By Alice Y. LGBTQIA2S+ solidarity with anti-colonial movements has existed for some time. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Gay Liberation Front, a group fighting for civil rights in the United States, had famously borne the flags of North Vietnam and the National Liberation Front in demonstrations and

An article published on Oct. 27, 2023, “The Contradictions of ‘Queers for Palestine’” by Billy Binion in Reason Magazine is a good example of the talking points of [Zionism’s neocolony] and its demagogues. The overarching idea of the article can be summed up in its writer’s own words: “‘Queers for Palestine’ is about as convincing as ‘minks for fur coats.’” This offensive statement implies that the struggle for queer rights is at odds with the liberation of Palestinians. At the heart of this argument is the idea that queer rights are entirely absent within Palestine.

Although “less than perfect,” the author claims that [the neocolony] is one of the most tolerant societies for LGBTQIA+ people. Binion’s reasoning negates the processes of [neo]colonization, of the specific history of [the] occupation, and of queer history. How can it be that one of the most “tolerant societies for queer people” is currently slaughtering Palestinians, including queer Palestinians, at an unprecedented rate?

Is it true that [neocolonial] munitions are somehow capable of differentiating queer Palestinians from the others? Is it true that [neocolonial] bomber pilots are somehow tasked with taking tallies of queer people before deploying firebombs on schools and hospitals? And as for the shutdown of electricity, medical and food aid — does [neocolonialism] maintain a separate border crossing for special aid trucks that deliver supplies specifically to queer people? A society that is said to be “tolerant” of queer people cannot have slaughtered masses of them.