Discussions about pinkwashing and Palestine amplified on social media

In November 2023, one month after Hamas launched its attack on Israel and subsequent war against the Palestinian people, the State of Israel published a post on Instagram that was widely shared. The first photo shows Israeli soldier Yoav Atzmoni posing in front of a tank, holding an Israeli flag with a rainbow border; the second image shows a soldier standing amid the ruins of war , holding a different rainbow flag with the handwritten words “In the Name of Love” printed on it.

The post was titled “The first pride flag ever raised in Gaza 🏳️‍🌈”.

The comments and their sentiments were condemned online as blatant “pinkwashing”: a “cynical use of LGBTQIA+ rights to project a progressive image while concealing the Israeli occupation and oppression of Palestinians,” according to the Palestinian-led movement apartheid propaganda strategy. Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS)).

There’s a reason why the theme of pinkwashing is further focused during Pride Month this year. Amid the Gaza war and ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, “pink cleaning” is seen as a harmful tactic targeting Palestinian LGBTQ people, and one that deserves recognition and resistance from allies.

Pinkwashing and the History of Palestine

Against this backdrop, pinkwashing arguably came to widespread attention in 2011, when writer and activist Sarah Schulman A New York Times The editorial criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for describing the Middle East as “a region where women are stoned, gays are hanged and Christians are persecuted.” Schulman denounced the Israeli government’s ongoing propaganda campaign, which claims that Israel is a safe haven for the queer community while also “ignoring this.”[ing] The existence of Palestinian gay rights organizations” and the Palestinian queer community.

Israel has hosted many Pride events, and one of the country’s tourism websites described it as “a welcoming center that contrasts with some of the more religious and restrictive areas in and around Israel”. Same-sex marriages cannot be legally performed in Israel, but civil unions and marriages performed abroad are recognized. In Gaza, where homosexuality has been illegal since 1936, discussion about the rights of Palestinian queer communities and the need to create lasting social change has grown steadily over the decades.

Efforts to resist pinkwashing appear to have taken off in the 2000s for several reasons, including the launch of Israel’s lengthy public relations campaign “Brand Israel,” which some scholars describe as an effort to “portray Israel as a haven for gays and lesbians.” way. Several columns, books, and academic papers have detailed the dangers of this narrative. Boycott campaigns have been launched over the years, including strong calls to boycott the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv.

“At its core, ‘pinkwash’ is a hidden form of violence against queer Palestinians.”

Elias Jahshan, journalist, author and editor This Arab is queerdescribed pinkwashing as “reductive and racist.”

“What it does is erase Palestinian stories and institutions,” Jahshan said in an interview with Mashable. “At its core, ‘pinkwash’ is a hidden form of violence against queer Palestinians. It utilizes Orientalist tropes to represent Palestinians as uncivilized, backward, and homophobic, and it also portrays us as patriarchal Victims of culture.

Pro-Palestinian advocates and organizations have long decried pinkwashing not only for its underlying, PR-laden rhetoric, but also for its ability to distract and divert attention from atrocities, including ongoing wars. For example, the activist coalition Not Proud of Genocide urges action against pinkwashing, which “is used by countries or organizations to deflect or legitimize violence against other countries or communities.” Groups such as alQaws, BDS, and Jewish Voice for Peace advocate resisting the narrative that Palestinian and Arab societies are oppressive and outdated compared to Western societies when it comes to LGBTQ rights.

After Hamas launched its attack on October 7 and the war in Gaza escalated, pink cleansing was once again used as a means of justification by Israel and its supporters. Jasan pointed to the aforementioned post of Israeli soldier Azmoni “holding a rainbow flag in the rubble” as a prime example of pink baptism: “This is really bad. Since when has it been so important to have a rainbow flag?” Becoming a touchstone for the queer community? There are other prominent examples of comedian Daniel-Ryan Spaulding’s social media post being criticized for comparing queer solidarity with Palestine to “ Kentucky Fried Chicken”; an Israeli comedy skit called Erez Nehdret A video was posted on YouTube mocking pro-Palestinian activists at Columbia University waving rainbow flags and supporting “LGBTQH” (where the “H” stands for Hamas).

Resistance and recognition

In June, as the death toll in Palestine surpassed 37,000, social media users, activists and groups stepped up the topic of pinkwashing.

There were several posts on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) raising the issue. Among them was the nonprofit Slow Factory, which detailed examples of pinkwashing during Pride Month and denounced the weaponization of the tactic. “We reject this blatant use of identity politics,” one headline read.

Most of these posts promote advocacy and awareness, challenging the idea of ​​war to liberate queer and marginalized Palestinians. As Sarah O’Neill writes in the book nation“, “People are beheaded in Gaza not because they are gay, but because they are Palestinian. Many of the posts on

Jahshan said the digital movement is “accelerating this year,” especially on Instagram, and is both educational and dynamic. People and organizations who posted asked for the existence of queer Palestinian love to be acknowledged, to share resources for boycott advocacy, and to raise awareness of Pride events and rallies.

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“The spirit of unity this year has been very inspiring,” he said. “Palestinian queers and their allies are spreading rhetoric about pinkwashing and how harmful it is and how it erases us. People forget that Palestinian queers exist. There is a Palestinian queer community in Gaza — there always has been. They live live your own way of life.