Israel's LGBTQ community declared Sunday a day of protest over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's reversal last week of his position supporting an amendment to Israel's law on surrogacy parenthood that would make surrogacy an option for men – straight or gay – as well as single women and heterosexual couples.
Netanyahu said he would support a separate amendment focusing on single men's right to use surrogacy services. Such an amendment is said to be in the works by MK Amir Ohana, the first openly gay Likud legislator.
Starting at 10 a.m., protesters gathered at well-known spots such as Rothschild Boulevard in Tel Aviv, Paris Square in Jerusalem, the Hanegev shopping center in Beersheba and Atzmaut Street in Haifa. Activists blocked Azrieli junction and the southbound Ayalon Highway through Tel Aviv.
The central event calling for equal surrogacy opportunities for gay couples was scheduled to be held at 8:30 p.m. Sunday at Rabin Square in Tel Aviv.
In addition to the demonstrations, many members of the LGBTQ community announced that they would be skipping work in prowwww.
Hundreds of companies announced that they supported their employees' position and said their absence would not affect their employment standing.
Companies speaking out in support of the community include the Israel Airports Authority, the Israel Postal Company, the Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv, and Israeli flag air carrier El Al. The Histadrut labor federation also issued instructions calling on all unions and management nationwide to support LGBTQ workers who chose to strike in prowwww.
The proposed amendment to the surrogacy law, a pet cause of Ohana, originally gave the LGBTQ community hope that the option of parenthood through a surrogate mother would soon be available to them in Israel, as opposed to them being forced to seek surrogate mothers abroad.
"This is a historic day that indicates what is to come. For the first time, the LGBTQ community in Israel is saying 'no.' No to discrimination, no to the oppression and violence that is directed at the trans community, no to legislation that ignores us and no to our rights being ignored. Our cry of so many years has started to echo in the past few days like it never has," said Chen Arieli, head of The Aguda – Israel's LGBT Task Force.
"This discrimination doesn't only hurt LGBTQ people. It hurts everyone. We are the public. We are the public's sons and daughters. The sisters and brothers, the friends, the colleagues, the neighbors, the platoon comrades. When one after another, they issued messages of support for and identification with the strike, they weren't seeing 'LGBTQ,' they were seeing people that they know and love personally. The general public has understood that this isn't just my battle, it's our battle. When the public shows up all at once, it makes noise, and that noise will echo," Arieli said.
On Thursday, some 300 gay and lesbian protesters held a smaller protest march from Rabin Square to Habima Square in Tel Aviv, calling on the government to allow everyone an equal chance to become parents.
