“The Israeli attack on Evin Prison — carried out in broad daylight, in front of families and visitors — is clearly a war crime,” says Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi.
Missing from who's notice? "Trans" wing how? The point was to free political prisoners and destabilize the Iranian regime. And not to put too fine a point on it, Iran when it catches a male gay couple, it executes both unless one accepts coerced gender reassignment surgery.
The article clearly points out that Iran is treating LGBTQ+ people poorly, given the crackdowns and the existence of the wing.
But that does not excuse Israel bombing the wing and causing the deaths of 100 people. That too is not liberation, these were transgender civilians who were persecuted by one country and bombed by another.
It would be irresponsible not to report on this, it's a tremendous loss of transgender lives.
"But that does not excuse Israel bombing the wing and causing the deaths of 100 people." <-- Simple error does, and, there is no credible excuse even claimed here to pretend it was anything other than error.
"these were transgender civilians" <-- Some, maybe, and maybe none. Given Iran's policies, many were gay men forced to have gender reassignment or be executed.
"It would be irresponsible not to report on this, it's a tremendous loss of transgender lives." <-- How it is being reported on here is irresponsible.
There are reasons you don't bomb civilian buildings, and this result is exactly why. It is irresponsible to make excuses for Israel doing this. I'd report on the US if we did the same thing. I remember similar actions happening by the US in the early 2000s wars and we were widely (rightfully) criticized, despite the US asserting that it was "collateral damage."
There are reasons you bomb civilian buildings and doing so for those reasons is no war crime at all.
"I'd report on the US if we did the same thing." <-- And if you reported it the same way I'd object vociferously for the same reasons -- complete lack of moral perspective as to what the rules of war actually are, and with how perfectly they can be effectuated.
"It is irresponsible to make excuses for Israel doing this." <-- No excuses are needed, releasing political prisoners to destabilize the mullahs regime is perfectly rational and legal under the rules of war.
"I remember similar actions happening by the US in the early 2000s wars and we were widely (rightfully) criticized, despite the US asserting that it was "collateral damage."" <-- No, not sanely or rightfully criticized. Perfection is not possible, self defense however imperfect is.
To mangle allusions I hope productively, this piece is protesting too much about a splinter in one eye while turning a blind eye to the board in another eye -- all to the purpose of apparently hoping someday the head with the eye with splinter, is separated from it's neck.
There is no genocide attempted by Israel against anyone, and there is no excuse to claim there is. It is a faith based claim, not an evidence based one.
Yeah, I think we will differ on this at a fundamental level - that civilian casualties are acceptable and that targeting buildings with large numbers of civilians is acceptable. At that basic level disagreement, we probably will not find much common ground.
Please just ban this person lol. They are obviously a white nationalist and are just being extremely racist (calling Arabs "goat herders", explicitly stating that there are no innocent Arabs, etc.)
You are apparently presuming they intended to hit the civilians, I am not. You are demanding a level of perfection not humanly possible for self defense to be acceptable, I am not.
A simple error to launch bombs into a foreign country? That country (Israel ) is out of control. Iran isn't a good country by any means, but this idea that the best solution to things is to use bombs only makes things worse. The target may or may not have been an accident, but that is no excuse. Many were gay men? Do you have stats to show that? What does it matter whether they are gay, trans or cishet? They were killed. I don't want a 100 gay people dead either. But you have no evidence either way.
They definitely freed them. From the prison, their limbs, and their lives as well. Great compassion for the death of one hundred transgender brothers and sisters. I'm sure your reward is waiting in heaven for your compassion.
And here we have yet another example, as if we needed one, of how Zionists are not compatible with the safety and humanity of transgender people and never will be.
Your denialism is eerily similar to that of any other transphobe. You might as well be calling this a “fever dream.” IYKYK
I have news for you sweetie, the mullahs getting a bomb or 60 is what is not compatible with the safety or humanity of any people, including transgender ones, Iranian ones, or transgender Iranian ones. You couldn't name even one fact I am denying -- you just don't like what the facts mean.
