Israeli Politicians Address Gay Pride at Parade
By: Mazal Mualem for Al-Monitor Israel Pulse Posted on June 10.
In 2009, when Justice Minister Tzipi Livni served as chairwoman of the Kadima party and as foreign minister, her campaign managers discovered that the candidate they were canvassing for was gaining traction in the gay community. They instantly realized that such an embrace meant votes in the ballot box.
This was a win-win situation for both sides. Livni was gaining active support from a powerful group with a strong presence in the media, thereby reinforcing her image as a champion of liberal values. The gay community, for its part, was gaining a highly prominent politician, the leader of the largest party in the country (back then Kadima had 29 Knesset seats out of 120) who was also vying for the premiership.
Livni heralded a new era in the relationships between Israeli politicians and the gay community. She managed to knock down the "leftist" barrier. Until that time, the community's representatives in the Knesset hailed from left-wing parties, chiefly Meretz. And suddenly, for the first time, they were enjoying the support of a leader from centrist politics, and one that comes from a "devout" right-wing ancestry to boot. In the political world of those years it was not uncommon to hear the chairman of the Orthodox Shas party, Eli Yishai, opine that "homosexuals and lesbians are sick people." Politicians from the right preferred to keep silent in the face of such vituperation so as not to "lose the Orthodox."
Tzipi Livni discovered the wonders of this powerful group, serving as its perfect ambassador.
Politicians — as is their way, as soon as they identify a new electoral power base — homed in on the target. And thus, since the elections of 2009, the gay community has been the object of courtship. And the gay community, which had been excluded from mainstream politics, surrendered at once. For the first time, the Likud party saw the establishment of its own "gay cell." In the last election campaign, politicians were seen at gay parties, meeting frequently with gay representatives and not forgetting to issue press releases immediately thereafter.
Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/06/gay-pride-padare-politicians.html#ixzz2VxEYSPLi
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