"Meet me at Arafat Square,” my gay Paltian iend Najeeb texted me, “I’ll take you to one of the queer fés Ramallah.”
Contents:
- EXPLORG GAY PALTE
- GAY PALTIANS ARE BEG BLACKMAILED INTO WORKG AS INFORMANTS
- SHOCK, QUTNS AFTER GOME KILLG OF GAY PALTIAN
- GAY PALTIANS
- PALTIANS DIVID OVER NCELATN OF NCERT BY GAY SGER
EXPLORG GAY PALTE
“Meet me at Arafat Square, ” my gay Paltian iend Najeeb texted me, “I’ll take you to one of the queer fés Ramallah. Admtedly, I arrived the Wt Bank wh certa expectatns of homophobia, xenophobia, and even vlence. Acrdg to Troy Masters, origally om Nashville and currently livg New York as the -founr and associate publisher of Gay Cy News.
Troy reunts a story of g across a small group of gay and l- bian Paltians Ramallah who, “after spottg me as gay, ved me to their table and offered me ffee. ” Many other gay travelers I met the Wt Bank reunted siar stori of hospaly. Gay Perspectiv Palte.
Another gay Paltean I met Ramallah, Sam, says that homosexualy is generally not accepted Palte, but there are spac Ramallah where you n “be whatever you want. Though there are no laws the Wt Bank that crimalize homo-sexualy, neher are there laws that protect LGBTQ persons om discrimatn.
GAY PALTIANS ARE BEG BLACKMAILED INTO WORKG AS INFORMANTS
Gay polics Palte are plited by a nvo- luted history of legal s, cludg Ottoman, Brish, Jordanian, Egyptian, and Israeli occupatn. In Gaza, for example, homosexual acts between men are still illegal unr the Brish Mandate Crimal Co Ordance of 1936.
(For more rmatn on LGBTQ rights Palte, I suggt readg through the publitns of the Paltian gay rights group lled alQaws. Timothy McCarthy, a foundg member of Barack Obama’s Natnal LGBT Learship Council and part of the first LGBT legatn of the US to Israel/Palte told me that “the suatn that Paltians them- selv are ‘by nature’ more homophobic is not te…while there is certaly more progrs to be ma on LGBT issu Palte, this is te of Israel and the Uned Stat as well. I spoke wh several other gay travelers about how safe they felt durg their travels to the Wt Bank.
Very few people know he is also gay.
SHOCK, QUTNS AFTER GOME KILLG OF GAY PALTIAN
While there are few gay Paltians who are darg to speak out about their homosexualy, Yehya, like many others, has no tentn of jog them. “I thank God that my fay and iends know nothg about my homosexualy, and I prefer thgs to stay the way they are, ” he says.
GAY PALTIANS
Homosexualy do not go down well wh most Paltians, wh many viewg as sful and unnatural. Islam, the relign of the majory of Paltians, views homosexualy as a viatn om the norm, wh Islamic scholars nsentg that all humans are “naturally heterosexual” a rult, many Paltian homosexuals are a left wh no choice but to close themselv off om society, makg hard to know the actual number of homosexuals the untry.
“I don’t know the exact number of homosexuals the occupied Paltian terrori, but the number is relatively high, ” not many, however, hidg their homosexualy for fear of social stigma wh a high price. As almost all men live wh their fai until they're married, homosexuals e unr prsure to nform to societal and fay expectatns.
“Some of my iends, who are homosexuals, end up marryg to straight partners. Now, they will never adm their homosexualy. They are even willg to attack homosexuals verbally, ” says 25-year-old Abdu, a Paltian gay activist, who liv Abdu, who om a nservative Mlim background, beg gay Palte is not a problem, the problem is homophobia.
PALTIANS DIVID OVER NCELATN OF NCERT BY GAY SGER
“Gays are looked down upon, not only Palte, but other Arab untri as well, ” he many others who live closeted liv risk of beg disowned and dishonoured by their fai, Abdu had no tentn of lettg his fay know about his homosexualy. “They tortured me so to adm that I’m an Israeli spy, I told them even if you’ll kill me I won’t adm anythg other than my homosexualy, ” he adds. Abdu later managed to get out of the untry and was granted a polil asylum Paltian law don't crimalise homosexualy, there is no specific civil rights legislatn to protect homosexuals.
Acrdg to different reports, the Israeli telligence (Sh Bet) has, different s, blackmailed Paltian homosexuals to llaboratg wh them by threateng to expose them. In her published letter, she said that sce 2000, the Sh Bet has had a policy of blackmailg gay Paltians and “threateng to ot them unls they bee rmants agast their own people.