President Reuven Rivlin comes out against so-called gay conversion therapy in comments made at the beginning of Pride Month, as he receives the first “Municipal LGBTQ Index” produced by the Aguda, The Association for LGBTQ Equality in Israel.
President Reuven Rivlin casts his ballot at a voting station in Jerusalem during the Knesset elections on March 2, 2020. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)
The index lists responses and services in 30 municipal authorities in Israel in 2019 for the LGBTQ community. As expected, gay-friendly Tel Aviv comes first in LGBTQ relations in a number of categories including infrastructure, welfare and culture. In second place is Rishon Lezion and in third place is Givatayim.
“Humanity as a whole must understand, and Israelis must understand, not to say that this [sexual] orientation or that one is a disease,” says the president. “We cannot, in a society like ours, talk about conversion therapy for LGBTQ people. We cannot allow it. There is no disease here, and so there is no need for treatment.”
“Enough talking about conversion therapy. There is no need for someone who is absolutely healthy to receive treatment,” he adds. “I want to stress that any sort of conversion therapy must be taken off the social agenda in Israel.”
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