(Jewish Group) The Gay Rights Movement Has an Anti-Semitism Problem

[Behind the Aegis]

(THIS IS THE JEWISH GROUP! RESPECT!!)

My identity as a Jew and my identity as a gay man are inseparable. Contrary to traditional beliefs regarding religion and sexuality, I believe these two parts of myself enhance each other rather than compromise each other. The LGBTQ Jewish community carries a long history of excellence. We are writers, activists, artists, politicians, academics and teachers. The convergence of identity and the greatness that has been born from this community are special to me. From Rabbi Sandra Lawson to Troye Sivan to Efrat Tilma, queer, Jewish expression seems to be stronger than ever.

Yet, despite this representation, blatant anti-Semitism currently wreaks havoc in the LGBTQ community.

The first time I heard the word “pinkwashing” was when I mentioned to a friend that I was interested in attending the Tel Aviv Pride Parade last summer. My friend supported me but warned me against posting any photos of the parade online, as I would be accused of pinkwashing. I asked her what she meant. “Pinkwashing?” she said. “When Zionists pretend that Israel is the pinnacle of human rights because of how they treat gays? To distract from the way they treat Palestinians?”

This was the first time I heard this term, but it certainly was not the last.

The “anti-pinkwashing” movement is gaining traction in the gay community. My friend was correct in her description: Its mission is to end government-sponsored exploitation of gay constituents so as not to distract from inexcusable corruption or wrongdoing. On paper, the movement seeks to separate nationalism from queer liberation and to honor the voices of queer, oppressed people worldwide. But in reality, the movement tethers the identities of gay Israelis to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and undermines their autonomy simply because they are citizens of the Jewish state. To the devout gay rights activist, any display of Jewish gay pride is now conditional; it must totally and officially distance itself from the Jewish state to be valid.

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Sadly, this is a real problem. I saw this first hand last year. It is amazing how comatose self-professed liberals/progressives are when it comes to Jews. It is disgusting to watch one minority attack another one, but this is becoming more and more common, and it is not just "Gays v. Jews" either.

[Ghost Dog]

1. Conflating Jewish identity with Zionist policies

in Israel and abroad can indeed be understood as encouraging anti-semitism.

[EllieBC]

2. When did wanting a place to be safely Jewish

become such a bad thing? We have never survived well long term under anyone. The idea of living somewhere where I don’t have to defend my use of the mikveh or where I can have a good spirited debate about wait times between meat and milk sounds pretty nice. Nicer than antisemitism always written off as right wing and when it’s not weak attempts to explain it away as I/P angst.

And I’ll proudly yell it from the rooftops that yes, there’s a pride parade in Tel Aviv.

And as for who pretends who is the pinnacle of human rights, those on the far left need to check their closets because there are plenty of racists and antisemites hiding in there but they just don’t use the slurs of the far right.

[grossproffit]

3. It's sickening considering the fact that Jews were on the forefront of every civil rights cause.