Monday, June 28, 2010

Leading Questions

If you're at loose ends tonight, you might want to swing by this one:
Monday June 28, 7pm

Isabel Bader Theatre
93 Charles St W, Toronto
FREE, no tickets required
Join
HANEEN MAIKEY (Israel/Palestine)
and COLIN ROBINSON (Trinidad and Tobago)
in conversation with
ANDIL GOSINE (Moderator, York University)
in an urgent and rare discussion on struggles for sexual liberation. You are invited to listen and participate in exploring questions on how queer communities are working for sexual rights, and against the pressures of homophobic nationalisms and heavy-handed gay internationalisms.
- How are Palestinian and Caribbean queer people negotiating their sexualities under difficult conditions? 
- How are these struggles connected to histories of colonialism?

- What are the tensions that international queer solidarity efforts in Canada need to consider in supporting sexual rights work around the world?

*Presented as an alternative to the human rights talks originally scheduled at the same time and cancelled due to the Pride Toronto censorship of the phrase "Israeli Apartheid." Organized in cooperation with Queers Against Israeli Apartheid (QuAIA), and the Pride Coalition for Free Speech.

Haneen Maikey is director of al-Qaws, a nonprofit organization working for sexual and gender diversity in Palestinian society.

Colin Robinson co-founded Caribbean Pride, the oldest Caribbean GLBT entity outside the region, and CAISO (Coalition Advocating Inclusion of Sexual Orientation).

Andil Gosine is Coordinator of the Sexuality Studies program and an Associate Professor at York University.

This event is wheelchair accessible.
For information: quaia.toronto@gmail.com
Working for "sexual and gender diversity in Palestinian society," eh? Now that's got to be a mighty lonely and frustrating job--the "human rights" equivalent of being the Maytag repair man.

Perhaps she'd make more headway were she prepared to jettison the malarkey about "colonialism" being behind the paucity of diversity and ask one pointed question: What does the Koran/sharia law have to say about homosexuality and how has it influenced the treatment of queers in "Palestine" in general and Gaza in particular?

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