The whole affair raises the question: Should queer solidarity activists continue to support the Palestinian cause for self-determination? Yes, queen!
Homophobia is common in Palestinian society, but that doesn’t delegitimize Palestinian aspirations for self-determination. Liberation movements have almost always had moral blind spots. The post-Stonewall gay rights movement, for instance, was heavily dominated by men and marginalized women and people of color. Anti-colonial struggles benefited from the sacrifices of women but then built post-colonial states restricting female autonomy. The first Intifada (1987-93) was largely led by Palestinian women after Israel imprisoned and exiled many of the men. It was women who helmed the committees that organized demonstrations and support networks to sustain popular resistance. But after the Oslo Accords were signed, Palestinian women were sidelined; the men were back in charge. It is for this reason that many on the left have embraced intersectionalism: to avoid the pitfalls of the past when certain struggles for equality were deemed irrelevant to the main cause.
Calling out homophobia in Palestinian society is right and necessary, but what was wrong and opportunistic about Lipstadt’s representative tweet is that it expresses no concern for Palestinian queers but only in gleefully instrumentalizing their setback as a wedge against the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement.
www.amnesty.org
