Say NO to Pinkwashing!

The spin doctors in the Israeli government and organizations like ‘Stand With Us’ are trying to exploit the fact of Israel’s progressive environment for gay, lesbian and transgender people to divert attention from the effects of the Occupation.
Speaking tours sponsored by hasbaraniks are encountering opposition in the US, and this happened in Seattle.
” On March 15, 2012, the Seattle Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Commission (SLGBTC) cancelled an event because the Commission wanted to stand up to “Pinkwashing”—diverting attention from Israel’s occupation and abuses of human rights by praising Israel on LGBT issues. This is a huge victory for the queer Palestinians and Jews who testified in favor of the decision and all who support them and will make real dialogue possible. ”
Read more more here.
A New York Times oped also discusses the politics involved:” The growing global gay movement against the Israeli occupation has named these tactics “pinkwashing”: a deliberate strategy to conceal the continuing violations of Palestinians’ human rights behind an image of modernity signified by Israeli gay life. Aeyal Gross, a professor of law at Tel Aviv University, argues that “gay rights have essentially become a public-relations tool,” even though “conservative and especially religious politicians remain fiercely homophobic.” ”
Larry Stillman