Or who is Pinkwashing the Projected Projectiled Pinkwashers
By Melanie Nathan, 03/17/2012
There has been a recent spate of targeted attacks on Israeli LGBT community and leadership visits in the USA. The attempts to squash the meetings of all and any Israeli LGBT visitors, regardless of purpose and commonality has been helmed by a group of academics who all just happened to visit the West Bank as part of a pro-Palestian tour earlier this year. Now why would a group of LGBTI academics be hell bent on silencing LGBTI voices who came here to speak about common LGBTI equality in general?
What is apparent from these attacks is the ‘pinkwashing’ accusations by the academics against Israel are in reality a noteworthy projection, with fingers pointing right back at themselves. That the ‘pinkwashing’ is actually coming from the anti-Israel forces themselves, reinforced by one sided tirades to undermine Israel, using the notion of pinkwashing to elevate the Hamas driven politics of a handful of Palestinians who purport to represent LGBT interests in the West Bank.
Katherine Franke, the Isidor and Seville Sulzbacher Professor, Director of the Center for Gender and Sexuality Law, Columbia Law School, wrote a post on Huffington Post where she outlined how she tried to cause the cancellation of a dialogue between Jody Huckaby, Executive Director of PFLAG who hosted Avnat Avissar from Aguda, Israel’s national LGBT organization at a meeting held Feb. 22, at PFLAG’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Franke sent a letter to Huckaby declaring that PFLAG should not meet with Avissar, citing the so called “pinkwashing” notion attributed to Israel. The notion is that the LGBT community of Israel is being used by the Israeli government to make Israel look good!
This exact same pressure to end dialogue was brought to bear this week by another law academic, Dean Spade, an associate law professor from Seattle University law school, this time in an attempt to persuade the Seattle LGBT Commission, to cancel already established meetings for dialogue with a coalition group of Israeli LGBT equality leaders, called AILO.
Whereas Franke was unsuccessful in her mission to silence the Israeli visitor ‘s meeting with PFLAG, which appropriately refused to cancel via a diplomatic response, Spade was successful in his mission to silence the Israeli group when the Seattle Commission caved in and cancelled its meeting, citing its validation of the notion of “pinkwashing.”
Both academics used virtually identical letters to try and call off the respective meetings and both academics happened to have undertaken trips to West Bank earlier this year, according to Franke ” to better understand the reality of occupation on the ground,” and according to Spade “we were invited by several LGBT Palestinian organizations to come witness the violences (note: his English not mine!) of the occupation and meet with Palestinians and Israelis who are working to stop this violence and oppose the use of pinkwashing to obscure it.”
What is admitted in these letters is the trip was designed for the academics in a mission to present only the Palestinian side of the Israel-Palestine conflict and that the trip to West Bank was sponsored by Palestinian groups who brought the academics to Palenstine to ironically, as it would now seem, and it is my assertion, to “PINKWASH” the Palestinian cause – to try and further the Pro-Palestinian version of the conflict by indoctrinating US academics, so that they would come back to the USA to use LGBT Israeli group equality visits to promote the pro-Palestinian cause.
What has become apparent is that the Palestinians are using our Academics in Pinkwashing fashion to deliver their message by accusing the Israeli government of pinkwashing. How ironic!
This is what Franke says in her letter to PFLAG -:
“In our delegation’s conversations with gay, lesbian, trans and queer activists in the West Bank, they expressed great frustration that that their lives and well-being were being used by some voices within Israeli to drum up support for Israeli policy and to demonize Palestinian society. In fact, they are well organized and are doing incredible work through two principal organizations: al Qaws (www.alqaws.org) and Aswat (www.aswatgroup.org). Both of these organizations provide support services, including a telephone help line, to LGBT people in the region.”
Lest I distract myself, last I heard if you are gay in Palestine your own father, brother and uncle want to murder you! But well I guess that did not cross the mind of our esteemed academic when visiting the West Bank! Talk about pinkwashing!
While PFLAg in D.C. did not fall for the ploy, the Seattle Commissioners did!
The appropriate response to Franke’s Letter by Jody Huckaby, PGLAG’s Executive Director read as follows:-
Dear Ms. Franke:
Thank you for contacting me about the meeting today at our offices.
