The following statement was written by a group of queer people who met at a National Student Conference in February 2002. For more information, please contact QUIT! at (510) 434-1304; quitpalestine@yahoo.com; www.quitpalestine.org.

Queers Support Palestine

We are queer people living in the United States who are appalled at the sufferings inflicted upon the Palestinians by Israel with active support from the United States. We support the Palestinian struggle for liberation. In particular we:

· Support the right of return of all Palestinians to their homes and places of origin

· Support the creation of a Palestinian state as defined by the Palestinian people

· Demand an end to the apartheid policies of Israel

· Demand an immediate and complete withdrawal of all Israeli military forces and settlements from the territories occupied after 1948

· Support the campaign to divest from companies which do business with Israel

· Demand an end to all U.S. aid to Israel

· Oppose ethnic, racial, and religious profiling and the anti-Arab racist policies of the U.S.

· Support the human rights and self-determination of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people in Palestine, and around the world.

As queers we oppose any state which establishes rights based on religious, racial or ethnic identities. We are dedicated to support the creation of just, humane and creative societies where individual rights are not determined based on race, ethnicity, age, gender identities, sexual identities, physical or mental conditions, or any other excuse for discrimination.

Queers have been active in opposing Zionism for many decades. We have also been actively opposing the oppression of our people in many countries of the world. As queers living in the relative safety of the U.S., we are constantly faced with violence and discrimination. This enables us to empathize and express solidarity with the violent oppression of queers in most parts of the world, including the recent highly publicized cases in Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Despite the cynical claim by the pro-Israeli media that Israel is queer-friendly we are very aware of the discrimination and oppression faced by queers in Israel, especially Palestinians. For example, a gay Palestinian/Israeli couple are at this moment facing deportation and arrest for the crime of living together in Jerusalem.

Queer rights are part and parcel of basic human rights. We exist in every nation and society. Therefore our liberation is a common thread that unites marginalized people of every society. Our common oppression across national boundaries naturally creates a sense of international solidarity and community. Just as we cannot allow other oppressions to persist as we fight for queer liberation, similarly it is imperative that queer liberation be an integral part of the struggle for human rights. We are inspired by South Africa, which is the only country in the world to include gay rights in its constitution. This experience has demonstrated that the open involvement of queer people in the national liberation struggle is the best way to ensure their full participation in the new society.

We stand in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle for liberation.