As Jews in solidarity with First Nations against colonial forces, the goal of this fundraiser is to provide material support for Palestinian and Aboriginal community organisations as they fight for freedom and self-determination.
Although lockdown has delayed our plans for in-person community-building events, our aim is to mobilise our queer, arts and Jewish communities in support of Palestinian and Aboriginal resistance to ongoing colonisation and occupation.
Tzedek is excited to facilitate this fundraiser auction in support of alQaws (@alqaws_org) and Black Rainbow (@blackrainbowaus). We are so grateful to all the artists and writers who have generously contributed their time and work to the auction.
We have chosen to support both alQaws and Black Rainbow as these organisations maintain that queer and gender-diverse First Nations groups are first and foremost impacted by colonialism and occupation.
Queer liberation is fundamentally tied to the dreams of First Nations liberation: self-determination, dignity, and the end of all systems of oppression. The fight against patriarchy and sexual oppression is intertwined with the fight against settler-colonialism and capitalism.
Settler-colonialism, homonationalism and tactics such as pinkwashing weaponise First Nations’ queer experiences to place them in opposition to their own communities. As many of our members are queer, we’ve also witnessed the ways that pinkwashing obfuscates the violent reality of both Australian colonisation and Israeli occupation.
Through this event, we hope to show our material support for First Nations self-determination, and we also aim to create change in our own Jewish communities.
No pride in colonialism.
About alQaws:
alQaws for Sexual & Gender Diversity in Palestinian Society is a LGBTQ civil society organisation at the forefront of Palestinian cultural and social change.
Maintaining their grassroots origins, alQaws is a movement which runs community centers and events in cities and rural areas across Palestine, operates a national support hotline, builds partnerships and alliances with established cultural institutions and civil society organisations, creates innovative media campaigns, works to transform public discourse, and much more.
alQaws’ vision is to contribute to the building of a vibrant and just Palestinian society that celebrates diverse sexualities and genders while also struggle for broader social justice, challenging the political forces that divide the Palestinian people.
Learn more at alqaws.org
About Black Rainbow:
Indigenous owned and operated, Black Rainbow is a grassroots national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer, Sistergirl and Brotherboy (LGBQTI+SB) organisation.
Originally focusing on suicide prevention, Black Rainbow currently support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander LGBQTI+SB people through a variety of community projects and initiatives. These include the Contagion of Love projects and grants, the Futures Fund which are awarded for the advancement of Indigenous LGBTIQ+ community, support for those experiencing homelessness, leaving a domestic violence relationship or the justice system, as well as undertaking a nation-wide research project to inform future directions across national policy and practice intervention.
Black Rainbow’s work is done in the pursuit of positive health and wellbeing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Lesbian LGBQTI+SB*.
Learn more at blackrainbow.org.au