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Gay parade in Jerusalem Photo: Gil Yochanan

The real fanatics

Gays' insistence on Jerusalem march no better than religious intolerance



Uri Orbach
Published: 06.22.07, 16:49 / Israel Opinion

The ultra-Orthodox were never a symbol of religious tolerance. Yet Thursday in Jerusalem they found excellent partners for their intolerance. Those who marched in the gay pride parade are liberal fundamentalists, as well as zealots when it comes to taking full advantage of rights.

It is a foolish pretension to think and say that "Jerusalem is ours as well, and therefore we have the right to march there."

The argument here is not about the democratic right to march and even annoy others, but rather, it is about the fact the marchers are doing it in Jerusalem of all places, just because it will annoy the ultra-Orthodox – just because it will stir up a dispute.

The gay community is using the well-known trick often used by certain advertising executives of the Tel Aviv ilk. On occasion, they come up with a provocative commercial so that it will be disqualified or at least stir up a storm.

And then, with an innocent look, they play dumb and pretend to be innocent and self-righteous: "Save us! They're silencing us!"

Nothing to be proud of
This inferior type of freedom of expression fans carries the name of democracy falsely. We are not talking about innocent protesters who are fighting for their rights, but rather, marchers who came in order to provoke others and who every year lay a trap for overly irritable ultra-Orthodox.

As to the rights themselves, here we can debate whether the State should be recognizing same-sex relationships as a family.

Yet beyond the principled debate, there is something ugly in the anti-religious coercion. Indeed, people who call themselves liberal and modern have the right to wave their special lifestyle (forgive the mildness) in the face of Jerusalem residents.

High Court of Justice judges indeed went through the rulebook and found no principled difference between Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and the Kastina junction. Yet had they lifted their faces from the books, they would understand that life and reality also have a say here.

When right-wing marchers want, for 40 years now, to realize their right to march on Temple Mount, which belongs to the Jews, the judges always find a worthy reason why not to allow this to take place. All that is needed here is the will. When it comes to taking full advantage of rights, one is allowed to use some common sense.

Those are two demonstrations that will never meet in the middle. The ultra-Orthodox certainly come out of this story as illiberal, yet in this tale gays are the real fanatics. They have nothing to be proud of.

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