We see the barricades outside, we see the cops! They are shamefully policing queers who are challenging the Center's racist exclusion. They are shamefully policing queers who challenge pinkwashing of Israeli apartheid. Shamefully policing queers who challenge anti-Arab and anti-Muslim bigots.
For the last year, the Center's director and board have shut out queers:
Queers whose political organizing for human rights makes the Center nervous.
Queers whose Arab ethnicity or Muslim religion makes the Center nervous.
Queers whose challenging of Israel's racist apartheid laws makes the Center nervous.
How did this happen?!
Last year, the Center tossed out Siegebusters, and Palestine solidarity group of queers and non-queers, just days before its biggest awareness and fundraising event. Our communities were outraged! The Center heard from...
Palestinian queers who were outraged...
Immigrant queers who were outraged...
Queers of color who were outraged...
Trans queers who were outraged...
Activist queers who were outraged...
... all of whose work got queers the rights we "enjoy" today.
The Center also heard from a few powerful gay and straight bigots. They said anyone who stands with Palestinian queers is providing "a fig leaf for Arab homophobes." They wanted to pit queers against Arabs and Muslims -- as if no Arabs or Muslims are queers. As if queers must go along with racism out of some twisted kind of self-interest.
The Center sided with the bigots. In a community meeting, they promised to "deal with the issue." One year later, they're still excluding us. From the Center, we've heard only silence.
But we will not be silent! Here's who's in the room today!
Queers for an Open LGBT Center (QFOLC)
alQaws for Sexual and Gender Diversity in Palestinian Society
Adalah-NY: the New York Campaign for Boycott of Israel
Brooklyn for Peace
FIERCE!
Jewish Voice for Peace-NY
Jews Say No!
International Action Center
International Socialist Organization
Lesbian & Gay Solidarity, Melbourne, Australia
Metropolitan Community Church of New YorkNew York Association for Gender Rights Advocacy (NYAGRA)
Palestinian Queers for BDS
Siegebusters
South Asian Lesbian & Gay Association (SALGA)
Sylvia Rivera Law Project
Workers World Party
Young, Jewish and Proud
and... Queers Against Israeli Apartheid!
All of us together stand up against pinkwashing! Pinkwashing tries to use queer rights as cover to deny Palestinian rights, and to cover up apartheid. Queers reject pinkwashing in Israel!
And we won't let our community center be a tool for racism -- for excluding.
We're here to Occupy the Center, until the Center
- Ends the ban on Palestine solidarity organizing here.
- opens the Center for all.
- brings its board meetings and decision-making out of the corporate boardroom and back into our community!
Whose Center? Our Center!!
Anti-Arab hate? NO! Queers won't take the bait!
(Emmaia Gelman for Queers Against Israeli Apartheid.)
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