Schools will not be able to discriminate gay pupils if a bill proposed by MK Dov Khenin (Hadash) passes. The Ministerial Committee for Legislation will vote on the bill, which will add to the list of prohibited types of discrimination in the existing Students’ Rights Law the words “sexual preference, identity and gender.” The Israeli National LGBT Task Force called on the government to approve the bill, saying it protects pupils from bullying.

 “Because of their sexual preferences, LGBT pupils are often a target for bullying and humiliation by students and even by faculty,” task force spokesman Gil Kol said, mentioning an example of a girl that was not permitted to hang up a drawing encouraging equality for gays and was ridiculed by her classmates. “This bill will prevent similar incidents – and even worse ones of physical violence – and will anchor LGBT students’ rights and require educational institutions to treat them equally,” Kol added.