New defense minister recognizes bereaved same-sex families.Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman confirms policy of predecessor Moshe Ya'alon by recognizing LGBT partners of fallen soldiers as eligible for benefits • "Proud Reservists" group says it can't rely on declarations, asks him to codify decision in law.
New Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman issued an official document on behalf of the Defense Ministry on Wednesday declaring that the ministry "views same-sex and heterosexual families of fallen soldiers equally, and operates in accordance with this equality so that there is no difference in recognition and rights."
With the document, Lieberman reiterated the policy formulated by his predecessor, Moshe Ya'alon, who recently made a similar declaration. Since bereaved families are eligible for financial benefits, the distinction has far-reaching implications.
Following a meeting of defense officials and bereaved families a few weeks ago, before he left the minister's post, Ya'alon said, "We are treating bereaved same-sex and heterosexual families the same. It would never occur to us that it could be otherwise, and it won't be."
Members of Ya'alon's bureau said the meeting had been convened at the request of MK Amir Ohana, and was attended by Defense Ministry Director General Maj. Gen. (res.) Dan Harel and the ministry's Families and Commemoration Department head, Aryeh Muallem.
An announcement put out by Ya'alon's office stated that "the conclusion of the meeting was that there is no difference between recognizing the bereavement of same-sex couples and that of heterosexual couples, so there is no need for legislation."
A message posted Wednesday on Facebook by the group "Proud Reservists Demand Equality" read: "We thank the new defense minister for his support for bereaved LGBT families, but the LGBT community cannot depend on declarations by defense ministers who come and go. As Gay Pride Month gets underway, we hope that these official documents become official legislation. We invite Lieberman to turn declarations into law and propose a cabinet bill as he enters the coalition."
No comments:
Post a Comment