Black Laundry
Encyclopedia
Black Laundry is an Israel
i group of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgenders and others (collectively, LGBT
Q) who utilize direct action
to oppose "the occupation" of what the group regards as Palestinian land and to support other "social justice
" causes. According to their website, "Black Laundry tries to stress the connection between different forms of oppression - our own oppression as lesbian
s, gay
s and transpeople
enhances our solidarity with members of other oppressed groups." The group formed in Tel Aviv
at the beginning of the second intifada
.
Black Laundry's first action was a "No Pride in the Occupation!" campaign within the Pride Day celebration in Israel. This message was the first to surface in the LGBTQ community in Israel
. Initially the radicals were met with a great deal of opposition, but they have gained more acceptance among LGBTQ Israelis and shifted the discourse on queer issues in Israel.
Black Laundry activists believe that it is hypocritical to have pride in the achievements of the gay liberation
movement in Israeli society while Israel continues to occupy parts of what it regards as rightfully Arab parts of Palestine. They also protest what they regard as the commercialization
of LGBT and queer culture. The group often employs performance art to convey messages about the liberation of Arab Palestine
, animal rights
, queer rights
, sexual freedom, body oppression, and anti-capitalism
.
The group also fights alongside other LGBTQ groups to fight gay repression in the county and also work closely with other radical left
groups, including Anarchists Against the Wall
. Their stated intention is not to educate Palestinians on gay liberation but rather to offer solidarity in their struggle for liberation; however, some believe that they have had a positive effect on the typically conservative culture of Palestine.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i group of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgenders and others (collectively, LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
Q) who utilize direct action
Direct action
Direct action is activity undertaken by individuals, groups, or governments to achieve political, economic, or social goals outside of normal social/political channels. This can include nonviolent and violent activities which target persons, groups, or property deemed offensive to the direct action...
to oppose "the occupation" of what the group regards as Palestinian land and to support other "social justice
Social justice
Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...
" causes. According to their website, "Black Laundry tries to stress the connection between different forms of oppression - our own oppression as lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
s, gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
s and transpeople
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
enhances our solidarity with members of other oppressed groups." The group formed in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
at the beginning of the second intifada
Al-Aqsa Intifada
The Second Intifada, also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada and the Oslo War, was the second Palestinian uprising, a period of intensified Palestinian-Israeli violence, which began in late September 2000...
.
Black Laundry's first action was a "No Pride in the Occupation!" campaign within the Pride Day celebration in Israel. This message was the first to surface in the LGBTQ community in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. Initially the radicals were met with a great deal of opposition, but they have gained more acceptance among LGBTQ Israelis and shifted the discourse on queer issues in Israel.
Black Laundry activists believe that it is hypocritical to have pride in the achievements of the gay liberation
Gay Liberation
Gay liberation is the name used to describe the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender movement of the late 1960s and early to mid 1970s in North America, Western Europe, and Australia and New Zealand...
movement in Israeli society while Israel continues to occupy parts of what it regards as rightfully Arab parts of Palestine. They also protest what they regard as the commercialization
Commercialization
Commercialization is the process or cycle of introducing a new product or production method into the market. The actual launch of a new product is the final stage of new product development, and the one where the most money will have to be spent for advertising, sales promotion, and other marketing...
of LGBT and queer culture. The group often employs performance art to convey messages about the liberation of Arab Palestine
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The conflict is wide-ranging, and the term is also used in reference to the earlier phases of the same conflict, between Jewish and Zionist yishuv and the Arab population living in Palestine under Ottoman or...
, animal rights
Animal rights
Animal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...
, queer rights
Queer
Queer is an umbrella term for sexual minorities that are not heterosexual, heteronormative, or gender-binary. In the context of Western identity politics the term also acts as a label setting queer-identifying people apart from discourse, ideologies, and lifestyles that typify mainstream LGBT ...
, sexual freedom, body oppression, and anti-capitalism
Anti-capitalism
Anti-capitalism describes a wide variety of movements, ideas, and attitudes which oppose capitalism. Anti-capitalists, in the strict sense of the word, are those who wish to completely replace capitalism with another system....
.
The group also fights alongside other LGBTQ groups to fight gay repression in the county and also work closely with other radical left
Far left
Far left, also known as the revolutionary left, radical left and extreme left are terms which refer to the highest degree of leftist positions among left-wing politics...
groups, including Anarchists Against the Wall
Anarchists Against the Wall
Anarchists Against the Wall , sometimes called "Anarchists Against Fences" or "Jews Against Ghettos", is a direct action group composed of Israeli anarchists and anti-authoritarians who oppose the construction of the Israeli Gaza Strip barrier and Israeli West Bank barrier. The AAtW calls the West...
. Their stated intention is not to educate Palestinians on gay liberation but rather to offer solidarity in their struggle for liberation; however, some believe that they have had a positive effect on the typically conservative culture of Palestine.
See also
- Jews Against the Occupation
- International Solidarity MovementInternational Solidarity MovementThe International Solidarity Movement is an organization focused on assisting the Palestinian cause in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict using nonviolent protests. It was founded in 2001 by Ghassan Andoni, a Palestinian activist; Neta Golan, an Israeli activist; Huwaida Arraf, a...
- Israeli-Palestinian conflictIsraeli-Palestinian conflictThe Israeli–Palestinian conflict is the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The conflict is wide-ranging, and the term is also used in reference to the earlier phases of the same conflict, between Jewish and Zionist yishuv and the Arab population living in Palestine under Ottoman or...
- Refusenik