B’Yachad’s plan for the LGBT community enshrines full civil equality for the community in law. At its core lies the enactment of the “Sagi Laws”—a historic legislative package for equal rights named after Major Sagi Golan z”l.
The plan includes legislation for civil unions that grants LGBT couples the full rights of married couples, equal parental rights from the outset and institutional recognition of all family structures.
The plan enshrines the right to equality in a Basic Law and expands the legal definition of discrimination. It prohibits incitement against the LGBT community and “conversion therapy,” mandates uncompromising enforcement against hate crimes, and ensures a safe, tolerant environment for students in schools.
Furthermore, it anchors in law funding to support community organizations and the safety net for at-risk LGBT youth.
What's the problem?
Members of Israel’s LGBT community pay taxes, serve the state, and fight and die in battle, yet they still do not receive the full rights afforded to other citizens. Same-sex couples cannot formalize their relationships within an equal legal framework in Israel and are forced to seek solutions abroad. Same-sex parents must undergo lengthy legal proceedings simply to be recognized as their children’s parents. LGBT families encounter bureaucratic indifference and red tape from the state.
The right to equality is absent from Israel’s Basic Laws and anti-discrimination laws do not include protections based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Consequently, many citizens face discriminatory treatment in the public sector, housing, and employment due to their gender or sexual orientation, without legal protections to safeguard them.
Furthermore, violence against the community is escalating year after year. Incitement against LGBT individuals is not classified as a criminal offense, hate crime victims receive no recognition or assistance from the state, dangerous “conversion therapy” continues to inflict harm, and young people cast out of their homes because of their identity are left homeless and without family support.
What's the solution?
We will enshrine equality in law and eradicate institutional discrimination. We will create a full pathway for civil unions’ registration at the Interior Ministry, enable immediate and equal registration of parenthood, anchor the right to equality in a Basic Law, and legislate a ban on discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
We will ensure personal safety and a safe public sphere. We will legally ban incitement against the LGBT community and “conversion therapy,” establish a mechanism for recognizing and compensating victims of hate crimes, instruct law enforcement agencies to act decisively against violence and explicitly prohibit discrimination in housing.
We will build a permanent safety net for the LGBT community. We will secure stable funding in the state budget for community organizations that address the community’s needs, expand tailored medical and mental health services nationwide, ensure a safe environment for students in schools, and expand life-saving support services for at-risk youth and young adults.
of members of the LGBT community experienced homophobia in the last year
the number of Israelis experience discrimination from the public sector than the European average
of attacks on LGBT Israelis where physical attacks, up from 32% the prior year.
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How will we know we've succeeded?
Full equality under the law
Every couple, every parent, and every family in Israel is recognized and granted equal rights, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
A safe public sphere
A decrease in the number of hate crimes and attacks against LGBT Israelis, and every young person in the community who needs support knowing there is someone to turn to and somewhere to go.
B'Yachad's plan for the LGBT community
01
We’ll recognize every family in Israel
We will enact the Civil Unions Law and create a full, accessible pathway for registering at the Interior Ministry, granting all the rights given to married couples regardless of religion, gender, or sexual orientation. We will amend the Population Registry Law to ensure that the partner of a biological parent is immediately registered as a parent. We will enact the “Forms Law” and require every government and quasi-governmental institution to recognize all family structures. We will enable recognition of parentage and remove bureaucratic barriers in adoption, surrogacy and registration processes.
02
We will anchor equality in a Basic Law
We will enshrine the right to equality before the law in our Basic Laws and explicitly establish that an individual’s rights may not be infringed upon on the grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity. We will amend the “Interpretation Law” so that the term “discrimination” in all Israeli legislation automatically encompasses discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. We will also spearhead the eradication of discrimination across all government ministries, the civil service and local authorities.
03
We’ll keep members of the LGBT community safe
We will amend the penal code so that incitement against the community, including on the grounds of gender identity, constitutes a criminal offense in every respect, just like incitement to racism. We will impose a sweeping and absolute ban on the dangerous practice of “conversion therapy.” We will direct the police and law enforcement authorities to act decisively to eradicate violence and hate crimes, advance legislation which will establish a mechanism for compensation and redress for victims of hate crimes and amend the Prohibition of Discrimination Law to explicitly ban discrimination in housing.
04
We will make schools safe for LGBT students
We will implement and enforce a mandatory Director-General’s Directive to anchor an optimal, tolerant and safe educational climate for students, teachers and their families from the LGBT community. We will train teaching staff to provide a tailored, sensitive and non-judgmental response for all youth. We will increase funding for educational programs that promote tolerance and actively address manifestations of homophobia among students and staff.
05
We will build a safety net for the LGBT community
We will anchor a dedicated, permanent budget for LGBT community organizations within the annual state budget, ensuring that the life-saving services they provide are not subject to the whims of ministers or political budget cuts. We will expand medical and mental health services nationwide, tailoring them to the community’s needs and ensuring accessibility as well as providing specialized training for care teams. We will significantly expand support services for LGBT youth and young adults who have been displaced from their homes, including those from communities on the periphery, by providing nationwide transitional housing, emergency shelter options and psychosocial support.