[Peace-discussion] San Francisco Queers Say No Pride in Apartheid

Thu, 31 May 2007 03:18:59 -0400

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http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article6966.shtml
San Francisco Queers Say No Pride in Apartheid
Appeal, /QUIT!,/ 29 May 2007
------------------------------------------------------------------------

In March, over 100 members of the LGBT/queer community sent the 
following letter to Frameline, organizer of the San Francisco 
International Lesbian/Gay/Bi/Trans Film Festival, which according to its 
website is the largest LGBT cultural event in the world. The letter asks 
Frameline to honor calls for an international boycott of Israeli 
political and cultural institutions, by discontinuing Israeli consulate 
sponsorship of the LGBT film festival and not cosponsoring events with 
the Israeli consulate. Not only has the Israeli consulate been a sponsor 
of the film festival for the last several years, but in 2005 Frameline 
was also a sponsor of Israel In The Park, an annual event celebrating 
the anniversary of the military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza.

Frameline directors Michael Lumpkin and Matt Westendorf responded that 
"Frameline's senior staff and Board Executive Committee ... recognize 
that there are legitimate issues with some of the actions of the Israeli 
government -- as there are with actions of our own government," but have 
declined to discontinue sponsorship.

This demand was initiated by members of Queers Undermining Israeli 
Terrorism (QUIT!) and Bay Area SWANA (SouthWest Asian and North African) 
Queer communities. The activists will be leafleting at the film festival 
asking filmgoers to write, call or email Frameline and let them know 
that they disagree with their decision. Some Frameline donors have 
indicated that they might discontinue support for the organization if 
they do not disengage from the consulate.

Address your concerns to:
Michael Lumpkin and Matt Westendorf,
Frameline,
145 Ninth Street, #300,
San Francisco, CA 94103, 415-703-8650,
info@frameline.org.
Please cc quitpalestine AT yahoo DOT com.

An Open Letter to Program Director Michael Lumpkin and Managing Director 
Matt Westendorf:

For the last several years, the Israeli Consulate-General has been a 
sponsor of the San Francisco LGBT Film Festival.

In the last year, a call has gone out from Palestinian artists and their 
allies, including some Israelis, for a cultural boycott of the Israeli 
government because of its appalling disregard for international law and 
human rights. This call has been joined by over 100 artists and writers, 
including filmmakers Sophie Fiennes, Elia Suleiman, Ken Loach, Haim 
Bresheeth, and Jenny Morgan, writers John Berger, Arundhati Roy, Ahdaf 
Soueif, and Eduardo Galeano, and musicians Brian Eno and Leon Rosselson. 
The call states, in part:

    Given that all forms of international intervention have until now
    failed to force Israel to comply with international law or to end
    its repression of the Palestinians, which has manifested itself in
    many forms, including siege, indiscriminate killing, wanton
    destruction and the racist colonial wall, ...

    In the spirit of international solidarity, moral consistency and
    resistance to injustice and oppression,

    We, Palestinian academics and intellectuals, call upon our
    colleagues in the international community to comprehensively and
    consistently boycott all Israeli academic and cultural institutions
    as a contribution to the struggle to end Israel's occupation,
    colonization and system of apartheid ...

In recognition of the urgent and moral importance of this call, 
organizers of both the Edinburgh and Locarno International Film 
Festivals dropped Israeli government sponsorship of their most recent 
festivals in 2006.

As members of the Bay Area queer community, as members, former members 
and prospective members of Frameline, and as members of Frameline's 
audience, we request that you respect this call and not solicit or 
accept funding from the Israeli consulate until Israel complies with 
international law and international standards of human rights in regard 
to its illegal occupation of Palestine.

As a community that has experienced and continues to experience constant 
denial of our human rights and indeed, denial of our right to exist, our 
community has long been in the forefront of struggles for human rights 
for all people. We are very proud of this tradition, and we know that 
you are too. For an institution in our community to provide positive 
publicity to a government whose human rights violations have attracted 
worldwide censure disrespects this tradition.

It offends our commitment to inclusiveness, justice and nonviolent 
resistance for the Israeli government to be among the sponsors of one of 
the signature events of Pride month.

