In a concerning incident that highlights ongoing challenges faced by LGBTQ families, the household of Udi and Giora Shneizer, members of the “Metmon” program granting access to national parks and reserves, recently encountered a troubling ordeal at the Nahal Yehudia Nature Reserve in Israel. On a weekend outing, the couple and their three daughters were met with unexpected resistance at the entrance. Despite presenting their “Metmon” card, which clearly indicated a “couple with three children,” the cashier curtly refused entry, asserting they weren’t a “family.”
At first, Shneizer couldn’t grasp the cashier’s stance, but her resolute assertion that they weren’t a family left him perplexed. After summoning the reserve manager, they were eventually allowed in, albeit after a delay. Reflecting on the incident, Shneizer shared, “When she initially told me this, I told her, ‘Let’s not go down this path. We can argue about anything, but not about this.’ One of my daughters felt very uncomfortable and wanted to go back home, but I insisted. It took about 7 minutes, which felt quite long to us, until the manager or someone else arrived and said, ‘Let them in.'”
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For years, Shneizer’s family had been holders of a subscription granting them access to nature reserves and national parks, and they had never encountered such treatment. He remarked, “Perhaps I’ve received odd looks in the past, but this was more of a gut feeling. We’ve visited countless nature reserves and beautiful places, so it’s unfortunate that this happened this time. It was very surprising and uncomfortable. The cashier didn’t even ask us for any proof of partnership or anything; she just stated that it wouldn’t happen. Eventually, we entered and enjoyed our time in Nahal Yehudia.”
Responding to the incident, the Nature and Parks Authority conveyed regret, stating, “This is an isolated and regrettable incident that contradicts the policies of the Nature and Parks Authority. The Authority has apologized to the family, who are long-standing members of the ‘Metmon’ program, regularly visiting national parks and nature reserves. The case has been addressed with the service providers in this instance, and protocols have been reinforced to prevent similar occurrences in the future.”
