21/07/2011 | Writer: Kaos GL

With a joint statement, Kaos GL and Pembe Hayat Associations announced their boycott of International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Youth and Student Organization (IGLYO) which hasn’t withdrawn its General Assembly out of Israel.

Kaos GL and Pembe Hayat Are Boycotting IGLYO’s Raise-Your-Hand-Democracy Kaos GL - News Portal for LGBTI+
With a joint statement, Kaos GL and Pembe Hayat Associations announced their boycott of International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Youth and Student Organization (IGLYO) which hasn’t withdrawn its General Assembly out of Israel.
 
Kaos GL and Pembe Hayat, both of whom described IGLYO’s Board members’ approach to the resignation of the member organization Helem as “shamelessness and disappointment”, stated that they will announce their own resignation if their letters are not taken into consideration and will join the boycott of the Palestinian organizations.
 
The Demand of the Palestinians in Against to Seige
Following the call of the Palestinian LGBT organizations, Kaos GL has had requested IGLYO to re-consider its decision to hold its GA in Israel. Amid the announcement of deciding to hold the GA in Tel Aviv by IGLYO, of which Kaos GL is a member, Palestinian organizations have made an international call to protest the situation of Israel being the conference host. The 3 Palestinian organizations -AlQaws, Aswat and PQBDS- requested IGLYO to take the boycott call into consideration and change the host country due to the seige of Palestine and the country politics of Israel.
 
Upon the Palestinian organizations’ call and IGLYO’s answer to it, which Kaos GL believed to be reckless, an open letter by Kaos GL was shared with both IGLYO and international community. And IGLYO found the solution in exposing the case to voting.
 
Raise-Your-Hand Democracy
Kaos GL and Pembe Hayat have stated in their joint letter that “the voting that was carried out paved the way for a conflict among the member organisations while it has proved to be "raise-your-hand-democracy"” Kaos GL has criticized IGLYO with being politically-short-sighted in its first letter. In the joing letter, it was underlined that IGLYO has strengthened this situation by its method to vote.
 
“Defining Conflict as Lack of Dialogue Between Islam and Israelis Is Grave and Unlucky”
Kaos GL and Pembe Hayat, who criticized the picturing of the situation as a lack of dialogue between Islam and Israelis as being “grave and unlucky”, continued: “We define your ignorance of the fact that this conference will portray Tel-Aviv as a LGBT and human rights heaven as a political choice. We recognize the right of Israel to exist as equal as the right of Palestine to exist; however, we do not see this definition as a barrier in front of critisizing the policies of Israel which turn the lives of Palestinians into hell.”
 
IGLYO Has Lost Its Impartiality!
The letter underlined that IGLYO did not perform in neurality when moderating the discussions in regard to the topic, showing the Board’s inner-reactions to Helem which is a Labanese member organization that announced its resignation from IGLYO. The letter stated We define the Board’s reactions of "Cool" and "Oh joy!" about the resignment demand as shamelessness and disappointment. We name the possibility of this reaction of oppositional voices on your side as an injustice to the history of IGLYO. In the following process, what we expect from you is that you expect the resignments of members as we do and to take action as regards to the issue of conference venue about which you have never been able to prove your equity.”
 
Kaos GL and Pembe Hayat, who declared that they will be an active part of the boycott against IGLYO’s approach which proves the justness of the reactions of Palestinian activists, announced that they will present their organizational resignation if their demands are not taken into consideration.
 
“We know there are Israelis who risk their lives against the seige”
The two organizations stated that they “reject to assess the Israeli voices as a mono-blog voice.” and will continue inviting “international LGBT community and every human rights defender to stand against the partial attitude of IGLYO Board”.
 
“We know that we are not alone and wrong about our reaction on the prison-situation of Palestinians. There are Israelis who have a say on state violence, even risk their lives and support Palestinians politically and ethically despite their own state’s policies. Because of this reason, we reject to assess the Israeli voices as a mono-blog voice.”
 
 
Related link:
 
“Kaos GL’s Open Letter to IGLYO Board”
 
Kaos GL ve Pembe Hayat, IGLYO’nun Parmak Demokrasisini Boykot Ediyor!

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