Sexual orientation and gender identity in the Israeli military

[6] A study conducted by Kaplan and Rosenmann in 2000 found that in terms of unit social cohesion, participants who acknowledged the presence of gay peers did not differ from those who had no such knowledge.

[9] Children of same-sex couples are eligible for scholarships and nursery school subsidies, even if the career soldier is not the biological parent.

[8] However, in 2018, the IDF banned soldiers from participating in strikes protesting the exclusion of gay men from a recently passed surrogacy law, as they were considered political demonstrations.

Some, such as Noa Halevi, a reserves officer, say that female gay soldiers have an easier time in the army's masculine environment.

[16] In 1956, the Military Court of Appeals heard the case of two male privates sentenced to a year in prison for consensual sex.

The General Staff's orders did not mention homosexuality, but civilian law deemed "relations not in the usual way" a criminal offense.

Officers were also required to refer known gay soldiers for a psychological evaluation to determine whether they posed any security risks or were mentally unfit for service, though commanders did sometimes disregard this policy.

In 1998, the army ceased to link sexual orientation to security clearances, and rescinded the order that required commanding officers to report gay soldiers.

[citation needed] The Israeli Defense Forces does not consider gender dysphoria to be a disqualifying condition for service.

[18] In 2014, a new policy was put in place that automatically referred transgender personnel to a support system – allowing them to avoid seeking a commander's help obtaining uniforms, health care, or proper facilities, and making it easier to serve as their preferred gender.

Showers and housing may be handled on a case-by-case basis, while fitness standards for a given position must be met as applicable to their preferred gender.

They assume that the condition is likely under-reported in data of soldiers in service between 2004 and 2007, or some intersex individuals were ineligible for the draft due to gender dysphoria.

A violation of these rules does not necessarily result in ejection from the service; in 2018, a police rabbi who made homophobic statements was allowed to keep his job with a warning.