Indignity of 'don't ask, don't tell'
February 8, 2010
Send this news item to a Friend
Sign-up for Daily News Updates
February 5, 2010
Although Jews as a group are not what come to mind when most people summon up images of tough-as-nails men holding machine guns, ask them about Israeli soldiers and it changes. Although the foundational myth has been challenged recently by events, most people still think of Israeli soldiers as strong, proud, attractive, testosterone-filled daredevils, men and women alike, who take life-defying risks for their country.
But Israel's army has accepted gay men and lesbians alongside straight men and women since the country was founded. It's never been an issue. If you can fight, it doesn't matter who you sleep with.
Part of that, of course, was because the nascent state didn't have the luxury of turning too many people away from its military, but part of it comes from the Jewish ideal of k'vod habriyot, human dignity. The U.S. military's "Don't ask, don't tell" policy, simply put, is an affront to k'vod habriyot, and it should be overturned.
The United States was founded on the principles that all people were created equal. We know that sexual orientation is innate, and it cannot be God's will to give gay men and lesbians less dignity than God has given the rest of us. We believe strongly, therefore, that every American citizen, regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender, or sexual orientation, should have the right to serve our country. And no American citizen should have to lie about the person he or she most loves. The "don't ask" part of the "don't ask, don't tell" equation is on target - it is no one's business, ever. But the "don't tell" part is a violation of every person's right to seek love, and the right that Thomas Jefferson affirmed for us, the right to the pursuit of happiness.
I do understand the complexity of this issue, and the wide range of emotions it elicits. We Conservative Jews have had public discussions about the role of gay men and lesbians in our synagogues and seminaries, and we consistently have upheld k'vod habriyot as our movement's goal and rallying cry. This process has not always been smooth but I believe that Conservative Jews are better for having begun it, just as I believe that repealing "don't ask, don't tell" will improve the moral tone of our country and our armed forces.
Click here to read the rest of the article
