Call to support Palestinian gays and lesbians

Submitted by AWL on 19 May, 2005 - 4:13

Palestinian lesbians and gays are appealing for international solidarity to stop their arrest, torture and murder by Palestinian factions and by the Palestinian government.

They accuse the PLO, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Palestinian Authority of “waging terror” against gay Palestinians.

A briefing about homophobic persecution in Palestine can be found on the OutRage! website.

The whole world ­ including the LGBT movement ­ is ignoring the persecution of gay Palestinians. Amnesty International refuses to investigate the torture and murder of gay Palestinians.

OutRage! hears the LGBT Palestinian cry for freedom. We are determined to support their struggle and protest against their victimisation.

We need your help. Join us this Saturday to demand “freedom for all Palestinians ­ straight and gay, men and women”.

The huge Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) march and rally takes place on Saturday 21 May.

It assembles at Embankment tube at 1pm and marches to Trafalgar Square for rally at 2pm.

There will be thousands of people and massive media coverage. This is a perfect opportunity to highlight the arrest, torture and murder of Palestinian LGBTs.

Since last year, when we protested at the PSC rally, we have tried to have a dialogue with the PSC organisers but they refuse to meet us. They also refuse to raise the torture and murder of queers with the Palestinian authorities. The PSC colludes with the torturers and killers of queers.

Our presence on Saturday will help make the supporters of the Palestinian struggle aware of the violent homophobic persecution inflicted on Palestinian LGBTs. We want them to support the just struggle of gay Palestinians and to pressure the Palestinian movements and government to halt their victimisation.

Our presence on the protest will help add to the pressure for change.

OutRage! will join the PSC demo. We will back Palestinian freedom, but also protest against the arrest, torture and murder of Palestinian gays and lesbians.

Our placards will carry the slogan Free All Palestine and the words:

No more killing of lesbians & gays by PLO & PA
Hamas & PLO torture & murder gays. Shame!
Stop "honour" killing gays & women in Palestine

The protest will assemble:
Saturday, 21 May
Assemble at 1pm
Sound café bar
Leicester Street
London WC2
(ground floor of the Swiss Centre, which is in the north-west corner of Leicester Square)

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