We reviewed the issues that you raised and discussed them at length internally because we took very seriously the concerns you raised. We decided that we should live the value of our mission statement to provide opportunity for dialogue about sexual orientation and gender identity, and [act] to create a society that is healthy and respectful of human diversity. As the original family voice on LGBT issues in this country, we know that our model of support, education, and advocacy of, for, and by LGBT people, family members, friends, and allies has been replicated in Israel and many other countries in part because of this philosophy of engaging in dialogue. At PFLAG, we take very seriously our nonpolitical nature and believe that we must cross party lines, borders, faiths, and any other gaps that divide us to unite in a common vision of LGBT equality.
I wanted to make you aware that we did not receive any financial sponsorship for this event. The gathering was intended only for the purposes of engaging in a dialogue around LGBT issues. We would welcome the opportunity to work with you on identifying representatives from Palestinian organizations for a similar dialogue.
Please let me know if you have any questions or would like to schedule time to talk. I can be reached here via email or at the contact information provided below.
Jody Huckaby”
IN stark Contrast this is how the Seattle LGBT Commission responded to Spade’s similar letter calling for boycotts of the Israelis via cancellation:-
Please, first note that “The mission of the Seattle LGBT Commission, under the Seattle Office of Civil Rights, is to effectively address and present the concerns of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender citizens of Seattle, and to recommend legislation, policy, programs, and budget items to the Mayor, City Council, and all City Departments;”
And so with mission of the Commission is completely ignored in its two responses
Letter 1:
Seattle LGBT Commission Response to concerns raised about AILO (Alliance of Israeli LGBT Educational Organizations) as voiced by Dean Spade Dear whom it may concern,The Seattle LGBT Commission values the comments of Dean Spade, who recently brought to our attention the concerns of the Israeli and Palestinian conflict and agenda of pink washing to cover up said crimes and corruption of the Israeli government. While we believe his concerns are valid, the purpose of the meeting with Israeli LGBT groups is to engage in a dialogue about their successes and progress of LGBTQ people’s rights in Israel and Seattle. While this dialogue is centered on efforts for LGBT equality we acknowledge that there is national and local concern about pink washing campaigns, occupation, and apartheid. Dean Spade’s concerns encompass a much larger issue that the commission is interested in exploring at a later date.
We invite Dean Spade to attend our monthly LGBT commission meeting to share his perspective during the public comments section of our meeting agenda, this Thursday, March 15th from 6:30-8:30pm at Seattle City Hall (600 Fourth Avenue, Boards and Commission Conference Room L-280). Our monthly meetings, and the event on Friday, March 16th from 4:30-6:30pm at City Hall (Room 370) with Israeli LGBT groups are open to the public.
Letter 2:
The Seattle LGBT Commission is hereby canceling the event scheduled for Friday, March 16, from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at City Hall.
At this time, the members of the LGBT Commission feel we are not thoroughly prepared to facilitate an event surrounding such complex topics.
We have great respect for those who have shared their comments with us this week on all sides of the issue and are open to ways in which we can support community members in continuing this dialogue while involving all diverse perspectives involved.
The Seattle LGBT commission cancelled the meeting with AILO, the Israeli group, because they were sucked into the notion of pinkwashing by Israel; all the while not realizing that they had fallen prey to the bidding of the pro-Palestinian – Hamas forces at work here, via imported indoctrination of a group of our esteemed academics, on tour, delivered gracefully into their Seattle laps by a respected local academic and queer activist, who himself has been drenched in the very pink paint he purports to abhor!
Note
At least two other events not discussed here were cancelled due to the protests of the academics. If anyone has information share it here or privately:- (Nathan@privatecourts.com)
TIPS nathan@privatecourts.com
Please note that all my writing and advocacy work is unpaid and I am not able to pay for research! I appreciate the help of my readers and supporters!
