The power to do bad
Op-ed: LGBT community should not abuse power it has gained; outing public figures is plain cruelty
Last week, in the midst of the wave of protests
in Turkey, the young people at Istanbul's Taksim Square waved the LGBT community's rainbow flag. In a country ruled by an Islamic party and a homophobic prime minister, the freedom to raise that flag means quite a lot. The closet closing on the community is falling apart, disappearing. It's true even in Turkish.
Foreign ambassadors make sure not to deviate, by even one millimeter, from consensus. They cannot afford to be controversial. If the community needed a seal of approval, it got it wrapped in a diplomatic passport.
On Friday, Pride Day was celebrated in Tel Aviv in the presence of an enormous crowd. Politicians from all secular parties, from the Likud leftward, honored the event with their presence. US Ambassador Dan Shapiro took off his suit, put on a T-shirt with the community flag on it and offered greetings in Hebrew on behalf of President Obama. The French Embassy sent the first same-sex couple married in France to the event.
Pride Parade
Itay Segal
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As significant was the fact that 100,000 Israelis took to the streets to participate in the celebration. Some of them carried their children on their shoulders. One of the parade's spectators told me he felt like he had gone back in a time machine to the wave of protests of the summer of 2011. He found among the participants the same human composition, the same good spirits and the same sense of solidarity. The protest movement was brought back to life, joyful and happy and protest-free.
The Pride Day success is far from being the end of the road. There is what to fight for, there are those to fight against. The near future will likely be particularly hard, after police solved the Tel Aviv gay center murder. The arrest of one of the community's main activists, for offenses which are currently under a gag order, may become a traumatic event requiring a lot of moral strength.
Misused power can be dangerous
The community has gained significant political power in recent years. The elections for Tel Aviv mayor, this October, are an example: The current mayor, Ron Huldai, started off his relationship with the community on the wrong foot. He quickly came to his senses, acknowledged the gay community's prominence in the media local and politics, and took steps which drew him closer to the community. He is faced by Nitzan Horowitz (Meretz), an outstanding Knesset member and a key figure in the community. Five years ago, he was challenged by Dov Khenin (Hadash), another outstanding Knesset member. Dov Khenin was rejected by Shelly Yachimovich in one of her most evil expressions, because he was not national enough in her opinion. No one will dare reject Horowitz.When the power is used to achieve justice, human rights and equality in society, it is most positive. But when it is misused, it can be dangerous. One of the prevailing phenomena in gay communities in the West on their way to recognition and equality was the outing of different celebrities, artists, politicians, athletes, who insisted on staying in the closet. This phenomenon was controversial since its very beginning: On the one hand, it encouraged many to free themselves of the fears which kept them in the closet; on the other hand, it cruelly trampled individual rights. Today, when the LGBT community's status in most Western countries is stable, all that's left is the cruelty.
Recently, for example, some in the community in Israel sought to forcibly out a famous public figure, who they claim is living in the closet. They launched a campaign against him on social networks, and the buzz even reached official media outlets. The man did not respond – he likely had his reasons. I met him recently for a conversation about his public activity. I saw a beaten, miserable, helpless man. That's what happens, it seems, when the persecuted turn into the persecutors: There is no limit to their cruelty.
Winston Churchill said, "In War: Resolution. In Defeat: Defiance. In Victory: Magnanimity." Victory may be far, but the LGBT community has made impressive achievements. It can afford to be magnanimous.
