Getting Regret Out Of the Closet
by Yoav Sivan I usually have no interest in trying to understand the political and spiritual leaders who excel in fanning the flames of hatred against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. Their xenophobic language disgusts me and is not worthy of response, only of condemnation. Today, however, I would give a great deal to know what is going through the minds of, say, Interior Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Eli Yishai and his colleagues in the Shas party leadership, who seem to compete with each other in raising the bar of homophobia and ignorance. Do they feel sorrow in their heart of hearts this week? Or is their denial so profound that they can completely ignore their role in fomenting an atmosphere of incitement toward the gay community? Have they learned the lesson? Apparently, at least in part. They vehemently condemned the criminal shooting Saturday night at the youth club of the Association of Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals and Transgenders in Israel (the ...