Ehud Olmert’s daughter came out in defense of the upcoming Jerusalem gay pride parade.
Dana Olmert, who is lesbian, gave a rare media interview to rebut right-wing and religious demands that Thursday’s gay pride parade in Israel’s capital be relocated.
“The question ‘why Jerusalem?’ is like asking why people should get the right to vote,” Olmert told Army Radio on Wednesday. “Such questions are simply abhorrent. It’s just like I would never think of explaining to someone why Jews or Arabs aren’t inferior to other people.”
Olmert, who works as a Tel Aviv literary editor and usually avoids the public eye, described the march as “an expression of political action, something which you don’t ask permission to do”.
Rioting by religious protestors led to last year’s gay pride parade being relocated to a closed stadium on the Jerusalem outskirts, but Thursday’s event will comprise a march and rally in the city center, under tight police security.
