Synopsis:
Haneen Maikey and Hilary Aked (March 2019) have written an article for The Independent that explains that Eurovision – an international song competition held among the member countries of the European Broadcasting Union – has turned into a “pinkwashing” opportunity for Israel. This is because the next contest in May will be hosted in Israel, and will be used as part of its ongoing campaign to promote queer and trans rights to hide its ongoing violence towards Palestinians. The article states that “Eurovision – the ultimate celebration of camp and flamboyance, dubbed the ‘gay olympics’ – is a perfect opportunity for Israel to pinkwash its systematic denial of Palestinian rights.” (March, 2019) Global queer groups are calling for the boycott of this broadcast because “they recognize that from a collective liberation perspective, struggles for queer and Palestinian liberation are inseparable.” (2019)
Rationale:
This serves as a great example of the way that governments, corporations and powerful entities are able to utilize the politics of queer and trans movements as a means of erasing their involvement in violence. As the article clearly states, this would become an opportunity for Israel to erase their ongoing abuses towards Palestinians by marketing themselves as a liberal and tolerant society that accepts those who are queer and trans to the point where they are represented on television. In essence, this serves as a distraction and a justification for their atrocities and their ongoing engagement in colonialism. As great as a show like this seems, I think it is also necessary for queer and trans activists to recognize how we cannot and should not separate or isolate the struggles of queer and Palestinian liberation. No matter how progressive or liberal Eurovision might seem at a cursory glance, we must remain intersectional, especially because ignoring these issues erases queer Palestinian efforts to achieve LGBTQIA+ rights.
Keywords: Intersectionality, Pinkwashing, Queer (Settler) Politics, Liberalism, Orientalism
Author: Ashelyn Latam
This is a great matter to bring to the attention of Eurovision's audience, as many see the event simply as a source of superficial, joyful entertainment and fun that is immune to political implications. By going along with Eurovision's choice to host their event in Israel, the audience condones a choice to ignore the colonial genocide that Israel is committing against Palestinians in favour of mass consumerism. The video included in the article represents a lot of cognitive dissonance to me, showing the Israeli winner of last year's Eurovision thanking the audience for "choosing difference" and "celebrating diversity" while also stating her love for her country. To proclaim the importance of diversity and acceptance on behalf of a country conducting…