 The violence in Israel/Palestine is deeply disturbing and heartbreaking. As humans, seeing other humans suffer is naturally disturbing. And as sex-positive folks, we know that sexual freedom cannot exist without basic human rights and safety. Where basic safety does not exist, it is extra hard to advance sexual rights. In the words of an anonymous queer Palestinian, "Israel government made Gaza an impossible place for queer people to exist. Because when you starve people, kill them, not letting them go anywhere, queer rights will never be a priority, even for queer people." The same is true for abortion rights (abortion is against the law in Gaza), the right to comprehensive sex education, and other sexual rights. It can be hard not to fall into despair and hopelessness. But constructive action is the antidote to despair. Here are some things that you can do right now. 7 things you can do to support those who are most affected:1. Call congress to demand a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. You can find your congressperson using this website. Their phone number should be easy to find on Google. You don't have to say much, just a simple "I'm calling to ask so-and-so to call for a ceasefire in Gaza" is good. It's also helpful to say your name and where you live. If you want more guidance, you can find that here. 2. Work with your local Boycott, Divest, Sanctions (BDS) group to call on your community to end its support of Israel’s military & businesses. 3. Donate to relief efforts, like this Emergency Support for Palestinian families in Gaza fundraiser, or our Gazan Family Rescue Fund, which is raising funds for a sex educator and his family to flee the violence in Gaza. 4. Join the (mostly) daily Power Half Hour for Gaza by JVP Action to advocate for the safety of folks in Gaza. 5. Follow Jewish Voice for Peace and Eye on Palestine to learn more. 6. Call a Palestinian or Israeli friend to express your care. 7. See this Toolkit for stopping the Gaza genocide for more action items. Need support?For folks who are close to the situation, the recent events may be traumatizing. For folks who have experienced trauma in the past, hearing about what's going on might be triggering.
If you're struggling, I encourage you to reach out for support from your loved ones and/or these organizations: Arabic SAWA (972594040121 on WhatsApp) | @sawa.organization English & Spanish Crisis Text Line | @crisistextline Hebrew NATAL's trauma helpline (1-800-363-363) This article was written by Nicole Mazzeo. Nicole is a sex educator and zine maker with a focus on consent, pleasure, and sexual rights. She lives in Somerville, Massachusetts. Comments are closed.
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