In new documentary, gay Palestinian men in Israel grapple with their sexual, national identity

[TexasTowelie]

This Monday, July 27, 2015 photo shows Khader Abu Seif, from left, Naeem Jiryes and Fadi Daeem, protagonists of the documentary movie "Oriented" during an interview with The Associated Press in Jaffa, mixed Jewish-Arab part of Tel Aviv, Israel. The privately funded film is British director Jake Witzenfeld’s first feature documentary. It premiered in June at the Sheffield Film Festival in England and the Los Angeles Film Festival in the United States but has not made it to the Middle East yet. (AP Photo/Eyal Warshavsky)

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — During last summer's Gaza war, Khader Abu Seif was living with his then Israeli boyfriend in Tel Aviv, wondering whether Hamas rockets could reach them from the coastal strip.

He thought yet again of the dichotomy of his life as a gay Arab Israeli citizen considered an outcast by the Palestinian society for his sexuality and viewed with unease by some Israelis for his brand of nationality.

The rockets were not the only thing that made him feel unsafe.

Outside, Israeli extremists rallied on the streets against Hamas' attacks with chants of "Death to Arabs." Abu Seif was afraid to speak Arabic, his mother tongue, in his native Tel Aviv, the Middle East's most gay-friendly city.

Read more: http://www.usnews.com/news/entertainment/articles/2015/07/30/new-film-highlights-struggles-of-gay-palestinians-in-israel

Cross-posted in the Israel/Palestine Group.

[LuvNewcastle]

1. GLBT people in America have come

such a long way. We aren't done here, but I think it's time for us to focus more of our attention on how things are for GLBTs in Asia and Africa. It would be a nightmare to live in Iran or Saudi Arabia. Even in countries where people aren't outright hostile to gay people, their societies have a way of making detours around them. I don't think that some of those countries will ever come around, but many of them would if those of us in better situations could find ways to help the gay people there. If we could just get them to stop killing and torturing GLBTs, that would be a hell of a start.

[Behind the Aegis]

3. We have come along way, but still have much further to go.

Of course, we should be tuned into the plights of those of us in the Middle East, Africa, and many other Asian countries. But there are still hold outs in the Americas, especially the Caribbean, and Eastern Europe, Russia being a prime example. To be honest, Russia is more of a standout to me because of its backslide and encouragement of other places to do the same with almost no religious overtones.

[Behind the Aegis]

2. It could be a very interesting documentary.

Hopefully, it will make it's way to Netflix. Much of what I read mimics things I have heard from ethnic/racial minorities in this country in regards to sexual orientation and ethnic/racial identity. They end up fighting on two fronts with both identities (or three if female or trans gender).