Uzi Even
| Uzi Even | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | 18 October 1940 |
| Place of birth | Haifa, Israel |
| Knessets | 15th |
| Party | Meretz |
Professor Uzi Even (Hebrew: עוזי אבן, born 18 October 1940) is an Israeli professor of chemistry in Tel Aviv University and a former politician.
[edit] Biography
Born in Haifa to eastern European Jewish immigrants, Even studied for a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Physics at the Technion, and a Ph.D at Tel Aviv University. He lists his specializations as spectroscopy of super cold molecules, molecular clusters and cluster impact chemistry, and the quantum properties of helium clusters.
In 1993 he told the Knesset that the IDF, where he served as a Lieutenant Colonel, had sacked him and removed his security clearance after they discovered he was gay. His testimony led to Yitzhak Rabin's government changing the law and regulations to allow homosexuals to serve in the army in any position, including one requiring high security clearance.[1] In 1995 he successfully challenged his employer, Tel Aviv University, for spousal rights for his partner.
A member of Meretz, he narrowly missed out on being elected to the fifteenth Knesset in 1999, but as the next placed candidate on the party's list, he became an MK when Amnon Rubinstein resigned in 2002, making him the first openly homosexual member of the Knesset.[1] For the 2003 elections he was placed 15th on the party's list,[2] and lost his seat when they won only six seats.
In 2006, Even announced he was leaving Meretz and joining the Labor Party, feeling comfortable doing so after he noticed that Labor promised equality to all citizens in its election manifesto.[1]
On March 10, 2009, the Tel Aviv family court ruled that Even and his now ex-partner, Amit Kama, can legally adopt their 30-year-old foster son, Yossi Even-Kama, making them the first same-sex male couple in Israel whose right of adoption has been legally acknowledged.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Israel's first gay MP enters parliament BBC News, 4 November 2002
- ^ Candidates for the 16th Knesset Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- ^ Edelman, Ofra (2009-03-11). "Gay couple wins right to adopt foster son". Haaretz. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1070060.html. Retrieved 2009-03-11.
