Yisrael Beytenu MK says most gays sexually abused as children, commit suicide at 40; party distances itself from comments.
By DANIEL CLINTONAnastasia Michaeli 311(photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem/ The Jerusalem Post)
Yisrael Beytenu MK Anastasia Michaeli charged Channel 10 with broadcasting programming that encourages children to be homosexuals in a recording first revealed by Army Radio on Thursday.Speaking in a closed session of the Knesset Committee on the Status of Women on Wednesday, Michaeli said, “Unfortunately, when I turn on Channel 10, I see so-called entertainment shows showing how nice it is to be gay.”“We need to find out why Channel 10 has a right to broadcast this content that my children see, and hear that it’s fun and nice to put on makeup and dress up in skirts,” she added.Michaeli also claimed that there was a direct correlation between sexual abuse and homosexuality.“I think that most homosexuals are people that experience very difficult sexual abuse from a very young age. In the end, they commit suicide when they are 40.”Yisrael Beytenu distanced itself from Michaeli’s comments, stating that they were “her own personal opinions and they don’t represent the opinions of the party.”Channel 10 responded that it “supports equal rights for all and showing fair depictions of all groups in society.”MK Nitzan Horowitz (Meretz), the only gay member of Knesset, released a statement complaining that comments like Michaeli’s are too common in the parliament and “stain the entire Knesset.” He said the proper way to respond was to pass legislation that would forbid discrimination against homosexuals.The Labor Party’s gay forum accused Michaeli of using her status as an MK to voice “hateful remarks.” Meretz’s gay forum said Michaeli’s comments were “strange and disconnected from reality,” and called on her to work toward equality for Israel’s gay community.Michaeli made the news in January when she poured a cup of water on MK Ghaleb Majadle (Labor) during a heated argument in the Knesset Education Committee. She was suspended from the Knesset for a month as a result of the incident.
During the two weeks when it appeared the next election would be moved up, sources close to Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman were quoted as saying Michaeli would not be given a realistic slot on the party’s next Knesset list.Gil Hoffman contributed to this report.
