ILGA World said The Aguda’s proposal to hold the group’s next world conference in Tel Aviv had violated its aims and objectives, and it is now reviewing The Aguda’s larger compliance with the ILGA World constitution.
The Aguda’s bid had been due to be voted on at ILGA World’s conference this month in Cape Town, South Africa.
“We recognise the historical experience with apartheid and colonialism in South Africa: even the possibility of voting on such a bid in their home country would have been at odds with the unequivocal solidarity with the Palestinian people.”
The move follows an open letter by three Palestinian LGBTQ+ organisations to ILGA World last month, raising major concerns about how Israeli LGBTQ+ groups have historically helped “pinkwash” and divert attention from Israel’s crimes against Palestinians.
That’s why we, the queer community should stop letting western neoliberals coopt our movements. Our movements are being associated with western imperialism all across the world. Anti-western reactionary governments are using us as a scapegoat in turn. I’m from Eastern Europe and the LGBTQ movement is always associated with “western values”, and every time the west does something nasty, we are the first ones to take the blame for it.