Gaza Roundup 16: And the word of the day is…

…GAYWASHING. Can you say GAYWASHING, boys ‘n’ girls?

Very good!

So what’s gaywashing? Well, it’s the queer, LGBTetc. version of whitewashing–or greenwashing, for you enviro-types. It’s basically using Teh Ghey, or seemingly pro-gay-rights-rhetoric, to cover up flagrantly abusive practices, in this case on the human rights front.

And specifically, in and by Israel.

So, with no further ado, here’s how to use gaywashing in complete sentences and articles:

Ali Abunimah uses it to castigate the UK Guardian and the Israeli government for their cynicism. Key quote:

The use of gaywashing to try to make Israel appeal to Western liberal audiences and cover up war crimes in Gaza, including the war crime of collective punishment, and elsewhere has become part of the official campaign to rebrand Israel. It involves a specifically civilizational discourse contrasting a supposedly open, tolerant Israel with what is portrayed as a barbaric Palestinian, Muslim society that essentially deserves whatever it gets.

Mondoweiss gets a little more direct: “Stop gaywashing the occupation!” Also a good example of how to use the word in context. (The comments section on that one is loaded with good examples of just how thin the Israeli gaywash really is. Did you know, for example, that some hardline Israeli MKs are virtually indistinguishable from certain nutty Iranian mullahs when it comes to what causes earthquakes? It’s true!)

And of course, the banning of Queers Against Israeli Apartheid, or QuAIA, from the Toronto Pride parade is the biggest gaywash in Canada right now. Vociferously opposed by a growing number of prominent folks, and put to shame by Edmonton, of all places, where the local chapter of QuAIA marched without incident in that city’s parade on Saturday. Puts the lie to all the anti-QuAIA talk about “not feeling safe”, eh? (“Not feeling safe” is another kind of gaywash, kiddies.)

So, there ya go, kiddies…now you know what gaywashing is. And now you know that gay pride isn’t just about being gay, it’s about securing human rights for everyone. All the more reason, then, to take a stand against gaywashing.