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Patriarchy and homophobia are upheld by, and inextricable from, colonization. There is no queer liberation for Palestinians without liberation from our occupiers.
Supporters of zionism often tout the struggles of my queer Palestinian brothers and sisters as justification for the apartheid regime. They argue that settler-colonialism is okay, so long as the occupiers are more 'progressive' than those whose land they've taken.
We can't end the oppression of queer Palestinians without the knowledge that it is zionism—in its project of ethnic and cultural erasure—that threatens all of our safety, queer and straight alike. That the colonial practices of the Israeli state structure + inhibit our freedoms.
Queer Palestinians are told that our freedom can only come by accepting our occupiers, by loving the bars of Tel Aviv more than we do our families. We are told that we must surrender our identity along with our land.
But I will not seek salvation in colonial power.
But I will not seek salvation in colonial power.
Our work to end homophobia and transphobia amongst Palestinians is structured by the violence of colonialism done unto our communities. For many, including my own family, strengthening patriarchy is seen as an act of cultural preservation, when our way of life is under attack.
Abolishing the occupation and abolishing patriarchy come hand in hand, then. The task is to radically reimagine a Palestine apart from these forces of domination. To seek and live out a Palestinian identity that is not under attack.
