Wednesday, August 5, 2009

PM Netanyahu to visit Gay center where 2 were killed

(Haaretz).Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today will visit the Tel Aviv gay and lesbian youth center that was targeted in last Saturday evening's shooting spree that left two dead and 15 injured.

The prime minister will meet with members of the homosexual youth community, who since the attack have drafted a program for combating homophobic prejudice.

Yaniv Weizman, head of the youth wing of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Association, said, "This is one of the most significant moments in the history of the community - the prime minister is coming for a solidarity visit to a homosexual-lesbian center."

Weizman, a member of the Tel Aviv City Council, is Mayor Ron Huldai's adviser on gay affairs.

"The way things were until now must change," he added. "The prime minister must make a very clear statement. He must take the historic step of saying that 'blood was not spilled in vain.'"