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UID:Indybay-18650793
SEQUENCE:18720362
CREATED:20100615T214300Z
DESCRIPTION:For the first time since 2007, the Israeli Consulate-General is a sponsor 
 of the San Francisco LGBT Film Festival, which bills itself as the largest 
 queer cultural event in the world.  A coalition of Bay Area queers say NO 
 to Pinkwashing Israeli Crimes!\n\nWHEN:	Thursday, June 17, 2010, 6:00 
 p.m.\nWHERE:	Castro Theater, Castro and 17th, San Francisco\nWHAT:	Picket 
 line to protest “pinkwashing” of Israeli war crimes\nWHO:	Southwest 
 Asian and North African Bay Area Queers (SWANABAQ), Queers Undermining 
 Israeli Terrorism (QUIT!) and Arab Resource and Organizing Center 
 (AROC)\n\nLesbian/gay/bi/trans activists in solidarity with Palestinian 
 human rights have called for a picket of the opening night festivities at 
 the San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival.  For the first time 
 since 2007, the Israeli Consulate-General is listed among the festival 
 sponsors.\n\n“Palestinian civil society, including all the queer 
 Palestinian organizations, have asked us to respect the cultural boycott 
 against Israel by not partnering with the Israeli government,” said Kate 
 Raphael, a member of Queers Undermining Israeli Terrorism (QUIT!).  
 “There is no justification for queer institutions to ignore this request 
 for solidarity.”\n\nIn April, the two Palestinian LGBT organizations, 
 Aswat-Palestinian Gay Women and al Qaws (the Rainbow) for Sexual & Gender 
 Diversity in Palestinian society issued a statement 
 (http://www.alqaws.org/q/content/say-no-out-israel) asking international 
 queers to oppose the Israeli government’s new tactic of 
 “pinkwashing.”  Pinkwashing means the Israeli government’s use of its 
 liberal policies on gay rights to deflect criticism of its denial of human 
 rights to Palestinians.\n\n“I was shocked to learn that Frameline Film 
 Festival accepted the Israeli government’s sponsorship,” said Bassam 
 Kassab, an Arab-American screenwriter and movie producer. “The 
 progressive film community and the LGBT community should reject tainted 
 money from any government that picks and chooses which human rights it 
 respects. The right to food and water for Palestinian children and the 
 right to life for human rights activists on flotilla ships cannot be 
 trumped by the Israeli government’s PR campaign to portray few blocks in 
 Tel Aviv as the gay haven of the Middle-East.”\n\nKassab is coproducer of 
 the film, “All My Life,” which played at the 2008 Film 
 Festival.\nQUIT!, SouthWest Asian and North African Bay Area Queers 
 (SWANABAQ) and the Arab Resource and Organizing Center (AROC) are calling 
 for a boycott and picket of the festival’s opening night at the Castro 
 Theater.\n\n“In the face of the call from Palestinian civil society for a 
 boycott, partnering with the Israeli government is crossing a global picket 
 line,” said Raphael, who is also a Community Grand Marshal of the LGBT 
 Freedom Day Parade.  “We intend to make that picket line visible and ask 
 queers who respect human rights not to cross it.  We hope that this will 
 convince festival organizers not to accept Israeli blood money and support 
 in the future.”\n\nActivists expect that Israel’s recent attack on a 
 flotilla of international aid ships, which killed at least 9 peace 
 activists including a U.S. citizen, will increase support in the LGBT 
 community for their demand that Frameline sever its ties to the Israeli 
 Consulate.  The picket will feature signs demanding “Don’t Pinkwash 
 Israel’s Crimes,” and will include a brass band.\n 
 https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2010/06/15/18650793.php
SUMMARY:Queer Activists to Picket Opening Night of LGBT Film Festival
LOCATION:Castro Theater, Castro and 17th, San Francisco
URL:https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2010/06/15/18650793.php
DTSTART:20100618T010000Z
DTEND:20100618T040000Z
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