First appearance on FOX The watchdog group, which aims to expose hypocrisy, said Monday it would donate $1 million to “Queers for Palestine” or U.S. LGBTQ advocacy groups that organize gay pride parades in the Gaza Strip or the West Bank.
Although anti-Israel groups such as Queers for Palestine have sprung up across the US since the Hamas terrorist group's attack on Israel on October 6, homosexuality remains deeply taboo in the Palestinian territories. Gay and transgender people in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank face considerable persecution and are often subjected to horrific acts.
A new tolerance campaign (NTC) Chairman Gregory T. Angelo, a gay man and former head of the Log Cabin Republicans, said the campaign serves as a “wake-up call” for anyone who identifies with the “queer for Palestine” and “gay for Gaza” movements.
“Please don't dismiss this campaign as just a PR stunt or comedy. This is actually a legitimate proposal,” Angelo told Fox News Digital.
A Pride Month Message for Palestinian Queer People
Pro-LGBTQ flags and signs are common at anti-Israel protests in the US. (Karen Closkey, via Storyful)
“This campaign was started to denounce those who advocate for LGBT equality and to put our money where their mouth is,” he continued. “I think this is a real opportunity for these groups to legitimately stand up and host events that highlight the fact that the Palestinian Territories have never been a friendly place for LGBTQ people, and to mark a groundbreaking moment for pluralism and peace in the Middle East.”
The New Tolerance Campaign announced that it has secured a $1 million pledge and will begin promoting the offer with mobile billboards around Columbia University in New York City, the Human Rights Campaign headquarters in Washington, D.C., and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in Los Angeles.
“Of course the $1 million prize is a flashy thing. It's designed to grab attention and bring attention to itself. But the bigger driving force behind this project is equality and broader human rights,” Angelo said.
The campaign also allows ordinary Americans to send direct messages to senior leadership at the Human Rights Campaign, GLAAD, the LGBTQ Task Force and transgender equality advocacy groups, urging them to fight for LGBTQ rights in the Palestinian Territories and Arab countries.
Anti-Israel protesters seen on video shutting down Philadelphia Pride Parade
Gay Pride parades are held every year across the United States.
“For the American left, all oppression is the same oppression, and I think that's a huge disservice to them because they lump everything under the same umbrella, from racism to sexual orientation discrimination to sexism to Islamophobia, which is just not true,” Angelo said.
Angelo said many anti-Israel protesters across the US, when confronted with the reality of how LGBTQ people are treated in Gaza and the West Bank, argue that LGBTQ people are not particularly well treated in the US.
“Well, that couldn't be further from the truth. Here in the US, gay and transgender people are protected from discrimination in the workplace thanks to Supreme Court rulings, same-sex marriage is legal in all 50 states and, more generally, laws aside, our country welcomes people of all faiths and family structures,” Angelo said.
“This is in stark contrast to the Palestinian territories, where same-sex marriage is not possible or even discussed,” he said. “There are no protections in employment based on sexual orientation or gender.”
Drag queen orders kids to chant “Free Palestine” during Queer Story Hour at Massachusetts Center for the Arts
In 2019, Palestinian Authority police banned gay and transgender rights groups from holding events in the West Bank and threatened to arrest participants. Israel, meanwhile, frequently touts its tolerance on sexual orientation issues, and Tel Aviv prides itself on its reputation as a top destination for gay travelers.
Angelo said he was shocked when he visited the West Bank during a study trip to Israel in 2013.
“Traveling between Israel and the Palestinian territories, I was able to see with my own eyes the disparities in human rights, not just gay rights, that were evident,” Angelo said.
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The New Tolerance Campaign describes itself as “a watchdog group mobilizing Americans to confront intolerant double standards held by established institutions, civil rights organizations, universities, and socially conscious brands,” according to its website.
“NTC's action campaigns empower ordinary Americans to hold self-proclaimed arbiters of tolerance accountable when they betray their professed values,” the site says.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
