said that while people should be free to do as they please in the privacy of their own home, public displays of such tendencies, such as during the Pride Parade, should be limited.

Meanwhile 17% of the poll's participants replied that since Israel was a Jewish state with a religious nature, homosexuality should be restricted by law.

The respondents were also asked how they would respond if a long-time friend told them her or she was gay. Fifty-six percent said that "a friend remains a friend" regardless of his sexual orientation, while 31% stated this would cause them to sever the ties with this friend.