Queering
“Pls know despite what the media says there are gay Palestinians. We are here, we are queer. Free Palestine.” “This is where I first fell for you. It was 2021, the last major Israeli bombardment on Gaza. You never knew you were the reason that I first listened to my favorite bands or watched Portrait of a Lady on Fire. everything comes back to you. Now you are a student abroad and Israeli occupation bombs may take everyone and everything you ever loved away. Your mom, your home, your memories. I am so sorry the world failed you. That your mom, sister, best friends, everything is lost in this genocide.” “The first boy I ever kissed lived here. His cousin found out and tried to stab me. I haven’t been back since.” “Idk how long I will live so I just want this to be my memory before I die. I am not going to leave my home, come what may. My biggest regret is not kissing this one guy. He died two days back. We had told how much we like each other and I was too shy to kiss last time. He died in the bombing. I think a big part of me died too. And soon I will be dead. To Younus, I will kiss you in heaven.”
Messages from LGBT+ Palestinians suffering a brutal genocide since October 2023 now exist on the map as a reminder that none of us are free until all of us are free. These anonymous notes from Gaza are a heartbreaking illustration of queer love and loss. “Pls know despite what the media says there are gay Palestinians. We are here, we are queer. Free Palestine.” “The only thing that keeps me patient living in Gaza is the sea and you.” “I know I was different from a young age. I knew I liked boys early on. But society demands it remains hidden. I live elsewhere now and I’m still trying to connect the dots. I wish things weren’t this complicated. I don’t want to hurt my family, but I cannot live a lie.” “A place where I kissed my first crush. Being gay in Gaza is hard but somehow it was fun. I made out with a lot of boys in my neighborhood. I thought everyone is gay to some level.”
the Map
LGBT+ Voices from Gaza
“Keep fighting, dearest Palestinian siblings. You will be free to live and love” “When I came out as a lesbian and posted it on Twitter, I had some homophobic men tag the IDF on my account and say I deserved to be bombed by them. Growing up in London, I’ve also been told by some queer people that Palestinians deserve to be bombed because they are less accepting than Israelis on the lgbt people. Decided to pin this here because it’s the place I’m supposed to be in, not in a refugee camp.” “I wish I could watch the sunset over Gaza sea with you. For one night I wish this occupation was no longer and that we could be free for once on our own land.”
Queering the Map is a collaborative, community generated online counter-mapping project that allows for the sharing of LGBT+ experiences from all over the world. Founded by Lucas LaRochelle in 2017, it has become a space with more than 850,000 stories in at least 28 languages of queer life from all corners of the globe. From funny anecdotes, to candid confessions, to touching love stories, Queering the Map highlights the experiences of queer people from all walks of life, and celebrates the locations and spaces that we inhabit. However, among the joyful stories of people who are out and proud, living their lives boldly and in public, Queering the Map also gives space to some of the less visible experiences of the LGBT+ community. LGBT+ Palestinians describe their experiences of living under the force of Israel’s horrific occupation and unrelenting airstrikes. These heartbreaking words are a humbling reminder that while we celebrate Pride, members of our queer community are enduring
“I fell in love with her, here. She never knew.”
“I’ve always imagined you and me sitting out in the sun, hand and hand, free at last. We spoke of all the places we would go if we could. Yet you are gone now. If I had known that bombs raining down on us would take you from me, I would have gladly told the world how I adored you more than anything. I’m sorry I was a coward.”
unimaginable suffering. The messages from Gaza on Queering the Map show that queer love and lives exist in every context and highlight that LGBT+ solidarity with Palestine is absolutely vital. LGBT+ communities have suffered under state violence and oppression and it is therefore absolutely crucial that our community calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and stands in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
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