Gays In Military
Also An Issue In Israel
LARRY DERFNER ISRAEL CORRESPONDENT
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t's hard to imagine Prime
"This isn't San Francisco, "
Minister Yitzhak Rabin
he said.
talking about homosex-
Israel most definitely isn't
uality, especially in the
San Francisco, but there is
weekly cabinet meeting, but
something that could be
there he was last Sunday
called a gay subculture here,
voicing his opinion on the
centered in Tel Aviv. On the
subject: "I don't see any
purely sexual side, there are
reason to discriminate
a couple of gay bars in the
against homosexuals in the
city, and Gan Ha'atzmaut
defense establishment."
(Independence Park), next to
Another friendly gesture
the Tel Aviv Hilton, is a gay
toward President Bill Clin-
pick-up center. There are
ton?
also two gay semi-
Actually, Mr. Rabin's
pornographic magazines on
remarks had nothing to do
sale at the city's better-
with the controversy over
stocked newsstands.
gays in the U.S. army; he
On the socio-political side,
was talking about the con-
the Society for the Protec-
troversy over gays in the
tion of Personal Rights for
Israeli army, which came up
Gay Men, Lesbians and
publicly for the first time the
Bisexuals, headquartered in
previous week in the
Tel Aviv, coordinates
Knesset — again, without
meetings, services and
any reference to the goings-
lobbying for homosexuals.
on in Washington.
Two
telephone hotlines —
About 10 , 0 Israeli
"White Line" and "Knitted
homosexuals had crowded
Kippa," for religious gays
into a Knesset hearing room
are in operation, and both
for the lawmakers' first-
ever, full-blown session on
discrimination against gays
in this country. The hearing,
called by Labor MK Yael
Dayan, drew a crowd of
curiosity-seekers — janitors,
clerks and security guards
stood around the doorway,
Hebrew University and Tel
peering in at the gathering.
Aviv University have gay
Dozens of cameramen,
student associations.
photographers and reporters
But there has never been a
squeezed themselves into
gay pride march in Israel
the room. Gays and lesbians
and, on the whole, the Israeli
were hugging each other,
gay subculture is a subdued
nervous and elated over the
one. This is a country whose
attention they were getting.
three most vital elements —
Many in the room had been
family, Judaism and the
"in the closet" up until that
army — all militate against
day, and now were risking
homosexuality. The Israeli
being photographed or film-
social fabric is conservative
ed for all the country to see.
in most matters, and gays
Israeli homosexuals had
know they are better off
arrived. - keeping their sexual
A number of Knesse t preferences to themselves.
members, mainly religiou s (The sign on the door of the
ones, had tried to head them
gay-rights society's office
off. Rabbi Yosef Ba-Gad o f
says only, "Society for the
the ultra-right Moledet par -
Protection of Personal
ty had vowed to block the
Rights," and some of the ac-
doorway of the hearing
tivists inside say they do not
room, but he did not make
dare tell their families or
good on his threat. Rabbi
colleagues at work that they
Avraliam Ravitz of the
are gay.)
United Torah Judaism party
Still, homosexuals had
had asked sarcastically if
been to the Knesset before,
the Knesset also intended to
in twos and threes, to testify
lend its auspices to klep-
on political matters. They
tomaniacs and drug addicts.
succeeded in decriminalizing
Likud MK Ron Nachman
homosexuality in 1988, and
walked past the meeting
not long after, they helped
room, snickering about
pass a law forbidding dis-
"homos" "and saying they
crimination against gays in
had no place in the Knesset.
the work place. But the
Prime Minister
Rabin backs gays
in the military.