Updated:
Pinkdrenched Pro-Palestinian Academics doing he bidding of Hamas in the name of Boycotts against LGBT Israelis are :-
| Katherine Franke | Isidor and Seville Sulzbacher Professor of Law and Director, Center for Gender & Sexuality Law, Columbia University; Board Member Center for Constitutional Rights |
| Barbara Hammer | Filmmaker, Faculty at European Graduate School |
| Tom Léger | Editor, PrettyQueer.com |
| Darnell L. Moore | writer and activist |
| Vani Natarajan | Humanities and Area Studies Librarian, Barnard College |
| Pauline Park | Chair, New York Association for Gender Rights Advocacy (NYAGRA) |
| Jasbir K. Puar | Rutgers University, Board Member Audre Lorde Project, author of Terrorist Assemblages: Homonationalism in Queer Times |
| Roya Rastegar | Independent artist and scholar |
| Dean Spade | Assistant Professor, Seattle University School of Law and Collective Member, Sylvia Rivera Law Project |
| Kendall Thomas | Nash Professor of Law, Columbia University |
| Lisa Weiner-Mahfuz | intersections/intersecciones consulting |
| Juliet Widoff, MD | Callen-Lorde Community Health Center |
Thank you for this excellent report.
AND Yours – I will Post your link here too!
If these academics had truly gone to the West Bank to ?better understand” then why did they not visit with Israeli victims of suicide bombings, rocket firings etc? They cit in their respective letters to our LGBT leaders in the USA crafted rhetoric and jargoin that is so biased it defies their academia!
after watching this and seeing it I noted so much about the PLOYS at play. This is the perfect candidate to be used by HAMAS to deliver its message to Americans! http://youtu.be/0i1fREeZXPI
”But it is also possible, coherent, and defensible to at once appreciate Israel’s LGBT rights record, criticize Israel’s policies in the occupied territories, oppose BDS, condemn Palestinian oppression of LGBT people, and highlight the nuances and complexities of the Israel/Palestine issue that do not reduce to simplistic oppressor/victim dichotomies. Maybe that’s too complicated a position to pitch to the Times editorial page. But Israel, and Palestine, are complicated places.” — Jay Michaelson
Read more: http://blogs.forward.com/forward-thinking/147026/pinkwashing-is-not-black-and-white/#ixzz1pKPPMf4v
on: “
List of comments on Seattle Commission’s Facebook page:-
1. The conduct of “Queer Activists” is our biggest stumbling block to equality. Regardless of issue or situation, “queer activists” do nothing other than bully, threaten & silence other lgbt people. They are no better than Rick Santorum.
2.Aaron Chandler This is personal for me: I used to be on the Commission, and was the Chair of its Government Relations Committee. The Commission *does* do lots of good work in Seattle, and I respect the current leaders of the Commission. However, I can’t respect this decision. Yes, nearly any Israel-related issue, can be turned into a heated issue, with, as the press release states, “passion and pain from all sides.” But silencing the issue doesn’t help. Moreover, “pinkwashing” is a term thrown about with occasional legitimacy — but, often, it doesn’t come close to reality. Not all “pinkwashing” is actually pinkwashing.
3.Carl Thomas -Macy this only demonstrates the maladies of far left liberalism–it acts to the detriment of mainstream individuals seeking basic equality. shame on seattle and it’s so called “progressive” politics. but then, the city does have a history of being hijacked by irrational far far far far left “activists”
4. The Commission’s shameful actions clearly indicate that the Commissioner’s have voted to endorse censorship, discrimination, and the vile use of the word “pinkwishing” — a misnomer and a whitewashing which totally erases from history the courageous and continuing efforts of Israeli LGBT activists & allies over many decades.
It is a sad day for the City of Seattle & the entire LGBT community, when an LGBT commission, which after inviting AILA to visit Seattle & meet — then at the last possible minute refuses to meet with their fellow activists from Israel whom have traveled over 6,500 miles. — Was it not the purpose of the meeting to have open dialogue and learn from people from different perspectives?
The Commission’s sad and shameful behavior appears to be the cause for celebration tonight for those whom advocate censorship and have zero interest in advancing peaceful resolution/dialogue between Israel & the Palestinians, with a “Queer Party to Celebrate Pinkwashing Cancellation!”
I thought it was still illegal for public/governmental agencies to censor and discriminate in the USA. Any LGBT Commissioner who voted to discriminate and censor a LGBT voice based on nationality, should either resign immediately, or be replaced by Seattle Mayor McGinn with a member who not afraid of fair and open dialogue.
