BY ELLIOT ’07
To the Editor:
It is ironic that in an article about gay rights, Lebanese Diplomat Sami Zeidan feels the need to demonstrate the “interdependence of human rights issues” by using the example of “queer Jews” as being “vocal activists for a free Palestine.” (“Irreverent or Irrelevant?: The United Nations and Gay Rights,” Oct. 6).
Just a day after the publication of Mr. Zeidan’s article, the Sunday Times reported that if Hamas has its way, homosexuality will essentially be banned in Gaza. But that isn’t really much of a departure from the status quo. In 2003, the BBC reported that “[a] number of gay Palestinian men are risking their lives to cross the border into Israel, claiming they feel safer among Israelis than their own people.” Why? Because gays are persecuted, tortured, and killed by the Palestinian Authority. Israel, on the other hand, hosts the only gay pride parade in the Middle East, drawing crowds of 100,000 each year.
It would be a shame to mention “gay rights” and “free Palestine” in the same article without bringing to light the relevant and shameful human rights issues in the Palestinian-controlled territories.
Elliott Marc Davis ’07