Against The PINKWASHING of Israel

[Bluenorthwest]

28. I wonder if anyone in this thread knows any Palestinian gay people personally, any Israeli gay

people personally. Are there any names and human faces to go along with your rhetoric?

My other question involves the terminology chosen. Does anyone know the origin and actual meaning of 'Pinkwashing'? The word really bothers me when used by Straights (who cut triangles out of pink fabric and sewed them to our death camp uniforms) and Straights who do not want to sound like bigots might want to use specific language rather than a loaded term, particularly considering the Straights in the US have yet to yield full equality to their LGBT neighbors, folks who still hold to open discrimination are not really holding license to make use of language that even implies that it agrees with the injustices imposed by Straights onto LGBT people in the US.
The term originated around Breast Cancer Awareness Pink Ribbons. The term 'Pinkwashing' described the use, by Corporations, of that important issue to distract from their other negative practices. It describes the exploitation of a valid issue by powers with an agenda of their own not related to the valid issue.
When activists spoke of Breast Cancer awareness, they were not 'Pinkwashing'. Breast Cancer was not an invalid issue because it was misused by some entities. A company that said 'Look at how we put pink stuff on our packages, forget the pollution we do' was engaged in 'Pinkwashing' their company.
So, in this case, the government entity could attempt to exploit their better actions to distract from their worst actions and the term would apply. The term does not apply to people who are simply advocating the very valid issues. To say 'Gay rights are human rights' is not 'Pinkwashing'. It is speaking the truth. To support the Israeli LGBT community as gay people is not Pinkwashing just as supporting LGBT Palestinian people is not supporting Hamas.
The term 'Pinkwashing' applies to the entity attempting to cover up misdeeds with good acts. It does not apply to human beings speaking out for other human beings. People who advocated for Breast Cancer research were not doing so to cover up the misdeeds of some company, but that company might have been using the issue for that reason. This does not invalidate the message of the activists nor does it mean breast cancer is some bogus issue that should never be spoken of.

To be a Palestinian LGBT person is a very difficult life. Exploiting them either in the positive or in the negative is not something I am willing to do. Speak truth about individuals, speak about human lives and loves. This is difficult for those who have nothing but verbiage due to lack of human connections with those cultures.

And so, do you know any gay Palestinians? If not, why not? Any gay Israelis? Any gay people? Any Palestinians? Any Israelis?
Because if you don't, I'd be tempted to accuse you Straight Americans of using LGBT issues in that region as a distraction from what Straights are doing to LGBT right now in the US. That is, of using the suffering of distant peoples to distract from the lack of protection in employment and housing that you straights still impose on LGBT people in America. Pinkwashing.

And in closing, not fond of the use of the word 'Pink' to mean 'gay' by Straight folks. I think if they had decent motives, they'd find another word. 'Oh, gay men are like women, so pink, like the Nazis did for them'. Yuck. The folks who toss that term AT gay people instead of seeing it as