A boycott campaign that gained enough momentum and support to successfully pressure the International Gay and Lesbian Youth Organization (IGLYO) to move their General Assembly out of Israel.
The IGLYO Out of Israel campaign was started by the Palestinian queer groups alQaws, Aswat, and Palestinian Queers for Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (PQBDS) on June 1st, 2011 in response to IGLYO’s decision to hold their General Assembly in Tel Aviv and accept sponsorship and funding from the Israeli government, through Israel Gay Youth (IGY). This decision not only violated the Palestinian civil society call for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions against Israel, but also made IGLYO complicit in Israeli pinkwashing, occupation, and apartheid. The goal of this campaign was to move the IGLYO General Assembly out of Tel Aviv, Israel. After an initial vote of IGLYO Member Organizations that confirmed the IGLYO board’s decision to hold the GA in Tel Aviv, the campaign shifted to calling for a boycott of the GA by IGLYO member and associate organizations. In little over a month and half, the boycott gained enough support from within IGLYO’s membership and associate organizations as well as from international queer organizations, leading to IGLYO’s announcement that it would be relocating the General Assembly.
Queers Against Israeli Apartheid
QuAIA is a Toronto-based organization that stands in solidarity with Palestinians, against Israeli apartheid. QuAIA focuses on pinkwashing as a tool used by the Israeli government to whitewash the continuation of the apartheid system. They also support the Palestinian civil society call for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions against Israel until it adheres to international law.
QuAIA has faced a great deal of opposition in Canada from Zionist groups that brand them as ‘anti-semitic’ or as an ‘LGBT anti-Israel hate group.’ In 2010 the same Zionist organizations tried to have QuAIA banned from Toronto Pride by interpreting a Toronto anti-discrimination policy to include the use of the phrase ‘Israeli apartheid’ as discriminatory. Initially, Toronto Pride banned the use of this language at pride, a de facto ban of Queers Against Israeli Apartheid. However, many in the queer community protested this decision as censorship, and after a successful campaign and the powerful symbolic action when 23 ‘Pride Awards’ winners refused their awards, Toronto Pride removed the ban. QuAIA, supporters and allies marched in 2010 Toronto Pride “Aagainst Apartheid”. The struggle is still going on, see what QuAIA has to say in Toronto Pride Parade 2011 to “Toronto City Hall”.
Anti-Pinkwashing Activism in the International Tourism Fair in Berlin
In 2011 a group of queer activist from Berlin attended the International Tourism Fair in Berlin (ITB) to protest the inclusion of Tel Aviv Gay Vibe, a campaign led and funded by the Israeli government. These activists distributed cards and fact-sheets about Israel and the occupation, and also conducted an interview with the Tel Aviv Gay Vibe representative who quickly turned hostile when asked about Israeli democracy, the occupation, and the Israeli government’s lack of support for the revolution in Egypt. Although Tel Aviv Gay Vibe was allowed to participate in the fair, this kind of activism raised awareness about pinkwashing while directly confronting the hypocrisy of the Israeli government and its policies.
Queers Undermining Israeli Terrorism
QUIT is an American queer organization that works to combat Israeli apartheid through BDS, protests, and distribution of information. QUIT has an ongoing campaign to stop the San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival and Frameline, the organizers of this festival, from accepting money for the Israeli government, and thus becoming complicit in Israeli pinkwashing, occupation, and apartheid. So far this campaign has been unsuccessful, with Frameline continuing to accept Israeli funding under the threat that refusal to do so will result in the festival being branded as ‘anti-Jewish.’ QUIT is continuing its efforts, and have developed a large phone, email, and fax campaign among individuals and queer groups in the region, as well as having organized an ‘Out Against Apartheid’ guerrilla-style advertising campaign.
Queer Arab Activists expose the Israel-linked GayMiddleEast.com
A group of Arab activists and human rights organizations have issued a statement about the Israeli-linked group GayMiddleEast.com (GME). In the statement, which has been endorsed by a growing list of groups and organizations across the Arab world and globally, queer Arab groups were able to delegitimize a very vocal pinkwashing organization that tries tpelling evidence that GME has systematically tried to conceal its founding in and extensive ties to Israel and that GME representatives Dan Littauer and Shabi Assa's decision.
NYC Queers against Israel Apartheid challenge the LGBT Center
The efforts coming out of New York after the LGBT center ban on anything related to Palestine, and the subsequent formation of NYC Queers Against Israeli Apartheid (QuAIA New York) and Queers for an Open LGBT Center which hold guerilla-style meetings in the center, despite being banned from it. The ban of queer organizing around BDS, apartheid or any action that is critical of Israel policies was initiated and led by right-wing pornographic Michael Lucas (whose movie “Man of Israel” was shot entirely in the ruins of a Palestinian village demolished in 1948). The center heeds to Lucas' call and bans Palestinian solidarity groups and anti-occupation events. Up til now weekly protests are organized by queer groups to protest the center's decision.
