Tearing Down Fences: Queer Activism in Israel/Palestine

Dalit Baum, PhD, is an anti-occupation activist who teaches in a community schoold for women in Israel. She is a Woman in Black, an organizer with the coalition of women for just peace, and a co-founder of Black Laundry, a group of lesbians, gay men and transgenders against the occupation of Palestine and for social justice. This is a feminist direct action group, which consists of Ashkenazi and Mizrahi Jews and Palestinians. She will show pictures and short videos from recent actions and discuss queer anti-occupation activism in Israel/Palestine, the women’s peace movement and some current dilemmas faced by Israeli activists.

Mazen Nasser is a gay, Lebanese American social, environmental, civil rights and AIDS activist, a member of the International Solidarity Movement and a taoist druze. He will talk about his trip to Palestine and show pictures and talk about how and why the different gay/lesbian/queer communities need to build new coalitions to support justice in Palestine.