Navigating queerness in the West Bank, Gaza or Israel, in refugee camps or as a Palestinian in the West Bank? It’s complicated. Why is the LGBTQ global movement intensely invested in the Palestinian cause, and when does a social movement grow or plateau? Sa’ed Atshan asks and answers these questions in Queer Palestine and the Empire of Critique.
A Rainbow of Complexities in Palestine
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After suffering through this entire episode, I’m still lacking an explanation as to why the global LGBTQ rights struggle should be inexorably linked to Palestinian nationalism, of all things. Instead I heard the moderators failing to respond critically to the countless instances when Mr. Atshan delegitimizes and demonizes the Jewish state and to push back when he entirely disregards LGBTQ Israelis’ (Jewish AND Arab) experiences and viewpoints. I’m sure they’d love for the Palestinian LGBTQ community to be just as protected from state-sponsored discrimination and persecution but would rather not pay as a price the abolition of the only place in the Middle East where that protection is currently a reality.