re: #489 transient

…but since many other nations have no problem with it, I now think this is a bunch of hooey…

Are you sure?

You’ve probably never heard that female soldiers causes problems with discipline, morale and unit cohesion. But I’ve read pieces from recently-retired noncoms that says it’s caused tremendous problems within the military, especially on long deployments. In the U.S. military, speaking openly about any such issues is a career-ender. When the news media unwittingly stumble across problems created by the presence of female soldiers, they suppress it. It doesn’t fit their women-are-the-same-as-men meme.

So the fact you haven’t heard of any morale and discipline issues in the Israeli military due to the presence of female soldiers doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t exist. Another thing to remember is that the Israeli military occupies a much different place in society than that occupied by the U.S. military. What works there may very well not work here.

I’ve never served (crappy eyesight when I was young, too old now) but I’ve got friends who have. If they were still in, I imagine quite a few of them would get out if they had to serve alongside openly gay soldiers.

There’s no right to serve in the military. If you volunteer and you’re what they need, great. If you’re not what they need, the military isn’t like Augusta National—you can’t force them to take you.