Rabin Says No Reason for Bias Against Gays in the Military

Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin has gone on record as saying he sees no reason why gays should be discriminated against in the army.

The comment from Rabin, who also holds the defense portfolio, came in response to the disclosure last week that a leading scientist working on a top-secret defense project was dropped because he acknowledged he was gay.

Professor Uzi Even, head of the chemistry department at Tel Aviv University, was ousted from a project he had worked on for 10 years on the grounds that his homosexuality was a security risk.

Even shocked lawmakers and the general public when he recounted last Tuesday to Knesset members in dry and somber tones how he was forced off the job. Even’s testimony was later aired on television.

At a Cabinet meeting Sunday, Rabin promised that Even’s case would be investigated with an eye toward reinstating him to his former position.

Even went public with his story at a special seminar dealing with gay and lesbian rights issues held at the Knesset at the initiative of Labor Knesset member Yael Dayan.

The seminar was held despite vociferous protests from Orthodox members of Parliament.

Two Cabinet ministers from the left-wing Meretz bloc, Amnon Rubinstein and Yossi Sarid, said they were particularly disturbed by Even’s account and urged Rabin to take action.

Rabin made a special point in his brief discussion of the subject to commend a senior Israel Defense Force medical officer who is gay. Rabin noted that this officer’s homosexuality had not stood in the way of his promotion or otherwise affected his career.

The Israeli army position stands in contrast to that of the U.S. military, which has been waging a fierce battle recently against a proposal by President Clinton to allow homosexuals to serve in the armed forces.

Rabin and senior officers conceded that homosexuality is a matter of concern in the army, mostly in connection with security clearance for sensitive duties.

But being gay was not necessarily an issue in drafting soldiers, they said.

Rubinstein said the government would be seen as signaling a positive attitude toward gays if it were to restore Even to his defense job and give him back his security clearance.

Even said he now expected the security authorities and the army to “show the same courage in admitting their error as I showed in coming forward and speaking out.”