Published today, February 29, as many as 23 Irish LGBTQ+ organisations have joined forces to pen an open letter calling for a ceasefire amidst the ongoing violence in Gaza. Among the organisations calling for a ceasefire are ShoutOut, LGBT Ireland, TENI, Queer Asian Pride Ireland, the National LGBT Federation (NXF) and GCN. 

The letter begins: “We, the undersigned Irish LGBTQI+ organisations, join the global call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. A ceasefire is urgently needed to save lives, to halt the destruction of Gaza and the murder of its civilians, and to secure peaceful, equitable futures for all. 

“LGBTQI+ people across the world have watched the violence of the past four months in horror,” the letter continued. “We denounce the taking of innocent Israeli lives by Hama on October 7th, and call for the release of all hostages. We condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the indiscriminate and brutal assault on Gazan civilians since that day.”

The open letter continues: “Almost 30,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since October, including over 11,5000 children. Those who survive are starving, without access to water, and facing the mortal threats of disease, displacement, and malnutrition, cumulatively representing a risk of genocide of the people of Gaza.” 

The signatories, including organisations like Amach! LGBT, Dublin LGBTQ+ Pride, Gay Project, and GOSHH, went on to explain how the impact of the violence resonates with the LGBTQ+ community in Ireland: 

“LGBTQI+ communities have felt the pain of state violence and oppression. We know the value of international solidarity in addressing injustice against vulnerable communities. In Ireland, we have been supported in our battles for equality by our global LGBTQI+ family and allies.

“The scale of the violence perpetrated upon Gaza and its children is beyond our community’s comprehension, outside anything we have witnessed in our own painful histories; we can only call to anyone who will hear us for the killing to stop.”

 

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In addition to calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the open letter’s signatories have also outlined work that must be done by Irish LGBTQ+ organisations to aid in the ongoing humanitarian crisis. 

“For LGBTQI+ organisations, this task includes dismantling the global pinkwashing of Israeli violence and military occupation by challenging the perception of Israel as a leader in LGBTQI+ equality, and using our power to call on governments, businesses, and international bodies to recognise and oppose oppression, brutality, and inequality in Palestine.” 

The letter, similarly signed by the Glória LGBT+ Choir, LINC and Outhouse LGBTQ+ Centre, argues that “Ireland’s voice must continue to cry out against the bloodshed. Communities in every town and city across the island have marched in their thousands to beg for an end to the killing. We call on our political leaders to continue advocating for a permanent ceasefire, to continue sending humanitarian aid, and to use all diplomatic and political means available to end Israel’s breaches of international law in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

“We call on LGBTQI+ communities and organisations to continue raising our collective voice in solidarity with Palestine and to work together towards a future free from oppression, in recognition of the fact that there is no queer liberation without Palestinian liberation; and that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” the letter concluded. 

The full list of organisations that have currently signed onto the open letter include:

Amach! LGBT
Black Queer Book Club
Dublin LGBTQ+ Pride
Gay Health Network
Gay Project
GCN
Glória LGBT+ Choir
GOSHH
Intersex Ireland
LGBT Ireland
LINC
National LGBT Federation
Neuro Pride Ireland (Allied organisation)
Outhouse LGBTQ+ Centre
Queer Asian Pride Ireland
Queers for Palestine
ShoutOut
Small Trans Library
Sporting Pride
The Switchboard
TENI
Trans and Intersex Pride Dublin
Trans Healthcare Action