The speech that was never delivered

This is the unspoken speech that was to be delivered by the Israeli minister of finance at the gay pride parade in Tel Aviv, today June 7th. Lest I give someone the wrong idea, he failed to deliver the speech due to shouts regarding his economic policy. The original (in Hebrew) is at https://www.facebook.com/YairLapid/posts/547990448592644.

"I would like to talk about love.

Straight politicians, when they talk in front of the GLBT community - in front of gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgender and gender-queers -always talk about rights. They're right, but before we talk about rights, we need to talk about love.

Because love is the most basic right of all. To talk about sexual orientation is important, but that does not define people. What defines us is the right to love who we love. The right to walk hand in hand in the street, the right to kiss him on a bench in the boulevard, the right to bring him home to dinner on a Friday night.

And the right to marry him.

The right to marry is recognized in the world as fundamental right. It is secured in article 16 of the declaration of basic human rights of the UN from 1948. Israeli supreme court judges wrote, here in Israel, in a ruling from the 13th of June 2006: "The right to a family gives meaning and reason to life."

Here with us is the first gay couple married this week in France after the passing of the new law. I congratulate you on the marriage and the law. Vincent and Bruno, Mazal Tov!

It's time Israel will join Argentina, Belgium, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Uruguay, Denmark, Canada, France, Iceland, Brazil, Netherlands and half the states of the US - and pass the gay marriage law.

Because every man here. Every man who is a part of the community, has the right to love someone, build a family with him, have children with him, through surrogacy or otherwise - be a dad and a dad, a mom and a mom, and to marry each other.

A week ago the media published the story of Miriam, a 16 year old girl from a high school in the South, who drew the rainbow flag on a wall in class. The class was incensed, the principal was called and she decided to do a "democratic election" - that how she called it - whether to erase the flag from the wall. The children voted and decided to erase the flag. They did so. Because they did not understand they are also erasing something from this girl's soul. The aggravating part of this story is that the principal thought she was doing something democratic.

This isn't democracy. Democracy does not step on someone because of what he is. Democracy can't forbid a man to be what he is. This flag is not about sex, and anyone who sees something sexual in it has a problem. This flag is about freedom, the fundamental right to be who we are, the right to love.

And I want to say something to this girl, at age 16, one of the hardest things to do is stand in front of the majority, know they are thinking otherwise, and still believe you are right. But I want to tell you - you are right.

You are right and they are wrong. They are ignorant, they are cowards - because only cowards behave that way to those who are different - and your principal is less smart than you, because she doesn't understand her role is to protect your right to be what you are, and she missed a unique chance to explain to the other students that in an argument between prejudice and love, love will always win.

You are the proof that love wins.

I love you, and proud to be here today, and have a wonderful gay pride week.

Thank you very much."