User:Romeoper/New sandbox

Draft of edits to LGBT history in Israel

Homosexual relations were legalized in the state of Israel in 1988, and during the 1990s various forms of discrimination were prohibited. Debate has since centered on recognition of same-sex partnerships and the rights they confer, including inheritance, residency, and the adoption of children. The staging of LGBT pride parades has been controversial in some cases.

19th century

In 1858, the Ottoman Empire ruled the area of modern-day Israel and Palestine as part of Ottoman Syria. It abolished its existing sodomy laws in its Penal Code (Article 198) so long as it was consensual and the consenting partner was above the age of consent.

Beginning in 1882, Ashkenazi Jewish migrants from the Russian Empire flee to Israel in a series of waves to escape rising anti-Semitism, encouraged by Perez Smolenskin's suggestion that Jews make aliyah to Israel in large movements. Smolenskin's urging of European Jews could be seen as a pre-cursor toTheodor Herzl's Zionism. It is not known if the growth in nuance for homosexuality began with any of the early Russian settlers, as the territory from which they had migrated had largely been populated with homophobic cultural traits; however, as Jewish Russians were only recently beginning to integrate into mainstream Russian society away from the Pale of Settlement , views on homosexuality likely sharply differed between Jewish intellectuals and religious clerics when migrating to, and establishing the agricultural settlements in the area.

20th century

1900-1950s

In the 1910s, the Ottoman Empire was declining and territories were divided among several countries and eventually lead to a Turkish state (see Dissolution of the Ottoman Empire). In 1923, the United Kingdom was given the territory as part of the British Mandate for Palestine and Britain's buggery laws were thus instituted. They were continued by the newly formed Israeli government in 1948.

In 1953, Rina Natan became known for being arrested for cross-dressing as a female and later again for protesting in pursuit of gender confirmation surgery. A committee encouraged authorities to allow her surgery, though Attorney General Haim Cohn denied her the right in 1954. On May 25, 1956, Natan severed her own penis, demanded to be treated by the hospital, and became the first Israeli trans woman. Natan's legal documents reflected her post-operation name and sex, except her passport remained male-identifying. (See Rina Natan).

1960s

In 1963, Justice Cohn denounced sodomy laws, stating that they were outdated and that consensual sexual acts were neither criminal nor morally wrong. By denouncing these policies, Justice Cohn discouraged authorities from enforcing them.

In 1968, Tel Aviv's first gay bar was opened by Amir Sharon in a private apartment. After this, gay clubs pop up around Israeli metropolitan areas and a secret club gains infamy. (See London Ministores Mall).

1970s

In 1975, Israel's first organization to protect LGBT rights is established. (See The Aguda – Israel's LGBT Task Force). Alizada, coming from the Hebrew "happy" (aliz) becomes the first LGBT pride march in Israel on September 17, 1977.

1980s

Shulamit Aloni starts bringing attention to LGBT rights in Israeli law in the beginning of the 1980s. In 1988, under Amendment 22 of Israeli Penal Law, same-sex sexual relations between consenting adults were decriminalized. The 1980s also brought employment discrimination protections to lesbian and gay Israelis.

1990s

• In 1992 legislation was introduced to prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, with some exemptions for religious organizations.
• In 1993, the Israeli Parliament revised the military rules so that gay, lesbian and bisexual Israelis can serve openly and on an equal footing with their heterosexual counterparts; homosexuals have been allowed to serve openly in the military, including special units.
• The first Pride parade in Tel Aviv took place in 1993.
• MK Yael Dayan makes an impassioned speech before the Knesset for gay and lesbian rights in Israel, quoting Torah passages regarding David's relationship with Jonathan.
• In 1994, unregistered cohabitation was legalized for the first time.

21st century

2000s

2000-2004

Family and relationship rights

• An Israeli family court on March 17, 2002 turned down an application from a lesbian couple to have their partnership union declared legal. The couple was united in a civil ceremony in Germany. The women wanted the court to recognize their partnership as a civil marriage, under Israeli law. The court said that since the women are not recognized as a family under Israeli law, the court is not authorized to rule on their case. A government lawyer who was asked by the court to give a legal opinion on the case on behalf of the Israeli government said that the state objected to granting the request.
• On December 14, 2004, the Nazareth District Court ruled that same-sex couples have the same rights as married couples in inheritance rights. This ruling overturned a Family Court ruling that an elderly man from Kiryat Shmona was not entitled to spousal rights. The man had sought the estate of his late partner, with whom he lived for several decades. The Nazareth judges ruled that the term "man and woman" as spelled out in Israel's inheritance law also includes same sex couples. Judges Nissim Maman and Gabriela Levy, who issued the majority opinion, based their decision on a loose interpretation of the term "partner" as defined in other court rulings, such as those dealing with issues related to employee benefits, and thus applied the interpretation to the inheritance law. The acting president of the Nazareth District Court, Menachem Ben-David, issued the minority opinion, arguing that the legal text should not be interpreted "contrary to the lingual significance." A government spokesperson said the ruling will be appealed.
• In December 2004, the Tel Aviv District Court ruled that the government cannot deport the Colombian partner of a gay Israeli man. The 32-year-old Colombian entered Israel on a visitors visa which has long expired and the Interior Ministry had ordered him deported. His partner is an Israeli citizen and a soldier in the Israel Defense Forces. The couple filed an emergency petition with the Tel Aviv District Court. The men were represented by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel. Judge Uzi Vogelman ruled that the government had acted illegally in attempting to deport the man. In 1999 Supreme Court ruling established that the ministry could not deport foreign nationals married to Israeli citizens. Vogelman's decision extends that to apply to common-law marriages, including same-sex couples.
• In March 2008, Israel's Interior Ministry granted a gay Palestinian from Jenin a rare residency permit to live with his partner of 8 years in Tel Aviv after he said his sexuality put his life in danger in the West Bank.

Other events

In 2001, Pride is first held in Eilat (Eilat Pride).

Further Reading

1. Israel: LGBTQ History from A Wider Bridge: https://awiderbridge.org/today-in-lgbt-israel-history/
2. "Parliament legalizes homosexuality in Israel - March 23, 1988": Rosenberg, Carol (March 23, 1988). "Parliament legalizes homosexuality in Israel"[1]. United Press International, Inc. Retrieved 2018-10-05.
3. Steiner, Kristof (August 30, 2017). "A timeline of Israel's LGBTQ progression". Time Out Israel. Retrieved 2018-10-05.