On February 14th, a group of LGBTQ individuals gathered in DuPont Circle in Washington, D.C. to rally for “Palestinian liberation.” The group, made up of approximately 50 people, marched to the steps of the Human Rights Campaign, calling out influential people, organizations, and celebrities for being “silent” about the genocide of queer Palestinians.
According to the event coordinators, these institutions were complicit in Israel’s actions against Palestine and were “pinkwashing” to justify the killings of Palestinians. They urged these organizations to “break up with genocide” and prioritize the lives of queer Palestinians.
“Where’s the Human Rights Campaign as we’re seeing people being wiped off the map? Entire residential neighborhoods being blown off of the map!” one protester exclaimed. “We are here to say that we are queer and we do not stand with the HRC or any of its liberalist policies that decide to profiteer off of war rather than to stand with the people, including the queer Palestinian people who are here and who have always been here.”
The organizers of the event made it clear that they believed the HRC and other LGBTQ groups were “profiting off of [their] struggles.” One transgender man spoke about his identity and how the HRC was not truly fighting for his human rights.
“I personally know one thing to be true: my Palestinian people have been born caring of me, a transgender person of the western empires and me as a Palestinian. You do not speak for us, the conscious queer collective, HRC,” the speaker declared.
As the event concluded, one of the organizers listed off the demands they had for LGBTQ individuals, groups, and leaders to follow. These demands included denouncing pinkwashing, boycotting entities that enable the genocide of Palestinians, and calling for immediate and permanent ceasefires, among others.
While the organizers and attendees may have had good intentions, it was ironic that they were calling for support for queer individuals in Palestine, considering the country’s track record with LGBTQ rights. In the past, Hamas, the terrorist group that controls Palestine, has executed and beheaded individuals for being gay.
Brendan O’Neill from The Telegraph wrote about this irony in a previous article, stating that when he first heard the phrase “Queers for Palestine,” he thought it was a joke. He also pointed out the stark difference between the treatment of LGBTQ individuals in Israel versus Palestine. In Palestine, LGBTQ individuals do not have basic rights, while in Israel, they have more freedom.
It is disturbing that in cities like New York, London, and Berlin, privileged LGBTQ individuals are vocally supporting a nation that would persecute them for their sexual orientation, while condemning a nation where they could live freely. As O’Neill puts it, “Queers for Palestine” is sacrificing the well-being of “Queers in Palestine” in the name of virtue signaling.
Attendees of the rally were instructed not to speak to the media and were required to wear masks. Despite this, the overwhelming stench of body odor and STDs could still be detected. This event, though well-intentioned, ultimately failed to accurately address the complexities of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and the role of LGBTQ individuals within it.