Take conversion therapies off the agenda
The Association for LGBTQ Equality [Aguda] in Israel has presented Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin an index which lists responses and services in 30 municipal authorities in Israel in 2019 for the LGBTQ community.
Hila Peer and President Rivlin Photo: Mark Neyman
The report was presented by Aguda chair Hila Peer. The mayors of Kiryat Bialik, Rishon Letzion, Ramat Gan, Ramat Hasharon, Givatayim and representatives of the LGBTQ community also participated in the event.
According to the report, Tel Aviv-Yafo comes top in LGBTQ relations in a number of categories including infrastructure, welfare and culture. In second place is Rishon Letzion, with particularly a high score for culture, and in third place is Givatayim. The president spoke with the mayors about the importance of providing support and services for the LGBTQ community at a municipal level and praised the high level of work being done to improve the welfare of LGBTQ residents.
President Rivlin said: “Humanity as a whole must understand, and Israelis must understand, not to say that this tendency or that is a disease,” said the president after receiving the report. “In any way that a person can be happy and creative, they can reach the same accomplishments as anyone else. We cannot, in a society like ours, talk about conversion therapies for LGBTQ people. We cannot allow it. There is no disease here, and so there is no need for treatment.
It is essential that everyone has the opportunity to live their life as they wish, particularly when they also allow others to live lives as they wish. Enough of talking about conversion therapy. There is no need for someone who is absolutely healthy to receive treatment.
At the end of his remarks, the president reiterated: “Receiving this report, I want to stress that all conversion therapies must be taken off the social agenda in Israel.”
This month is Pride Month in Israel.
Conversion therapy, or sexual orientation & gender identity change efforts, amount to torture. Sadly there are misguided people who believe it is possible for a person to change their orientation or identity if they want to, and will profit off other people’s misery, shame and self-loathing.
The real problem is the desire to place archaic religious beliefs ahead of acceptance of normal human diversity.
The problem actually goes away when people are taught to understand how they are is normal and acceptable, and not something to be ashamed of.
The Victorian government is introducing legislation to criminalise this form of torture. Hoepfully Israel will do the same.
I am a straight former Australian infantry officer. This so called conversion therapy is crazy medieval stuff. Governments world wide should outlaw it.