Gay group suing religious website for libel
A gay rights group is suing a website for NIS 100,000 for publishing an article calling for the indictment of the leaders of a 'deviant' center for gay youth rather than of the gunman who killed two people in a shooting at the Tel Aviv Gay and Lesbian Association last summer.
By Ofra EdelmanA gay rights group is suing a local website for NIS 100,000 for publishing an article calling for the indictment of the leaders of a "deviant" center for gay youth rather than of the gunman who killed two people in a shooting at the Tel Aviv Gay and Lesbian Association last summer.
The article was full of "defamatory and homophobic expressions," the National Association of LGBT in Israel said in the lawsuit, which it filed in the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court yesterday. "Boorish and ignorant insults of the kind that the defendants published are liable to lead to additional hate crimes against the plaintiffs and members of the pride community in Israel."
The article, which appeared under the byline Yisrael Artzi, was published by Tsofar, a Web portal geared toward a religious audience.
"Many citizens who are sick and tired of the reckless and morally uninhibited conduct expect law-enforcement authorities to put the heads of the murder club [the gay center] on trial for the crimes they committed," the article said.
The Tsofar item also quoted from a letter that an anonymous reader purportedly sent to the National Council for the Child, saying there was proof that public sex acts took place at the club.
The article was published less than two weeks after the August 1 shooting that killed a 24-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl.
The National Association of LGBT in Israel, also known as the Aguda, said it sent a letter to Tsofar shortly after the article appeared, demanding payment of damages for defamation. Tsofar did not respond, and the author said at the time that he did not regret what he had written.
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The bible also states that I, a proud gay man, was created in god's image. God wants me this way. It is his will that I be gay and proud.
According to Leviticus 18:22, "Thous ahlt not lie with mankind,as with womankind: it is an abomination". And, Leviticus 20:13, "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: They shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them". Both of these are from the law of Moses given to him by God at Mt. Sinai. No human made law has precedence of God's law.
I only see the homophobes being the real violent thugs here. They justify murder on the basis of the scripts of an old bearded man that was probably hallucinating after eating some mushrooms in the desert, thousands of years ago. And so they justify violence and murder against everyone else they disagree with. Bravo for the religion of peace and love between human beings! (As long as those humans believe exactly the same) Abrahmic religion (Christianity, Judaism and Islam) really have a lot to answer for, for the pain and suffering they have imposed through the ages, on millions of people. At least, phylosophies like Budhism do not preach or justify the murder of anyone, be a gay, an unbeliever or else. Live and let live!
The purpose of the existence of humankind is not to spread 'love' (deviant sex as you would have it). It is to worship and fellowship with our creator. The greatest earthly goal to which a human can aspire is to serve the Lord according to His Law. The laws of God were given for our protection. It is up to us to conform our minds and lives to them. The 'free will' concept of human existance allows us to discard that relationship with God--and receive the justice of the law for our violation of it. Those who convince others to violate God's laws will receive the harsher punishment. While those who realize their errors and repent will be forgiven even the most serious transgressions.