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Gal Ochovsky is a music critic and radio disc jockey. (His life partner is the movie director Eytan Fox, who has made several Israeli movies (not pornographic) with a gay theme: Jossi and Jagger, Walking on Water, Bubble etc.) Ochovsky is also one of the judges in the Israeli talent "reality" show "A Star is Born" (like "American Idol" etc.) Harel Skaat is an Israeli pop singer. He first came to the nation's notice a few years ago when he came 2nd in the talent show and his career took off. Last May he represented Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest. (You will find here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harel_Skaat more than you will ever want to know about Harel Skaat.)
In the wake of the murder of two people in a club for gay teenagers and the injuring of many others, a "happening" took place in Rabin Plaza, Tel Aviv, in which many of Israel's openly gay stars took part (as well as others who are straight). Many in the profession expressed disappointment that "a certain star" who "should have been there" did not take part. On the first anniversary of the murders another happening took place in the same place. This time Harel Skaat took part and even made a little speech saying how proud he was to be there etc. ('Pride" and its derivatives is a gay-associated word in Hebrew because it sounds very much like the English word 'gay'.) Immediately afterwards Ochovsky was interviewed and expressed his disgust at Skaat's participation. It was very clear that what disgusted him was the fact that Skaat had performed, made a speech, and did not say the magic words "I'm gay too".
Pressure on Skaat grew and the result was a TV documentary which aired last night in which "Harel tells all", according to the interminable promos.
The documentary presented a very personable young man (he's now about 30 years old), very diffident - almost shy - and rather introversive. He was asked point blank about his sex life and his sexual orientation. He squirmed a bit and was obviously very uncomfortable. He admitted that he had not had sex for three years! That he had not yet found the right partner. That he was not ashamed of the way God had made him. He used almost every circumlocution that one could imagine. Finally he said that when he had a boy friend and when he will have a boy friend will be no one's business but his own. His private life is his own. He 'admitted' that he was gay.
Just because people are in the public eye - and popular - does not give the public the right to know about the star's private life that the star prefers to keep private. Ochovsky more or less forced Skaat out of the closet, publicly bullied him as it were - without even mentioning his name.
There is more than one kind of bullying. Ochovsky has proven that gays can bully gays. I wish Harel all the luck in the world.
J F R
The paradox has often been noted that the United States, founded in secularism, is now the most religiose country in Christendom, while England, with an established church headed by its constitutional monarch, is among the least. (Richard Dawkins, 2006)
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