When Causes Collide
By Bob Small
While we can support equal — albeit not extraordinary — rights for Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual, and for Transsexuals and their right to have public events, we also support Pro-Israel and Pro-Palestinian groups having a public presence. The problem comes when, as has recently happened, one group invades the other’s space.
On Sunday, June 2, the annual Philadelphia Gay Pride Parade was well on its way when all heck broke loose. The specific group, (I am not making this up) is Queers for Palestine which is a definition of the word oxymoron.
One of the quoted but unnamed protesters said “pride celebrations have merely become a public relations instrument used by the state to divert public attention away from the configuration of violent, repressive policies and practices inflicted upon queer bodies worldwide”.
Another commentator said “The alliance was always an odd one because of rampant homophobia and violence towards LGBTQ residents of Gaza prior to the terror attacks on Israel.”
It wasn’t just Philly. Conflict happened in Boston, New York City and others others.
The first Gay Pride parade was in New York in 1970, not in San Francisco.
Meanwhile, in Israel,10,000 persons marched in Jerusalem’s annual Pride and Tolerance March, one third of last year’s total.
Netanel Shaler, executive director at Havruta, a military reservist was “on a special leave to participate.” Havruta is an LGBTQ group for those “with a religious leaning”.
According to Queer in the World Homosexual relations were legalized in Israel in 1988,” along with further measures.
Meanwhile, in Gaza, There still are laws, from the British Mandate time, forbidding any consensual homosexual acts”
Finally we end up with Mark Segal, (The Philadelphia Gay News), whom I’ve known for only 50 years, around poetry readings, protests, etc. Don’t allow anyone to stop your Pride for their agenda “YOU WILL NOT TAKE OUR PRIDE AWAY. “ He ends by saying about the disrupters “ Many in our community know about bullies. They now know what you are. “
