Economist Reports: Not So Gay in Palestine
The Economist reported this week that it is becoming more difficult for gay Palestinians to find refuge in Israel and abroad. According to the report, because Israel is filling in the remaining open spaces in its security barrier/fence/wall it recently took a Palestinian drag performer seven hours to complete what should normally be a one hour journey from Ramallah to Tel Aviv.
One time, high heels and a wig saved Imad from prison. The 22-year-old from the West Bank capital, Ramallah, had been caught in Jerusalem without a permit. On the way to the jail, the police asked him and his friend why they had sneaked into town. As his friend shrivelled up with shame, Imad (not his real name) proudly told them he had come to perform at the Shushan, Jerusalem’s only gay bar. He opened his bag and flourished his outfit with a bristle of sequins. The police, realising that they had caught a couple of drag queens instead of a couple of terrorists, let them go with a warning never to return. “And two days later,” recounts Imad with a gleam in his eye, “I was back, even in the same café where they arrested me.”
June 8th, 2007 at 6:55 pm
When are you going to have the pictures of Pride on here?