QUIT World Pride -- Cease Fire NOW

On Sunday, August 6, Queers Undermining Israeli Terrorism (QUIT!) held a “comment wall” action at Harvey Milk Plaza. Placing newspaper articles, photos and butcher paper on the Muni bus shelter, people were invited to write their comments about World Pride, which started that day in Jerusalem, and the events in Lebanon and Palestine.

At the end of 2004, QUIT! initiated a campaign to boycott travel to World Pride, as part of the international boycott of Israel. The event was originally scheduled to take place during August of 2005, but was postponed due to projections of civil unrest by the settlers who were removed from Gaza.

“One year ago, World Pride was cancelled because a small group of Israeli settlers were being peacefully removed from Gaza. This year, when more than 700,000 Lebanese people have been made homeless by relentless bombing, and over a thousand civilians have been killed in Lebanon, Gaza and the West Bank, the organizers choose to go ahead. This does not stand up for the principle that as queer rights are human rights, human rights are queer rights,” QUIT! said in their leaflet, which also pointed out that Israeli borders and checkpoints will prevent most queers from Palestine and other nearby countries from attending.

QUIT! said that the events of World Pride are in stark contrast to the work Helem, an LGBT organization in Lebanon, is doing in caring for the refugess that Israel has created. Helem had previously urged a boycott of World Pride, stating that, “Helem strongly condemns holding World Pride in a city beleaguered by violence and conflict, and where the words "Love without Borders" belie a reality of separation, ubiquitous borders, destruction of homes and livelihoods, land theft, gross human rights violations, and the apartheid policies of Israel."

For more information about Helem, or to contribute to their work, go to http://www.helem.net; for more information on the boycott of World Pride, go to http://www.boycottworldpride.org; for more information on QUIT! go to http://www.quitpalestine.org.