Stop ‘Pinkwashing’ Apartheid in Israel

Jason Tompkins of GenderJust and the Gay Liberation Network’s Bob Schwartz discuss “Pinkwashing,” a propaganda campaign funded by the Israeli government to divert attention from its continuing violation of Palestinian rights behind an image of modernity, signified by Israeli gay life.

As international outrage has grown in recent years over the continued ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from the Occupied Territories, the Israeli government has poured millions into marketing the country as a ‘gay haven,’ even for Palestinian gays, despite the fact that Palestinians are barred from entering or returning to the country.

Like with the conscious inflating of alleged threats from Iran, pink-washing is a cynical attempt to twist sympathies for peace and justice into support for their opposite.

Originally broadcast November 2, 2012