5. Sarid – An LGBT commission silencing LGBT voices from another country because of fear of controversy. Huhhh??? How does this help anything? How is it even logical? Would you silence Chinese LGBT activists because you oppose the Chinese government’s oppression of Tibetans? Why are you equating Israeli queer activists with the Israeli government? Do you know how absurd that is? By censoring those who are courageously standing up to oppression and bigotry within Israel, you are actually strengthening the anti-LGBT forces, both within and outside Israel. Nice job. If you had bothered to listen to these Israeli activists’ point of view, you might actually realize you have more in common with them than you think, even on the issue of the occupation. Isn’t that the purpose of dialogue? God forbid you should actually learn something. You should be ashamed of yourselves.
6. http://www.awiderbridge.org/media-advisory.html
Media Advisory
http://www.awiderbridge.org
A Wider Bridge is appalled by the decision of the Seattle LGBT Commission to can…
7. Melanie Nathan As an LGBT activist first and foremost hearing from every LGBT person in the world, is of paramount importance, regardless of country specific politics. The assertion that the LGBT community in Israel is being used for the sole purpose of so called ‘pinkwashing’ is in my opinion, highly offensive to their internal experience and struggle for equality. It is offensive to our mutual struggle and to that of fellow activists worldwide! It denigrates the battles that the our communities endure in each and every country and hence is universally offensive!
8. Eva Dale- Another queer Jew saying thank you to the Commission for your brave stand! This was clearly a situation of pinkwashing! I support hearing from Israeli and Palestinian queers about LGBTQ issues in the future. Glad to hear that’s in the works. We need more real dialogue about what’s really going on there.
9. איאן לובל This decision is so riddled with anti-semitism (whether they are cognizant of it or not) is unbelievable. I love the Jews that applaud this decision. Why must you identify yourselves as Jews…to increase the weight of your argument? This is about Israel and LGBTQs.
10. יאן לובל All of this talk of “Pinkwashing” is old school anti-semitism. Apparently Jews can never be right or do good….they must always have a secret plan and conniving evil agenda. Since Israel is the worst country in the world, their supporters must be completely manipulated by all that Jewish money and power and control vis-a-vis Wall Street and AIPAC and Hollywood. Women vote in Israel? How crafty. Israeli Arabs have a higher standard of living and life expectancy than their neighbors? How sneaky. Jews are both Communists and Capitalists? Watch your backs. Jews have always been considered suspect is all their doings….wherever they stand on any issue or platform. “Pinkwashing” and “Re-branding” is just the latest “poisoning of the wells” 2012 style.
11.Bob Van Burkleo I hope the members of the commission are considering an full apology or resigning their positions over this debacle. Their own mission statements precludes them from acting in this manner.
12.Robin Sneed I am shocked and heartbroken by this decision based on cowardice and ignorance. As an American Jew and gay woman, as well as a new resident to Seattle, this is no kind of welcome.
CONTINUING FACEBOOK COMMENTS from Seattle LGBTCommissions page
13. Allena Gabosch So about “Pink-Washing”
I don’t know for sure that there is such a thing as pink-washing, but even if it is true, then it is the poorest excuse for a rebranding campaign I’ve heard of!
First of all it only reaches a very small niche part of the population (those that would attend a talk about LGBTQ rights, for example) .
Second, its success is solely based on thinking we, as LGBTQ citizens, are ignorant enough to think that by talking with Israeli LGBTQ activist that Israel is now doing the right thing in all other area’s including the conflict with Palestine. I am not and most of us are not that naive. I think that is an insult to our intelligence. We KNOW how to separate these.
Third, By the Israeli Government paying for this trip and doing things to help further LGBTQ rights –even if one of their intentions is to improve their image and give us all amnesia about the conflict with Palestine — by using their money for the good of the LGBTQ community we are in a way beating the system.
14. Allen Leibovitch Shame on the Seattle LGBT Commission for caving to one-sided extremists. How can you say you want dialogue if you won’t even listen to one side speak? And they are not even there to speak about the conflict with the Arabs, which contrary to popular belief, is not the only defining characteristic of the State of Israel.
