The story of the late Major Sagi Golan, who fell in the battle at Kibbutz Be’eri during the October 7 massacre after saving dozens of families, highlighted the gap between the duties and rights of the LGBTQ community in Israel. Although Golan was supposed to marry his fiancé, Omer Ohana, a week before he fell, the law did not recognize Ohana as a widower after Golan’s death. The struggle for recognition of their relationship led to the amendment of the Bereaved Families Law, but also exposed the open wound of LGBTQ people in Israel—the fulfillment of all civil duties alongside discrimination and inequality of rights.
In a survey by the Israeli Institute for Gender and LGBTQ Research in December 2023 among a sample of 1,000 LGBTQ people, it was found that 28% of men aged 21–40 have enlisted in the reserve forces (compared to 25% of all men in general society, excluding ultra-Orthodox and Arabs). A similar percentage was recruited from among the women of the community. In many cases, especially among the men, both spouses were drafted into the reserves, some of them are parents to young children.
Despite their equal integration into the security system and their position in key decision-making positions in the country, the civil rights of LGBTQ people are still unequal, and they are exposed to attacks in public spaces. In the 2023 LGBTQ phobia report of the LGBTQ Association, there was a 28% increase in the number of reports of LGBTQ phobic attacks, as well as a 93% increase in reports of serious attacks that include violence.
A significant element in Israel’s concept of national security is based on the principle of shared bearing of security and civil responsibility. Especially this year, Pride Month sharpens the need for social and legal change in Israel, to ensure true equality of rights for all citizens, including members of the LGBTQ community, who are recruited into the IDF and other security forces for the benefit of the country’s defense. The war that has opened the gates of change in Israel can also be an opportunity for a large-scale change in the social contract in the country. Israel’s decision makers should use this opportunity to strengthen the equality of rights and duties for all citizens of the country.
The story of the late Major Sagi Golan, who fell in the battle at Kibbutz Be’eri during the October 7 massacre after saving dozens of families, highlighted the gap between the duties and rights of the LGBTQ community in Israel. Although Golan was supposed to marry his fiancé, Omer Ohana, a week before he fell, the law did not recognize Ohana as a widower after Golan’s death. The struggle for recognition of their relationship led to the amendment of the Bereaved Families Law, but also exposed the open wound of LGBTQ people in Israel—the fulfillment of all civil duties alongside discrimination and inequality of rights.
In a survey by the Israeli Institute for Gender and LGBTQ Research in December 2023 among a sample of 1,000 LGBTQ people, it was found that 28% of men aged 21–40 have enlisted in the reserve forces (compared to 25% of all men in general society, excluding ultra-Orthodox and Arabs). A similar percentage was recruited from among the women of the community. In many cases, especially among the men, both spouses were drafted into the reserves, some of them are parents to young children.
Despite their equal integration into the security system and their position in key decision-making positions in the country, the civil rights of LGBTQ people are still unequal, and they are exposed to attacks in public spaces. In the 2023 LGBTQ phobia report of the LGBTQ Association, there was a 28% increase in the number of reports of LGBTQ phobic attacks, as well as a 93% increase in reports of serious attacks that include violence.
A significant element in Israel’s concept of national security is based on the principle of shared bearing of security and civil responsibility. Especially this year, Pride Month sharpens the need for social and legal change in Israel, to ensure true equality of rights for all citizens, including members of the LGBTQ community, who are recruited into the IDF and other security forces for the benefit of the country’s defense. The war that has opened the gates of change in Israel can also be an opportunity for a large-scale change in the social contract in the country. Israel’s decision makers should use this opportunity to strengthen the equality of rights and duties for all citizens of the country.