I have to confess that Ubangy's comment has me puzzled. He is correct, in a way, that the IDF is not the utopian organization that is presented in the article. The culture of hypermasculinity the author mentions in the opening paragraph is alive and well in Israel's armed forces and deviations from that ideal are not exactly celebrated (to say the least). An openly gay IDF soldier is not going to get discharged for his sexuality, but he's also not guaranteed acceptance, either.

The American military likewise has its culture of machismo intertwined with religiously-fueled social conservatism. Repealing DADT will not instantly make life better for gay and lesbian servicepeople just as it is not a walk in the park for gay and lesbian soldiers in the IDF. But it would be a good start. Cultural change rarely occurs in a top-down process. Changing the official policy merely opens the doors to grassroots change. It is an opportunity for a solution, not a solution itself.

As for the bit about the author's views not representing the majority of self-described "Conservative Jews," I wonder if Ubangy is mistaking the modifier for its political rather than it's Jewish ideological meaning. While the present Conservative rabbinate retains divisions over the place of gay and lesbian Jews in the Movement, it's a documented socialogical fact that the majority of the congregants of Conservative synagogues are religiously and politically liberal, much more so than their rabbinical leadership. Since the next generation of rabbis is coming up out of the congregations, the ideological leaning of the official Movement can be guaranteed to move even more further left. The author's views are therefore perfectly representative of the majority of those who identify as "Conservative Jews."

This is a wonderful article. There is no reason that gays and lesbians should not be able to be open about their sexuality and still serve in the military. That makes no sense at all. We should be grateful for all those who are willing to serve our country.

Despite the authors "Job" and "Leadership" in conservative Judaism, his views do not represent the majority of Jews who consider themselves "Conservative Jews". His description of the Israeli Army is very far from accurate and misleading.

Excellent article. We need qualified men and women in the military. Gays and lesbians have a right, perhaps even an obligation, to serve their country. I don't understand the fear...it seems that almost all sex crimes are committed by "straights". Straight men feel entitled to ogle women when the attention isn't sought, yet fear the same treatment in the shower. DADT is discriminatory and should be stopped.

*laughing.*

My Gods. Maybe it should be Fundies that should be barred from the military: how are they supposed to fight thinking like this?

""Gays simply want to share shower rooms with men, that's why they will oppose this proposal.""

Is there something you aren't telling us about how you "know" what gay men want? It seems the one with an obsession about showers is *you,* son.

Maybe... Closets aren't actually very healthy at all? Maybe... this 'unit cohesion' we hear so much about is actually ill-served by having homophobes constantly wondering who might be looking... or catching *them* looking?

Look, the straight soldiers aren't doing so well as it is. Over 30% of the women deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan have been raped or sexually harassed. They have to go to the latrine in pairs, because a woman alone will be grabbed and raped BY HER FELLOW (MALE) SOLDIERS.

It's also a question of readiness. The military, up until the Recession hit, was having trouble recruiting members. Many of the gay soldiers who were dismissed under DADT were training to be Arabic linguists. We NEED Arabic linguists!

You don't need to be straight to be in the military - you just need to shoot straight.

Sexual contact between service members is already verboten, no matter how hot you think the other person is.

And I can promise you that if a gay man and a straight man are in a foxhole together under fire, the gay man is NOT going to be thinking about how cute the straight guy looks in his fatigues.

"...to avoid LEGALIZING DROOLING."

Drooling is already legal; there is no need to legalize it.

The prophecy says that Israel will be occupied by foreign forces a few years from now. Does it mean they were destroyed as God's punishment?

God's words are sure and straight. It does not consider PC

How would the military women feel when men want to OPENLY share sleeping quarters and shower rooms with them?

Gays are not men. If they want to OPENLY serve in the military, they should have separate living quarters.

Better yet an ALL GAY BRIGADE led by Mullen, Gates, Cheney and Powell.

Now what's wrong with this proposal? Nothing but gays want to sleep with men so they will surely oppose this.

Gays simply want to share shower rooms with men, that's why they will oppose this proposal.

With DADT, gays can't stare during shower time coz they're blowing up their cover.

With DADT repealed, they can stare all they want coz it's already LEGAL. They can stare ALL DAY because OPENLY GAY is already allowed.

Gays will be filling up the shower rooms and its ALL LEGAL TO STARE at everybody.

"WE ARE OPENLY GAYS AND WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO STARE COZ WE ARE GAYS. THE LAW PROTECTS US TO STARE AT YOU WHILE YOU SHOWER"

Gays can serve but NOT OPENLY. If they want it OPENLY, they should have separate living quarters and shower rooms to avoid LEGALIZING DROOLING.