Aguda

• But among other concerns, many Israelis fear that hard-line conservative ministers will roll back LGBTQ rights.
• Opponents, however, fear that Israel’s balance of being a democratic state and a Jewish one is tipping away from democracy.
• I believe the lack of separation between law and religion has at times actually helped advance LGBTQ Jews’ rights.

The ‘gay decade’

• Israel’s first LGBTQ organization, The Aguda, was founded in 1975 as a grassroots, volunteer-based human rights nonprofit.
• A groundbreaking 1983 Aguda pamphlet appealed to scientific evidence and international legal precedents to make the case for ending prejudice and discrimination.
• Same-sex partners were recognized for welfare in 1994, national insurance benefits in 1999 and pension benefits in 2000.

Uneven gains

• Municipal and state investments have made the Tel Aviv Pride Parade a top destination for Pride month travelers around the world.
• The late 1990s and the aughts also saw a significant expansion of organizations to support LGBTQ people and their families.
• Still, access to protections has always been uneven.

Path to acceptance

• Although a minority, religious conservatives have been power brokers and members of government coalitions for most of the state of Israel’s history.
• Yet certain aspects of the country’s political landscape help explain the LGBTQ movement’s successes – as do activists’ strategic choices.
• First, the lack of separation of state and religion means that Israel does not offer a civil marriage option, even for opposite-sex couples.

Pivotal moment?

• Jewish religious conservatives have long viewed acceptance of LGBTQ people’s rights as an affront to the state’s Jewish character.
• In the past, ruling coalitions with both political moderates and Orthodox parties guaranteed some modicum of compromise, including on LGBTQ rights.
• But the current ruling coalition rests on the support of religious ultranationalists, including ministers who have openly opposed LGBTQ rights.