Israel: Group says two thirds of Orthodox gays are married to women
A gay Orthodox organisation has claimed that two thirds of Orthodox gay men are married to women and leading a double life.
Rabbi Ron Yosef, the only openly gay orthodox Rabbi in Israel and the founder of Hod, said that of the 1,157 people who had contacted the group, two-thirds were married.
Hod aims to reconcile homosexuality and religion within the orthodox Haredi movement.
He told ynetnews: “Most gay haredim are married to women who are unaware of their situation, and they are leading a double life. This carries a major mental price.”
Of those that said they married, almost all of them were having sex with men regularly (at least once a month), and 46% admitted that they were ‘cheating’ by doing so.
Yosef continued: “The situation of homosexuals in the haredi society is much more difficult because of the social isolation they live in.
“A gay haredi man cannot share his situation with his friends in the community or the yeshiva, his family members or rabbis, and ‘coming out of the closet’ is definitely inconceivable.
“Fortunately, more rabbis have stopped sending the guys to ‘conversion therapy’ and are instead referring them to psychologists or reliable and professional social workers.”
