— Feature, Musings —11.22.2023 02:01 PM
My latest: the LGBTQ hell
If you’re LGBTQ, you’ll be fine in Palestine, right?
I mean, that’s certainly what some folks seem to believe. This week, someone hoisted a banner to that effect at a Canadian university. Here’s what it said, in all caps:
TRANS LIBERATION CAN’T HAPPEN WITHOUT PALESTINIAN LIBERATION
Universities being places of higher learning and all that, it looks like the banner-hoisters maybe forgot the apostrophe in the word “can’t.” So I added it for them.
They must have gotten up on the roof to hang the banner, too, because it’s several stories up. Interesting, that. We’ll come back to that.
Anyway, the banner’s message is clear. If you’re a trans person – if you’re LQBTQ2, too – well, your campaign for liberation is inextricably linked to the liberation of Palestine. Says so, right there on the banner at a place of higher learning.
So, let’s do a fact-check on that one, shall we?
Here’s a short summary of the reality for lesbian, gay, bi, trans, queer and two-spirited folks in Palestine, which is mainly run by Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. To avoid any accusations of settler-colonial-genocidal-apartheidish bias, we’ll try and rely on non-Israeli sources, okay?
Okay. Here goes.
• The Palestinian criminal code – still in force, says Human Rights Watch and others – says that anyone who “commits an act of sodomy” faces up to a decade in prison, because it’s “acting against the laws of nature.” So, that’s the law in Palestine, apparently. Not very “liberated,” is it?
• The United Nations – which is otherwise pro-Palestine and always anti-Israel – has intervened on behalf of LGBTQ people facing persecution in Gaza and the West Bank. The UN has resettled these people to Canada, Europe and the United States. This would be the same United Nations that has passed 45 resolutions that condemn, you know, Israel.
• Despite that, a UN committee wasn’t prevented from issuing a report on anti-gay hate in Palestine, however. Said the Human Rights Council: “LGBTQ persons living under Palestinian Authority and Hamas control suffer severe persecution and ostracism. Many Palestinian homosexuals end up fleeing to Israel.” And: “Testimonies from gay Palestinians who managed to escape recount harrowing torture by both family and PA/Hamas security forces, often successful attempts to coerce them to inform on others, forced marriages and death threats, among other things.”
• Likewise, the folks at Amnesty International – who are decidedly against the Jewish state, these days – have agreed that the human rights of LGBTQ people are regularly abused in Palestine. Says Amnesty: “Authorities fail to prevent and investigate homophobic and transphobic threats and attacks.” Most recently, they noted, “[Palestinian] security forces stood by and watched as a mob beat youths and children participating in a parade organized by Ashtar Theatre in Ramallah that included rainbow flags. The attack came amid a wave of incitement to violence and hate speech against LGBTI people and feminists that the authorities failed to investigate.”
• A few years back, an actual Hamas commander, Mahmoud Ishtiwi, was executed. His crime? He was gay. Even though he came from a proud family of Hamas terrorists, even though he commanded 1,000 other homicidal maniacs, three bullets were pumped into his chest. Before that, they tortured him for several days – whipping him, hanging him from the ceiling with wires. Not so liberated.
• Another gay man, Ahmad Abu Marhia, was beheaded for being gay. He’d been seeking asylum in Israel, was kidnapped back to the West Bank, and had his head chopped off. They made sure to videotape that. His murder happened a few weeks before he was going to travel to Canada to start a new life.
• Four gay Palestinian men, and one gay Palestinian woman, recently went public with what they experienced there. One had to enter a fake marriage to avoid persecution and execution. Said this man: “Some have been punished, some have been killed. Others killed themselves. One of my best friends was gay. He took his own life.” There are hundreds of other Palestinians in Israel, seeking asylum, because they believe they will killed if they return to Palestine.
Anyway, you get the picture. It’s not a pretty one. If you are a LGBTQ person, and you relocate to a “liberated Palestine,” you’re a goner.
