Queer Activists Are Making BDS a Key Question of Pride This Year

Five@slrpnk.net to LGBTQ+@lemmy.blahaj.zone – 132 points –
Queer Activists Are Making BDS a Key Question of Pride This Year
truthout.org
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Finding allies is one thing, but bringing periferal issues into the umbrella of “gay rights” is another. Don’t dilute our efforts and make us lose our focus (which is what they want). There are too many grassroot interests to place them all under the same umbrella of gay rights. Political strength will be watered down. Never assume all share your thoughts on every issue.

The groups that want to take away the rights of gay men and queer people in general are the same groups that want to take away the rights of the Palestinians. Since we are in a shared struggle against the same organizations there is no dilution of effort in taking up each other's causes. edit: typo

Thinking you might have a wee bit more research to do?

How so? Pinkwashing corporations that are complicit in Israel's genocide and the Republican Party sound like shared antagonistic organizations to me.

The linked article about the root cause of homophobia in Palestine has nothing to do with BDS. Hamas being a far-right Islamist organization, that is homophobic, doesn't justify the actions of Israel or the corporations that are complicit in their genocide. Israel's right to defend itself isn't a blank check to violate international law or commit crimes against humanity. The Palestinians aren't represented by Hamas. So the fact Hamas is homophobic doesn't mean all Palestinians are homophobic. Israel's current government, which is fascist, is lead by Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu's goals are preventing Palestinian statehood and staying out of prison. Netanyahu is not interested in freeing Palestinians or freeing queer Palestinians.

Don’t dilute our efforts and make us lose our focus (which is what they want).

One doesn't lose focus on human rights by focusing on human rights...

Focus:

  1. Verb Form [intransitive, transitive] to give attention, effort, etc. to one particular subject, situation, or person rather than another

My focus is human rights. I'm not sure what yours is, but it's not that...

to place them under the same umbrella of gay rights

This might be your key misunderstanding! 🙂 With emphasis, this is not what the article is saying nor what is happening.

When pride leadership associated itself with the Civil Rights Movement, it was not an adoption or enrollment of the Civil Rights Movement into LGBT rights. It was an alignment and an extension of mutual support and solidarity, recognizing that both communities had individuals and resources in common and faced a common enemy in the form of white supremacy.

When pride leadership associated itself with the feminist movement, it was not an adoption or enrollment of feminism into LGBT rights. It was an alignment and an extension of mutual support and solidarity, seeing that both communities had individuals and resources in common and a common enemy in the form of gender-based discrimination. Historically, many early feminist activists, such as those in the 1970s, also championed LGBT rights, recognizing the interconnectedness of their struggles.

When pride leadership associated itself with the labor movement, it was not an adoption or enrollment of the labor movement into LGBT rights. It was an alignment and an extension of mutual support and solidarity, understanding that both communities had individuals and resources in common and a common enemy in the form of economic injustice. For instance, the 1980s saw significant collaborations between LGBT activists and labor unions, particularly in advocating for workplace protections against discrimination.

When pride leadership associated itself with the indigenous rights movement, it was not an adoption or enrollment of the indigenous movement into LGBT rights. It was an alignment and an extension of mutual support and solidarity, acknowledging that both communities had individuals and resources in common and a common enemy in the form of colonialism and cultural erasure. During events such as the 2016 Standing Rock protests, many LGBT activists stood in solidarity with indigenous peoples, highlighting the shared struggles against marginalization.

When pride leadership associated itself with the Black Lives Matter movement, it was not an adoption or enrollment of BLM into LGBT rights. It was an alignment and an extension of mutual support and solidarity, recognizing that both communities had individuals and resources in common and faced a common enemy in the form of systemic racism. For example, during the 2020 protests, many LGBT organizations showed solidarity with BLM, acknowledging the unique challenges faced by black LGBT individuals.

When pride leadership associates itself with the pro-Palestine movement, it is not an adoption or enrollment of the pro-Palestine movement into LGBT rights. It is an alignment and an extension of mutual support and solidarity, seeing that both communities have individuals and resources in common and a common enemy in the form of occupation and human rights violations.

In all cases, this alignment of communities served to amplify the voices of all parties. “Dilution of political power” by doing solidarity is just not a thing that happens.