Tuesday, August 8, 2006
This year's LGBT World Pride celebration is being held in Israel, and that's a problem, since it puts some people's respect for Gay Rights up against their hatred for the Jewish State. Israel, of course, is the only country in the Middle East where Gays have rights, and not just that, but don't need to fear for their lives because of their sexual status. Palestinian Homosexuals have been known to have sought and received asylum in Israel to avoid persecution in the PA, and Gays elsewhere in the Middle East have sought and received sanctuary as well, as this recent case of an Iranian Lesbian receiving sanctuary in Germany demonstrates.
Let's see where our local Left's priorities are, shall we?
The Massachusetts Green-Rainbow Party has dis-endorsed your event and must advise party members not to attend your event.
Though we applaud efforts aimed at equality for people of all sexual orientations, including our support for equal marraige rights here in Massachusetts in which we refuse to endorse candidates for public office here in MA unless they support equal marriage rights, we cannot support your event.
The reason is that your event advertises activities in Tel-Aviv which is a city that cannot be frequented by Palestinians who have been denied for 5 decades the fundamental right of return to their lands of origin. This is against international law and not consistent with the 10 Key Values of the Green-Rainbow Party of MA. Palestinians are regularly denied entrance to, and human rights (right to return) in their land of origin. Palestinians living inside the Green line also suffer from overt and institutional racism in the land today called Israel, in a legal manner that meets the definition of aprtheid.
Your event is thus discriminatory in that Palestinians will not be able to attend some of the indicated activities. This is not acceptable and indicates support for the concept of a Jewish state formed based on the forced displacement of Palestinians based solely on ethnicity - a fundamentally racist construct.
We support you in your "World" Pride efforts to end discrimination against people of certain sexual orientations, and to promote GLBT lifestyle, however we would encourage you to pick cities for your events that can actually be visited by the whole World.
Ron Francis
Green-Rainbow Party co-chairperson
Note that Francis avoids use of the word "Israel," possibly to avoid having to place it in quotation marks. Note also the reference to the "10 Key Values" -- these values being highly adaptable based on convenience as this recent quote from GRP Secretary David Rolde indicates: "...our key value of non-violence requires us to support defense..." (He's referring to Hizballah there.)
Well, the GRP certainly has its priorities straight (so to speak), if not its morals.
Typical reaction of a leftist in the US; I would like to see Mr. Ron Francis try to establish a homosexual rights organization in Ramallah (sp?)! I'm sure the Palestinian Authority, Hamas, and assorted clerics and imams would welcome him with open nooses and souvenir intifada stones!
Seems that Green-Rainbow is trying less and less to hide their anti-Semitism. Eventually there will be a big backlash when they step way over the line...
When will normal left wingers re-take this hijacked party?
Eric