Palestinian Queers for Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions, Pinkwatching Israel, and alQaws: for sexual and gender diversity in Palestinian society are inviting activists, social movements, and queer groups to endorse Queer Visions at the World Social Forum Free Palestine, to be held in Porto Alegre, Brazil, from November 28 to December 1, 2012.
They oppose the attempt to coopt LGBT/Queer communities into Israel’s
oppression of Palestinians.
We aim to promote an analysis of sexual politics
as inherent to Israeli settler colonialism and occupation, explore the linkages
between the struggle for queer liberation and the struggle for Palestinian
liberation, and mobilize local and international activist and social movements
around BDS, pinkwashing, and queer politics.
They stand by the goals of the forum. These goals are to:
1) End Israeli occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantling
the Wall;
2) Ensure the fundamental rights of the Arab-‐Palestinian citizens of Israel to
full equality; and
3) Implement, protect, and promote the rights of Palestinian refugees to
return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN resolution 194.
They will gather in Porto Alegre to discuss future goals and strategies, to create strong local and international networks, and to mobilize a comprehensive global movement for Palestinian self-‐determination and radical queer politics.
See the Our goals are to:
OPPOSE the use of queer politics and LGBT rights that harm an intersectional
understanding of political struggle and oppression.
ESTABLISH the Palestinian Liberation Struggle as a queer struggle.
BUILD a queer discourse and activist practice that does not separate itself
from struggles against colonialism, racism and neoliberalism.
CREATE promote the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign within queer and
LGBT communities.
STRATEGIZE around the next two years of local and international anti-‐ pinkwashing and BDS activism in queer and LGBT communities
ENRICH BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) analyses, strategies and
politics occupation and apartheid system.
NETWORK with activists from around the world and forge new connections
with social movements and activists in Latin America.
EVALUATE the work of queer activism for Palestine, examining challenges
and issues that have come up over the past few years and discuss ways to
overcome them.
In order to achieve the above goals, we aim to provide two main activities:
A WORKING CONFERENCE for anti-‐pinkwashing and anti-‐racist activists to
exchange and strategize around future work on BDS and pinkwashing.
PUBLIC LGBT communities within the broader structure and work of the World
Social Forum and emphasize the intersectionality between different struggles.
We ask you to show your support by endorsing our initiative. We ask you to
share your endorsement on your media outlets and send it to the international organizing committee via info chez pinkwatchingisrael.com or
queers chez wsfpalestine.net. We will collect all the support letters and publish
them on www.pinkwatchingisrael.com.
We look forward to hearing from you!
The Organizing Committee and Taskforce for Queer Visions at the World
Social Forum: Free Palestine 2012
Current Endorsements:
• International Anti-‐Zionist Jewish Network (IJAN), International
• Queers Undermining Israeli Terrorism (QUIT), San Francisco
• Queers Against Israeli Apartheid (QuAIA), Toronto
• The Coalition for Sexual and Bodily Rights in Muslim Socieities (CSBR),
International
• KAOS GI, Palestine
Meem, Lebanon
Nasawiya, Lebanon
Muntada al Jensaneya, Palestine
GAYa NUSANTARA, Indonesia
ACT UP/East Bay, Oakland, California, USA
Audre Lorde Project/New York
• • • • • •
For more information and/or to endorse our initiative please contact:
queers chez wsfpalestine.net.