Just before the headlines cried out that Yehuda Nahari had revealed that TV presenter Asi Ezer had sexually harassed him, the latter posted an exciting video about the exit of the closet of "Ninja Israel" star Shlomo Weizmann.
For the avoidance of doubt, I believe Yehuda Nahari who claims that Ezer sexually harassed him because I always believe the complainants until proven otherwise.
However, Shlomo Weizman does not deserve Asi Ezer's story to have him shivering, and he deserves a media hug for his courage to come out of the closet and for the light he scatters around him.
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Shlomo Weizmann (Shlomo 300), star of "Ninja Israel", came out of the closet on Tuesday in a photo interview, where he told about the difficult feelings he experienced as an ultra-Orthodox boy who feels different in the landscape. He shared that already at the age of eight he realized that he was attracted to men, and by the age of 13 he already felt confident in his tendency, which caused him emotional problems and a desire to undergo treatment. He did undergo conversion therapy, in which he tried to change his sexual attraction because he did not believe he had any other choice.
After four years of mental health care, Weizmann's sister, Michal, saved him by telling him to find people who would support him and love him as he was.
In an interview with Ezer, Weizmann talks about his desire to come out of the closet only after he clicked on the "buzzer" in the Ninja Israel program on Rainbow 12. He wanted to prove to the world that it is possible to be both an outstanding athlete and a gay man.
After years in combat service, he still felt he had to prove himself.
Why?
Because Israeli society does not accept everyone.
Because combat soldiers are still afraid to come out of the closet and because athletes are still afraid of the stigma that there is about gays in our society.
not afraid.
Shlomo Weizmann, Photo: Instagram
Shlomo Weizmann is no longer afraid, he is a true ninja of life.
He bravely sat down in front of Asi Ezer, did not apologize, did not twist and just said - I am gay.
His choice to live his life without apologizing despite the place he came from is inspiring.
The proud community went through a shake-up this week.
We got up in the morning for the day when an equal surrogacy process was approved in Israel for both men and single men (and not just for a man and woman couple, a couple of women and single women).
After this historic news, we watched an unequivocal and unapologetic exit from the closet of an athlete and star of a TV show that airs in prime time, and we ended the week with a fear of sexual harassment on one of the pages of the proud community in Israel.
The community is going through a shake-up.
Yehuda Nahari and Assi Ezer, Photo: Coco, Gettyimages
It's no secret that the recent period is not at all simple for the proud community.
Stories of sexual harassment by well-known people from the community (like Gal Ochowski and Assi Ezer) make many feel unsettled.
Homophobes are taking advantage of the situation to spread evil and violence in talkbacks across the network, and many proud find themselves in a defensive position in the immediate environment as they try to give explanations and answers to this earthquake.
And come on, sexual harassment exists in every society and every community.
It's good it's floating so we can avoid it in the future.
Precisely in such a fragile period, to witness Shlomo Weizmann's coming out of the closet in such an unapologetic way, it gives strength and hope.
I wish that coming out of Weizmann's closet would give more LGBT people a drive to live their lives in light and not in shadow. There is nothing to apologize for. Being gay is not a crime, nor is everyone who is a criminal the face of an entire community.
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