Nothing gets under the skin of hidebound traditionalists and narrow-minded bigots, more than a very visible clutch of out, loud & proud gay people.
Oh, wait. I spoke too soon. There is one thing.
YES.
A group called Queers Against Israeli Apartheid. I love these people. They're a very visible clutch of out, loud & proud pro-gay rights activists that also... get ready... campaign against human rights violations by the Israeli government!
Why are Israeli human rights violations such a central issue in our time? And why would gays, of all people, be getting involved? Because among many countries that violate human rights, Israel is the only one that does so systematically with the full weight of the financial, political, and moral backing of the Western industrialized world. Here in the USA, billions of our hard-earned tax dollars are shamefully diverted to support Israel's huge military machine and its subjugation of neighboring Arabs. The effect of this whole process is so corrosive—so malignant—that one Israel is worth 50 Myanmars in terms of what it can do to set back human rights worldwide.
So it might be a surprise that a small group of people who already have no small amount of oppression of their own to contend with, would be willing to take up this fight as well. But this Toronto-based group, QUAIA for short, have not the slightest "qualm" about doing so. And that's why I love these guys. They are willing to shake up and offend ANY establishment, even the gay-rights establishment if they have to, in order to fight for full equality for all peoples across the world. Not just themselves—ANYONE.
By the way, one of the most repugnant things about Israel's human-rights violating establishment is that it trumpets Israel's relatively liberal gay-rights policies to deflect attention from Israel's vile subjugation (and yes, basically apartheid) against its Arab subjects. Thankfully, smart & brave folks like those at QUAIA see right through it and won't let themselves be used as pawns in this image-primping process by Israel (sometimes called "pinkwashing"—one of its preferred tactics for shushing criticism of its brutal regime, though the hands-down favorite is to scream "anti-semitism"!)
Last year QUAIA were disgracefully pressured to back out of participating in the Toronto Gay Pride parade. With extreme grace and generosity they eventually opted to withdraw in order to avoid creating headaches for some of their less thick-skinned comrades in the gay rights community.
This year, QUAIA has judged that the time is right to come back. Let's give 'em a round of applause! The parade is next month.
Toronto city officials threatened last year to withdraw funding from the parade if QUAIA participated. When I first read about that online, I chuckled inside. My first reaction: since when on God's green Earth do Gay Pride parades rely on government funding? I dunno, maybe that's a Canada thing. Point is, no parade should expect or rely on city funding! Especially not a human rights parade! For God's sake, what sort of human rights campaigners put themselves into a position of depending on governmental/establishment support in the first place??? These types of activists are supposed to be challenging establishments by their very nature. If some government decides to support you, great, but for God's sake don't hold your breath waiting for your next check. SO... if the city withdraws the funding from Toronto Pride, really, please, guys, tell them just where they can go stick their funding. Scale back the bells & whistles on that parade, and hold it. WITH PRIDE, the only bell & whistle you need. :)
The only equipment I've ever heard of being necessary for a parade is two feet, or a wheelchair if need be.
That said, feel free to donate to QUAIA. Check out their website here: http://queersagainstapartheid.org
While some readers may cook up a rather comical image of QuAIA as a bunch of flamboyant queers waving "fabulous" signs for a hopeless cause, in reality this group is an enormously potent force, far out of proportion to its numbers. Why? Because they have powerful credibility. Unlike some other groups that might appear out of nowhere and start criticizing Israel, their motives perhaps unclear, any logical observer can conclude that gay activists as a whole have no particular axe to grind on the issue of Israel. And they indisputably know a thing or two about discrimination. Israeli authorities and their supporters understand both these things on a deep level. And it drives them nuts. Which is why QuAIA is getting substantial media coverage inside Israel. Plus, it certainly doesn't hurt that gay activists tend to attract media attention as a general rule.
I'll be surely writing more about QUAIA in the weeks and months to come. Follow the news for yourself by going to news.google.com and typing in "QUAIA" to get a sample of the latest reports. Watch the sparks fly and when you get a chance, sign in to some of those news websites and post some comments at the bottom supporting QUAIA. These folks are fighting for all of us!