Which brings us back to the banner, affixed to the UBC student union building, some five floors up.
A bit ironic, that. Because, in Hamas-run Palestine, anyone hanging that banner up near the roof?
They’d be tossed off it.
100% fucking correct WK. I remember having these kinds of
arguments after 9/11 with a few of my ultra-lefty gay friends when they insisted it was wrong to invade Afghanistan.
Banners like that in the pic above are downright laughable. I feel like my eyeroll would be so hard my eyes will get stuck, so I won’t.
Thus is the pretzel logic of the left. It goes to their inability to string more than one thought together, and see the massive disingenuity of all for which they advocate.
Ergo, the Israelis are “settlers”, and the Canadian left have already committed to the idea that all “settlers” (aka “colonizers”) are evil incarnate. Therefore they must support Palestinians / Hamas, and hate Israel.
Of course it makes no sense on numerous fronts, but if there’s a good protest to attend and a cause to feel part of, why let logic and reason get in the way?
Technically all of the protesters in Canada are settlers and colonizers.
By their own logic they should return to the land of their ancient ancestors.
But I note:
a) the left doesn’t do logic
b) I’m assuming the current groups of protesters are of the left. Surely they’re not far right?
c) there isn’t a land on the planet that wasn’t settled/colonized/or invaded.
The protester’s are uninformed but so is the extreme right that they have so much in common with. Trying to paint anti-Semitism as a left wing ignores all the angry white covid-denying anti-vaxer anti-Semitic assholes on the right that they have so much in common with.
Curious V,
Absolutely, no question but let’s nuance it a bit: I think it’s safe to say that at least a plurality, if not a majority of Palestinian sympathizers generally are more left-of-centre than right-of-centre but as you’ve said, antisemitism knows no exclusive political ideology.
Curious
I’m not painting anti-semitism as left wing. I was asking if said protesters are right wing.
But perhaps you could tell us. For example; are the people who posted the sign at the top of this commentary left or far right?
How about the people posting “Palestine is rising, long live the resistance”, are they far right?
And Laith Marouf, hired by Team Trudeau. Left or far right?
Sorry Peter, but my comment was directed to Steve T.
Wait…what?
“the angry white covid-denying anti-vaxer anti-Semitic assholes on the right”.
That is quite the generalization mouthful. But totally on brand for a leftie. Someone doesn’t want to be forced to do something with their body(kind of a leftie talking point when it comes to abortion, just for the record-I can provide some helpful links) makes them an anti-semite? What the actual fuck are you talking about? I guess since you are a leftie, I am going to assume you are an anti-Semite since there seems to be a lot of that going around right now.
Many of the usual suspects have been “informed” by the “institutions of higher learning” which, pro-tip, are on the left. I know people. Becoming “informed”, as it is currently defined, is overrated. Indeed, it is the actual problem.
As many of the viewers of this august forum know, I an out and proud Gay man.
With Mr. Kinsella’s kind indulgence, I have a few words to say to these entitled, misguided ignoramuses, who wouldn’t know oppression/discrimination if it came up to them and bit them in the ass.
Not in my name, fuckwits.
PJH,
I didn’t know but my God, your words are incredibly powerful. Well done. I tip my hat to you, sir.
Thank-you. High praise indeed coming from a wordsmith like yourself, Mr. O’Dowd……but this time, it’s truly personal.
PJH,
Mr. O’Dowd is in Saint Patrick’s Cemetery. Please call me Ron.
Warren,
UBC Student Union Building: filled, for the most part, with fucking M-O-R-O-N-S. God help society if these dolts ever actually grow up.
Homosexuality is definitely not the word that comes to mind when I think of Palestine. Israel is definitely more tolerant in that regard.
I kinda laughed when I saw that banner….I do love irony.
Facts don’t seem that relevant to the “woke” these days, do they? I’d like to know how many of then could even find Israel on a map.
