Dear Supporter,
After 33 years of advocating for the government to "Fight AIDS, not Arabs!" during the Gulf War, ACT UP NY has taken a significant step in displaying solidarity with Palestine. Yesterday, on January 23rd, ACT UP NY made a historic endorsement with the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement and joined Queers for Liberation in calling for a ceasefire.
Founded in 1987, ACT UP NY is proud to be a diverse group of non-partisan individuals united in anger to end HIV/AIDS, with many of their members being part of the LGBTQ+ community.
“I remember in 1985 during the early days of the AIDS epidemic, when at 21 years old I tested positive for HIV. Then and now, the U.S. government ignored the crisis, the media spread misinformation, and people were treated as disposable – people with HIV then, Palestinians now. We had to fight for our lives, our dignity, and our basic human rights. We had to create our own networks of support, care, and advocacy and reach out for solidarity where we could find it. I see in The BDS Movement, as in the development of ACT UP, fierce creativity and audacious hope distilled into effective non-violent direct action; I see a movement that could bring a ceasefire in the middle of a genocidal war and bring peace in the face of a seemingly immutable injustice.”
— Raffi Babakhanian ACT UP NY member and HIV treatment activist.
ACT UP NY has always been a rainbow coalition fighting for queer and trans liberation. The group acknowledges that Israel's attempts to pinkwash genocide uses queerness to brutalize Palestinians indiscriminately. This has led them to join Queers For Liberation in calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
Queers for Liberation is honored by ACT UP NY's action and partnership and hopes that it will inspire other LGBTQIA2S+ organizations to follow suit.
To read ACT UP NY's full statement, please click [here].
Thank you for your continued support.
Best,