Preschool form asks for parents' sexual orientation
Education Ministry updates preschool registration forms, creates special 'sexual orientation' checkbox. Parents outraged; ministry says will revise form
Parents seeking to enroll their children in preschools for next year were stunned to find a new box to check on the Education Ministry's registration forms: Sexual orientation.
The new checkbox, placed under the standard "Marital Status" clause, was joined by two others – "separated" and "domestic partnership" – which joined the familiar "married," "divorces" and "widowed" boxes.
Related stories:
Ynet discovered Thursday that the new form was sanctioned by both the Education Ministry and the National Union of Local Authorities. A senior source with the National Union of Local Authorities told Ynet the form was "simply updated."
The new form
Another NULA official was outraged: "I simply can't understand how the Education Ministry, which has to be aware of such sensitivities, asks gay parents to declare their sexual orientation on an official from.
"I have no idea what I'm going to say to parents who criticize this blatant invasion of their privacy – as they should. We may live an open society, but there are some things people may prefer to keep to themselves."
'State has no place in the bedroom'
"This is a crude invasion of privacy that's unheard of in a free society," MK Nitzan Horowitz (Meretz) told Ynet.
"This proves that the best way to fight such phenomena is through civilian activism against what can sometimes be described as a backwards government."
National Parents' Association Etti Benyamin added: "This is a gross violation of privacy. Whether or not a person in heterosexual, bisexual or homosexual is none of the education system's business. The education system should focus on the children's education, not their parents' sex lives.
"I can appreciate that the Education Ministry made a mistake, but is has been making too many of those lately," she added.
"I just can't believe that the State of Israel is trying to get into my bedroom," an outraged mother of a five-year-old told Ynet. "All I want to do is enroll my child in a preschool. I have no intention of telling the clerk who I sleep with and whether or not I have marital bliss with my husband."
MK Dov Khenin (Hadash) called the move "an unwarranted invasion of privacy. The State has no place in the bedroom."
MK Eitan Cabel (Labor) added: "This is beyond outrageous. A person's sexual orientation is nobody's business. I firmly believe that Education Minister Gideon Sa'ar had no knowledge or part in the decision and I demand it be rescinded immediately."
Faced with the growing criticism, the Education Ministry said that the form will be revised.
- Receive Ynetnews updates
directly to your desktop