EHWAL,
The problem with people generally is that so many of them are first-class hypocrites—those types quite deliberately pretzel facts to suit their ingrained narrative and biases. Facts are supposed to be facts but not anymore, especially in the wake of the loser Trump…
Stunts like that have nothing to do with LGBTQ2S rights and nothing to do with Palestine.
Stunts like that reflect a desire for attention, resulting from a halted / failed transition from adolescence to adulthood.
Sean,
How TRUE. Am I the only one who knows adult men and women who still behave like little children when they don’t get their way? Their level of immaturity is simply astounding not to mention mind-boggling. (They know who they are. Smile!)
Physical adulthood and emotional adulthood are two very distinct attributes. One does not necessarily affirm the other.
I really believe in that statement, but good God does it ever make me feel old.
So very true…… At least during my short time at UBC, the Gears had to figure out very clever ways to hang a VW Beetle body from key landmarks around the city of Vancouver during Engineering Week, including placing a VW Beetle body atop the UBC Carillon Tower. It showed initiative, imagination, planning, stealth, and engineering skills. Bonus marks for the giant condom placed over the Carillon Tower by them some years before people got offended by such pranks.
Stupidest sign ever?
Definitely in the running.
A considerable majority (perhaps even the vast majority) of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank are opposed to a two state solution. One reference here: https://nationalpost.com/opinion/new-poll-shows-palestinians-are-the-impediment-to-peace-not-israels-war.
Palestinian protesters all over the western world call for a one state solution (the so called ‘from the river to the sea’).
Palestinians and various Palestinian related organizations (PLO, Fatah, PLFP, Hamas, etc), have been fighting for the eradication of Israel for 75 years.
In fact, Hamas calls for the eradication of Jews. One of their leaders said they’d repeat Oct 7, “a million times”.
So why Mr Trudeau, Ms Joly, Mr. Singh, etc. are you advocating a two state solution?
Peter,
I’m for a two-state solution because it’s the only viable solution that leads to a relatively warm peace. Problem is, Hamas has proven itself not worthy as a future peace partner. Couple that Bibi who absolutely doesn’t want a two-state solution so…it’s death and misery all around for the foreseeable future. The PA needs to clean up its act re: corruption and get new much younger leadership. And that leadership must be democratically and legitimately elected. Otherwise, the TSS will remain an absolute non-starter.
Think back to Oslo: the last thing Rabin wanted to do was shake Arafat’s hand but he did it — for his country, his people and his grandchildren– and then an extremist killed him for making PEACE. Hope that fucker got 100 years.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yigal_Amir
He did if life means life.
Ronald
1. Why would Palestinians get rid of Hamas?
2. There is no support within the Palestinian community for a two state solution.
3. Many (most?) Palestinians want to eradicate Israel and Jews in general. Evidence? Look at the article I mentioned above, and at the people celebrating Oct 7 all around the western world.
Peter,
1. No Palestinians can get rid of Hamas or anyone else. There’s no democracy in Gaza or on the West Bank. The only one who have a decent chance of ridding Gaza of Hamas is the IDF. No one else can possibly do it.
2. With respect, in a war context, opinions become further inflamed and more radicalized than normal. There is no great love for Israel in Egypt, Jordan, UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia or Palestine but there is a common realization that at least a cold peace is the only realistic option for the future. That’s why all these governments have already normalized relations with Israel, or are in the process of doing so. The street is definitely not of the same opinion but the street is but the street. What counts is Arab governments and they are very much onside re: mutual recognition. Hamas tried to reverse that and failed miserably. Two states are the only way forward. There simply is no other realistic political option.
3. Again, the street in western democracies is only the street. None of those people can prevent the eventual coming into being of a bona fide two-state solution. It’s not a question of if but ultimately only a matter of WHEN. It will happen, street or no street, because it must.
Re a two state solution.
Perhaps it’s time to think of what the Palestinian side wants, rather than what we want the solution to be.
Then, having figured out what the Palestinians want, how to bring about a change in their thinking.