Hey, Israel Bashers: Israel Is A Model For Gay Rights
There was an awful and disgusting stabbing by an Orthodox Jewish nutbag at a gay rights parade in Israel.
In the week of tweets like "Will the Zionists continue their pinkwashing campaign?", David Kaufman writes a little "ahem" note to the Israel bashers in the NY Post:
As the tragic attack on Jerusalem's Gay Pride parade Thursday proves, even a nation as safety-conscious as Israel is prone to colossal failures of security and intelligence. But as the outrage subsides and the injured heal, Yishai Shlissel's stabbing spree must be considered for what it is: a relatively isolated incident in a nation that takes its LGBT citizens very seriously.Need proof? How about progressive LGBT military, marriage and employment-protection policies that long preceded their US equivalents. Or ample state and municipal funding for LGBT education and social-service initiatives.
Or an atmosphere of tolerance and acceptance that has made Tel Aviv one of the most openly LGBT towns on the planet. Or the immediate outrage from Israeli politicians -- from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on down -- condemning Thursday's horror.
These are not mere propaganda posings, but national realities that sharply contradict the growing portrayals of Israel as anti-democratic.
Meanwhile, the silence continues from gay rights activists about the Islamic command that gays be slaughtered -- and the fact that this actually happens in Islamic majority countries.
Sharia punishments for homosexuality via Wiki:
There are several methods by which sharia jurists have advocated the punishment of gays or lesbians who are sexually active. One form of execution involves an LGBT person being stoned to death by a crowd of Muslims; this precedence was set in the hadith Abu Dawud which states "Whoever you find doing the action of the people of Loot, execute the one who does it and the one to whom it is done", then elaborates they be "stoned to death".[17] The majority of Muslim jurists established an ijma ruling that LGBT people be thrown from rooftops or high places,[18] and this is the perspective of most Salafists.[19]
Hangings of gays in Iran meets with silence from the West, including the activists so busy hissing at Israel on Twitter and elsewhere.
This is misleading, if not outright incorrect. Gay marriage cannot be legally made in Israel. They do recognize gay marriages performed abroad.
So, actually, Israel is lagging behind the U.S. However, Israel is the only country in Asia to recognize gay marriages at all.
Patrick at August 1, 2015 7:46 AM
This is a point I've often made. All of the values the left holds dear, such as gay rights, are upheld by Israel and not by the Palestinians. So, the puzzling disdain for Israel by the left makes me wonder what the left's real agenda in the Middle East really is.
I may not support gay marriage, and I think it is wrong to make it illegal for employers to tell men they can't wear dresses to work... but I will stand up for that gay couple in dresses against anyone seeking to physically harm them. It's amazing how many on both sides don't realize that it is not a contradiction to treat these as separate issues.
There is a man I know who wears a dress to work and uses the women's restroom. While I think it is horrible that the government forces his employer to accept this, I would definitely welcome this man into my home much faster than I would welcome anyone who beats him up in the parking lot for it. You don't have to agree with people to want to protect them as human beings.
I have more respect for someone who supports gay marriage (which I disagree with), than I have for one who wants to harm guys (even thought we agree on gay marriage). Their is a right way and a wrong way to hold beliefs, and personal decency should transcend political disagreements.
Likewise, I support Israel's attitude towards gays over the Palestinians. We may disagree on non-violent issues, but not harming others is more important when it comes to holding my respect.
Trust at August 2, 2015 9:32 AM
Why is this a surprise to you?
Islam > Jews, even as Islamonazis are busy throwing gays off buildings, chopping their heads off, etc. The progressives that attack Israel have this in common with the Islamonazis: they desire a world were the state is the church, and the church is the state.
Allah or Atheism is simply an implementation detail.
I R A Darth Aggie at August 2, 2015 9:57 AM
I'm not sure it's all that laudable to be anti-violence against anyone. I would defend the Westboro Baptist Church members against physical assault, abhorrent as they are.
Regarding gay rights...gay marriage, I support it, of course. Personally, I could take it or leave it. It doesn't concern me in the least. Although, if I decide to take someone actually into my home (which I would prefer not to do), I have to make sure that they're out before seven years, otherwise, we're common-law spouses.
How you dress at work? I think the boss should have the right to dictate what you and according to your gender. (Sorry, guys. No transvestites in a professional environment. And as long as you have outside plumbing, you will use the men's room. Post-op is another matter.)
Patrick at August 2, 2015 12:55 PM
You get all mad and stuff at people who won't really hurt you. That way you can feel righteous and safe at the same time.
Richard Aubrey at August 2, 2015 3:51 PM
Just further proof that Israel upholds human rights the same way we do in the US - That knife-wielding attacker was recently released from prison after serving a 10-year sentence.
What was he in prison for? A knife-wielding attack at a Gay Pride Parade in 2005!
It just goes to show that some societies try to give some of the badasses a second chance. Why? Because we believe that some folks can be redeemed. And we would much rather a guilty man go free than an innocent man be condemned.
Sadly, the 16-year old that was the most seriously wounded has died. Yet, again it says something about societies that several by-standers attempted to subdue the attacker and give aid to his victims.
It also says something about other societies as the by-standers cheer (even if it is a forced cheer due to their own fear of being a victim) when gays are thrown off of tall buildings or are slowly strangled (Sorry, Amy, I don't mean to nitpick; but, Iran doesn't "hang" gays they strangle them - much worse, as it is a more painful death; but, your point is still very valid).
It also says something about Israeli society that people will be free to debate the police and court's inattention in allowing this murdering thug to go free. Try having that debate in other parts of the Mid-East.
charles at August 2, 2015 6:13 PM
It is even faster here in Texas Patrick. If you live together and one of you claimed you were married and the other didn't immediately and loudly denounce that then you are married. You may have lived together for only a day but you are still married.
Personally I don't let people stay in my home for more than six months. After that you get squatters rights here or if they signed a contract there are other limits that go into effect. Also, if you can't put your life back together in six months I may not be helping. I'm willing to give a helping hand but I won't enable someone to be dysfunctional on my dime.
Ben at August 2, 2015 6:22 PM
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