Brothers and others in arms - Managing gay identity in combat units of theIsraeli army

Although policies regarding the enlistment of homosexuals in Western armies have become the subject of a heated debate, their own experiences in the m ilitary have received little systematic analysis. The authors examine the e xperience of gay men in combat units of the Israeli army, as derived from r etrospective life stories. The authors found no common adjustment problems related to these men's sexual orientation. At the same time, variable ident ification strategies with hegemonic masculine military culture emerged. One is engagement and includes identification with soldiery as a test for masc ulinity, taking part in heterosexual discourse, and an active attempt to de velop social ties. The second strategy is compartmentalization, which invol ves focusing on professional aspects of the military job and building walls in the interpersonal sphere. Consequently, the authors propose that the ti es between behavioral adaptation to military service, processes of identifi cation with organizational values, and the acquisition of a particular iden tity are loosely coupled.