Knesset member Amir Ohana was appointed today (Thursday) to the position of Speaker of the Knesset following Netanyahu's announcement yesterday that he had chosen him to fill the position. Ohana will be the first member of the LGBT community in the position and the first to hold a position that is one of the symbols of the government.
LGBT organizations responded to the appointment of a member of the Knesset from the community. The Open House in Jerusalem sent a letter to MK Amir Ohana on the occasion of his appointment. In the letter, the Open House in Jerusalem congratulated the appointment of Member of Knesset Amir Ohana to the position of Speaker of the Knesset and conveyed a message of hope and expectation from Ohana to prevent anti-Hat legislation "Home and racist.
From the letter: "We hope and expect that by virtue of your position you will fight for the rights of the gay community, you will stop extreme proposals from reaching the agenda of the Knesset."
Ohana will be the first member of the community in a position that is a government symbol, the pride parade, photo: Koko
It was further stated: "We would like to congratulate you on shattering another glass ceiling and on your election to the position of Speaker of the Knesset, the symbol of the first LGBT government in Israel.
The gay community in Israel has gone through a long and significant process to the point where a declared LGBT person can hold such a significant and central position in the government, and we are happy to be in a position where the head of the legislative authority will be one of the members of the gay community."
Yonatan Wolfer, co-chairman of the Open House in Jerusalem added: "Our concerns about the government that was sworn in are great.
Senior officials in it have spoken out and acted against us more than once, and also in the coalition agreements there are clauses that, if implemented, will allow the perpetuation of discrimination against us.
However, we congratulate the incoming speaker of the Knesset, MK Amir Ohana, who has broken through another glass ceiling for the gay community, and will be the first symbol of government from the gay community. We expect him to use his position and powers in order to promote the gay community, to prevent legislative initiatives directed against us , and to be a bridge for the government that will ensure the continued provision of services, budgets and programs for the community, and even increase them."
Chairman of the Open House Alon Shahar together with MK Yorai Lahav-Hertzano and minister Merav Cohen, photo: Molly Goldberg
The Association for the LGBT responded to the expected appointment and said: "On the eve of the inauguration of the most LGBT-phobic government Israel has ever known, Amir Ohana was elected to the position of Speaker of the Knesset.
People like Avi Maoz and his listmates, who refer to our very existence as 'probably/progressive trolling' and oppose our presence in the public sphere, will soon vote in favor of appointing an out-of-the-closet gay to one of the most senior positions in the political system, one of the five symbols of government (along with the prime minister, the president, the president Supreme Court and Chairman of the Opposition).
"We wish Amir Ohana success in his challenging position and we wish that he knows how to take advantage of his senior position also to make our voice heard and prevent any attempt to harm minority groups."
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