I’ve stayed away from political elements on ths blog for a long time, but something there’s something I have to mention today, as it relates to the LGBT aspect of the Jewish community as well as to Israel. Gay porn superstar, Michael Lucas, known for his directing and filming, recently took a stand against the LGBT center running an Israeli Apartheid Week event, aimed at the support of Palestine and the destruction of Israel. Michael Lucas is known for filming many movies in Israel, as he describes the landscape and country as breathtaking and his beautiful homeland as a Jew, and he also promotes safe-sex only, always using condoms in all his videos, which is revolutionary in the gay porn industry.
The concept of the LGBT Center in NYC supporting an Israeli Apartheid week event for Palestinian LGBT groups and supporters is a joke. Forget about the fact that Israel is not an Apartheid state, and that it’s an insult to South Africa to call the situation in Israel the same, and forget about the fact that Palestinians don’t even exist because Palestine was never a sovereign nation, and therefore it’s people never a people other than Arabs from various middle-Eastern countries. But what is ridiculous is the concept of anyone LGBT standing up for Palestine. How can anyone who supports gay rights support ANY Arab country? Palestinian Authority Police arrest and torture gay men, Palestinians single out gay men in their communities for collaborating with Israel.
In strong contrast, Israel is often a refuge to gay Palestinians who cannot live in Palestinian territory because of persecution and violence. Israel is at the forefront of gay rights, prohibiting workplace discrimination in 1992, allowing openly gay soldiers to serve in 1993, and giving same-sex couples full spousal benefits in 1994. But none of this matters.
Ignoring all the facts above, which come from HERE, Michael Lucas was right for one reason only- a place like the LGBT center should not be involved in international politics, and simply support those who live here, and their rights and safety in the US, and specifically NYC.
And don’t even tell me that because he’s a porn star he shouldn’t be listened to. While not a Jewish value, even a sin, and not even a respectable profession by many accounts, the point is this man holds clout in the gay community. Jews don’t have to respect him for what he does, but they can agree with his opinion and be happy that a Jew, with some amount of power and respect, is standing up for the rights of Israel.
http://www.jpost.com/JewishWorld/JewishNews/Article.aspx?id=209714&R=R5
ReplyDeletehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/27/michael-lucas-the-zionist_n_828801.html
https://www.5tjt.com/featured-news/9979-oslo-conscience
"Palestinians don't even exist."
ReplyDeleteEly, I've followed your blogged for a while, and I admire and support your stand for gays within orthodoxy.
But this is totally backwards, and on par with those who would claim that "gays don't even exist," and homosexuality is just a social construct, etc.
I'm speaking from a legal definition of a people- a sovereign nation.
ReplyDeleteIn any case-- gays and lesbians living under the Palestinian Authority (the PLO) and under Hamas are not free; some are tortured to death, some have been forced to become suicide bombers. The only free Palestinian Arab gays and lesbians are those who live in Israel.
ReplyDeleteOn the gay issue, Israel is very very good; the Palestinian leadership is very bad.
This anti-Israel "gay" group, by the way, is NOT composed of Arabs gays and lesbians-- it's simply a hateful left-wing organization that fixates on Israel as part of the worldwide kill-Israel campaign that the extreme left has been waging for two generations.
Nothing is wrong with the points this porn star was making, and I actually agree with them. But it's a bit strange that your post is centered around a porn star all together as the role model of standing against Israel Apartheid week and against Palestinian causes.
ReplyDeleteI mean a massive porn star? Really? Are there any more respectable gays that you can quote about this matter?
Anon 2:50,
ReplyDeleteI'm not exactly sure what the problem is. I'm writing about this b/c it's been an issue in the gay Jewish community, not as a representative of all things Israel Apartheid week.
"which is revolutionary in the gay porn industry.":
ReplyDeleteWearing a condom is not revolutionary in gay porn. I seen gay porn and quite often they wear a condom. Straight porn is almost never with a condom.
What's revolutionary, Spinoza, is to have a director/porn company that ONLY practices safe sex and has no videos to their company that do not use condoms.
ReplyDeleteEly,
ReplyDeleteI think Anon 2:50's point was that you make strong valid statements regarding LGBT rights groups and how they should a) stay out of non-gay international issues and b)approach any issues they are addressing with full factual knowledge (that here would lead them to support Israel, at the very least because of its treatment of the GLBT community) but that you detracted from this point by centering the post around Lucas. Obviously, its a blogger's choice how he will structure his blog and posts.
Your representative for the gay community who is indeed making a valid point for Israel is a porn star, who uses a condom in his anal sex shots (amazing, shokiach!). That's the problem
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting issue, but I would have focused more on the content and less on Mr Lucas and his line of work.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, being blindly "pro-Palestinian" has become part of the agenda of many left-wing people. This is particularly true in Europe. So much so, that an LGBT center can even think of supporting an idea like that Israel Apartheid week - a "single issue" organization, forgetting the records of Israel and Palestine regarding that single issue. Sometimes I'm amazed at how stupid we humans are becoming; this is more than just politics, it's a matter of basic common sense. Argh!
Shabbat shalom,
-- Yacov
Disgusting! I wouldn't want a gay pornographer's support for a shul or a yeshiva, I certainly don't want his support for the Land of Israel. This animal should keep his disgusting pastimes out of our Holy Land (and may he do teshuvah soon)!
ReplyDeleteWell, while I think "Israeli Apartheid Week" is an inflammatory (and inaccurate) name, it shouldn't obscure the fact that real oppression does come to Palestinians (or, if you don't believe they are a nation, residents of the West Bank/Judea and Samaria and Gaza). We are bound by halacha to treat all people, not just other Jews, with dignity. I admit I don't know the objectives of these people at the LGBT center - do they seek to deligitimize Israel? Is this a healthy critique of a Middle Eastern democracy? I don't know enough about it. But, it is certainly within an American's right to criticize Israel, as much as it is to protest those who seek Israel's destruction.
ReplyDeleteBrandon...
ReplyDeleteOf course the Palestinian's are oppressed. However, Israel's responsibility is first to protect their citizens and only then do they focus on non-Israeli citizens. Throughout their history, the more they gave to innocent Palestinians, the more the terrorists took advantage of that (by attacking Israeli's) and forced Israel to treat the Palestinians the way they do. So while I do feel for the innocents that are suffering, the blame goes to Hamas alone.