/QUIT! is a grassroots nonviolent direct action group based in San 
Francisco that has been active against war and occupation since early 
2001./

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<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article6966.shtml">http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article6966.shtml</a> 
San Francisco Queers Say No Pride in Apartheid 
Appeal, QUIT!, 29 May 2007 
<hr> 
In March, over 100 members of the LGBT/queer community sent the
following letter to Frameline, organizer of the San Francisco
International Lesbian/Gay/Bi/Trans Film Festival, which according to
its website is the largest LGBT cultural event in the world. The letter
asks Frameline to honor calls for an international boycott of Israeli
political and cultural institutions, by discontinuing Israeli consulate
sponsorship of the LGBT film festival and not cosponsoring events with
the Israeli consulate. Not only has the Israeli consulate been a
sponsor of the film festival for the last several years, but in 2005
Frameline was also a sponsor of Israel In The Park, an annual event
celebrating the anniversary of the military occupation of the West Bank
and Gaza. 
 
Frameline directors Michael Lumpkin and Matt Westendorf responded that
"Frameline's senior staff and Board Executive Committee ... recognize
that there are legitimate issues with some of the actions of the
Israeli government -- as there are with actions of our own government,"
but have declined to discontinue sponsorship. 
 
This demand was initiated by members of Queers Undermining Israeli
Terrorism (QUIT!) and Bay Area SWANA (SouthWest Asian and North
African) Queer communities. The activists will be leafleting at the
film festival asking filmgoers to write, call or email Frameline and
let them know that they disagree with their decision. Some Frameline
donors have indicated that they might discontinue support for the
organization if they do not disengage from the consulate. 
 
Address your concerns to: 
Michael Lumpkin and Matt Westendorf, 
Frameline, 
145 Ninth Street, #300, 
San Francisco, CA 94103, 415-703-8650, 
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:info@frameline.org">info@frameline.org</a>. 
Please cc quitpalestine AT yahoo DOT com. 
 
An Open Letter to Program Director Michael Lumpkin and Managing
Director Matt Westendorf: 
 
For the last several years, the Israeli Consulate-General has been a
sponsor of the San Francisco LGBT Film Festival. 
 
In the last year, a call has gone out from Palestinian artists and
their allies, including some Israelis, for a cultural boycott of the
Israeli government because of its appalling disregard for international
law and human rights. This call has been joined by over 100 artists and
writers, including filmmakers Sophie Fiennes, Elia Suleiman, Ken Loach,
Haim Bresheeth, and Jenny Morgan, writers John Berger, Arundhati Roy,
Ahdaf Soueif, and Eduardo Galeano, and musicians Brian Eno and Leon
Rosselson. The call states, in part:
<blockquote>Given
that all forms of international intervention have until now failed to
force Israel to comply with international law or to end its repression
of the Palestinians, which has manifested itself in many forms,
including siege, indiscriminate killing, wanton destruction and the
racist colonial wall, ... 
 
In the spirit of international solidarity, moral consistency and
resistance to injustice and oppression, 
 
We, Palestinian academics and intellectuals, call upon our colleagues
in the international community to comprehensively and consistently
boycott all Israeli academic and cultural institutions as a
contribution to the struggle to end Israel's occupation, colonization
and system of apartheid ...</blockquote>
In
recognition of the urgent and moral importance of this call, organizers
of both the Edinburgh and Locarno International Film Festivals dropped
Israeli government sponsorship of their most recent festivals in 2006. 
 
As members of the Bay Area queer community, as members, former members
and prospective members of Frameline, and as members of Frameline's
audience, we request that you respect this call and not solicit or
accept funding from the Israeli consulate until Israel complies with
international law and international standards of human rights in regard
to its illegal occupation of Palestine. 
 
As a community that has experienced and continues to experience
constant denial of our human rights and indeed, denial of our right to
exist, our community has long been in the forefront of struggles for
human rights for all people. We are very proud of this tradition, and
we know that you are too. For an institution in our community to
provide positive publicity to a government whose human rights
violations have attracted worldwide censure disrespects this tradition.
 
 
It offends our commitment to inclusiveness, justice and nonviolent
resistance for the Israeli government to be among the sponsors of one
of the signature events of Pride month. 
 
QUIT! is a grassroots nonviolent direct action group based in San
Francisco that has been active against war and occupation since early
2001.
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