LGBT Equality Ad in Israel and Its Sponsor Banned for Airing it in Arab

A PSA entitled “Human Rights: Because without I’m not Equal,” produced by the Association for Civil Rights (ACRI) in Israel has been banned from Israeli TV because of its backing of gay marriage.

The ad ad includes appearances by such well-known Israeli celebrities as model and actress Galit Gutmann, former Miss Israel Titi Aynow, social activist Daphni Leef and others.

Haaretz reports that The Second Authority for Television and Radio, the public body that supervises Israel’s commercial television and radio stations, banned the PSA,  due to a sentence spoken by Aynow in support of gay marriage. The Authority stated that the law governing commercial television states the broadcaster will not broadcast any advertising that has a message on a “political, social, public or economic matter” that is in “public dispute.”

The ad was also banned because of the statement, “It is permitted to speak Arabic without fear” made by by Mira Awad, an Israeli Arab singer and actress.

The ACRI has threatened to go to court if the Authority does not rescind its ban.

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