MORE FB COMMENTS
15. Mark Favre – AS a queer Jew I’m so very much ashamed of the Seattle lgbt Commission for insulting queer activists from Israel and ignoring the record of support from the local Jewish community who have stood behind the recent gay marriage signing and countless other queer initiatives in WA state. Like so many other people have said already that they were not here to speak about the conflict with Palestine and were here to speak about lgbt politics in Israel. I am a proud gay Jew and I stand united with Israel and the folks that came to all the way to Seattle to speak about lgbt rights in Israel (which was paid for by the Israeli government!) I sincerely think an apology is in order. http://www.facebook.com/SupportIsraelLGBT
16. Fatima Husseni And when will you feel “thoroughly prepared” to facilitate such an event? You’ve silenced the voices of the LBGT activists of the only country in the Middle east where we can live freely. So many of us are just …speechless. that was your intention however, wasn’t it?
Saturday at 10:06pm · Like · 5
Billie Rain it would be great to have discussions like this in the queer community more often. i am very proud of the commission, my friends, and my city for being an example of standing up for what is right. the history we are making will vindicate this decision, and i am confident in the knowledge that i can hold my head high as a radical queer jew in seattle.
Yesterday at 2:21am · Like · 2
Stuart Wilber I am ashamed of the Commission – it is precisely because we need discussions like this, that the event shiould not have been cancelled.
17. Ronald Gans You are simply cowards.
Yesterday at 6:16am · Like · 2
Jerry Rabushka Many of us thought of Seattle as “open minded” but we’ll have to change that viewpoint. This is shameful.
Yesterday at 7:26am · Like · 3
Stuart Wilber As a gay, Jew living in Seattle I am dismayed that you have cancelled the reception for LGBT Activists from Israel. I do not approve of the Israeli treatment of Palestinians, but by this logic we would not host LGBT Activists from Uganda or Iraq or Iran or even the United States, all of whose countries have questionable human rights policies. And we certainly would not host LGBT Activists from Mississippi or Alabama whose abysmal treatment of its LGBTQ citizens are legendary. Hospitality is not an endorsement of repressive policies – it is an opportunity to open a dialogue.
Yesterday at 9:17am · Like · 4
Moishe Pipik @Mark: I’m sure these “queer Jews” who claim to support Jew-hate aren’t really Jewish
Yesterday at 10:45am · Like · 1
JB Leibovitch Why don’t you invite all the Arabs from Iran, Saudi Arabia, or Gaza who are free to form LGBT alliances and NGOs? Right, no such thing.
This is shameful. If you are too ignorant or anti semitic to understand that Israel is a democracy and the antithesis of apartheid, the decision is still stunning. You should welcome right’s activists from closed societies, and more so from an open welcoming society.
The few political causes that get my $ include marriage equality. I’m glad I don’t live in WA where I would be allied with your commission.
Yesterday at 12:00pm · Like · 2
Juliana Alexander What a bunch of cowards. They can’t even stand behind their decision to do it but rather admit they were bullied. So it’s not like they cancelled out of conviction they cancelled because they had no backbone and didn’t want to upset anyone. Kind of like when Lowe’s stopped advertising on “All America Muslim” because of a loud group dermanding it. A lot of anti-gay groups do the same thing- they tried to get Disneyland not to have “Gay Day”, threatened Microsoft with a boycott for recognizing domenstic partnership. They threaten religious organizations and businesses who support same sex marriage. The NAACP has openly supported it despite knowing that it is a very unpopular stance amoung many of their constituency. Too bad you don’t have the same intergrity. Your decision is shameless and your excuse for it is even worse. I’ve lost respect for you and it will make me less sympathetic when you are on the receiving end of discrimination, which is exactly what this is.
18 hours ago · Like
Sharon Bernstein I’m wondering if those of you who cancelled this event know the organizers, A Wider Bridge, and the work they do. They are good, kind, immensely courageous, generous, wide-hearted people, dedicated to open discourse, to building bridges, to building a better world, to peace. It’s truly sad that you were convinced to cancel this event by uninformed, ill-intentioned rhetoric.
15 hours ago · Like · 1
Brian Lundin Shameful. Just shameful. Ignorance, anti-semitism, bigotry, and hatred prevailed today.
2 hours ago · Like
Andrew Adam Caldwell Not constructive, not effective, and unwise. A missed opportunity.
Thanks, Melanie for continuing this conversation.
http://oblogdeeoblogda.wordpress.com/2012/03/22/video-seattle-city-council-meeting-lgbt-commission-regarding-their-discrimination-against-israeli-lgbt-guests/