Rabbi Reisner

I found Rabbi Reisner's talk very interesting, especially on two points. Though I consider myself a conservative Jew, and I have always known and realized the obvious differences between Orthodox, Conservatism and Reform, I had never before heard about the actual separation and how it came about. I found myself wondering what it would be like if there had not been a separation and if more people would have converted away from Judaism or simply not practiced because there were no options that fit their life style. It seems to me that with the Conservatives respect of Jewish law and awareness of the world around them, as Rabbi Reisner specified, it leaves much interpretation open to many Jews from different backgrounds and with different ideas of what religion means to them.
Given this seeming open mindedness within the Conservatives, I was very surprised to hear about the rather closed minded views in regards to gays/lesbians. First of all, the fact that they are not accepted (at least as leaders) unless they are celibat seems offensive to me. Furtheremore, that gives the impression that Conservatives are actually NOT accepting of them, and therefore ought to redetermine their decisions and pick a side, either accepting gays/lesbians for who they are in every sense or not. Being on the fence does not work.