The fact is Zionism is not objectionable to sane people at all -- it was the murderous insane objections raised violently to it by those who could have peaceably been it's neighbors which were objectionable. Those states then proceeded to lose about 5 wars to Israel in succession, and Israel can no more be expected to return any territory taken from it's enemies on that course than Poland should give back to Germany, what was once Pomerania, Silesia, and/or a Prussia.
The fact is that if Gaza had elected a peaceable government, instead of tearing up the water and sewer system Israel gave to them for rocket tubes with which to attack Israel, and not undertaken the attack of Oct. 7th, 2023 -- they would be a peaceful prosperous sovereignty now . . . and that Oct. 7 attack, which was a deliberate war crime by the government of Gaza, was planned with and supported by Iran.
I am not interested in your neoliberal geopolitical DARVO. Nor am I interested in your whitewashing of theocratic fascists, the lion’s share of which are American Evangelicals, as “sane.”
Nationalism is a plague on human rights. I do not think you are in the right place.
Oh I know you aren't interested in facts, in reality, or in what is right or wrong. News flash, Israel is fighting for it's existence against the theocratic fascists and you are supporting the theocratic facsists. That's not DARVO, it's just more reality than you can deal with maturely.
"Nationalism is a plague on human rights." <-- Deflection by false equivalency.
"I do not think you are in the right place." <-- I'm right where I need to be and how I should be.
PS. "neoliberal geopolitical" <-- I have no reason to suspect you have any idea what either word means.
"Just join the IDF so you can murder starving Muslim children already" <-- Why yes, you are completely deranged. The IDF does nothing such. Hamas lies about the IDF doing that.
And for the love of any God out there, stop feeding the trolls and giving them food(words). Moderators, do your jobs. Stop tolerating intolerance because you fear not letting them "be heard". They get angry because they know it pressures you into feeling bad but don't. If you feel bad, you give them a platform to reach more like minded idiots. You have the ability to control what is on YOUR platform, moderate it. Anti zionism =/= anti Semitic. End colonization, end white supremacy, end zionism. These go hand in hand unless you listen to mainstream media(ALL of which are owned by pro genocide and zionist men. Im not joking, follow the money.) This goes beyond republican and democrat. Look up the AIPAC money trail, both are extremely guilty in taking millions from zionists to point at each other and cry foul. STATES must sign a waiver promising not to boycott Israel if they want federal aid. It is worse than we could imagine. We are owned by Israel like it or not.
Thank you for sharing this. This is the first queer article I've seen regarding the conflict and genocide. I am curious to know the history of trans people in Palestine. Media portrays it as conservative but it's such an ancient culture, surely there was room for people who fit neither category.
A Dutch town recently did a 24 hr read of all the victims since Oct 7th. It took 1.5 hrs to read all the Israeli victims and about 5 days to read the list of Palestinian lives claimed by the occupation, of which that list had grown by over 100 lives at conclusion of reading.
This merciless slaughter needs to end. 80% of Israel supports a complete genocide of Palestinians, not believing a single soul worth saving. They are wildly out of control. If you are still listening to mainstream media for the conflict, stop. Listen to the doctors(whom are being executed and disappeared at an alarming rate by the IOF)
" 80% of Israel supports a complete genocide of Palestinians," - that's not even close to true. Frankly, there is nothing that 80% of Israelis can agree on politically. They have factions just like we do. What would you think about someone who insisted that 80% of Americans support decimating Medicare? You'd think they were nuts, right? Just consider that.
Anyway, not directed at any one person specifically -
In fact, the current government is very, very unpopular in Israel. Your statement is a lot like claiming that we Americans are all responsible for the actions of the Orange Regime here, regardless of for whom one voted nor how active one has been in the resistance.
Like the US, Israel is made up of a tremendous diversity of people. One reason Bibi continues the war is because it keeps him out of jail... which is where many Israelis would like to see him. While it may not necessarily be antisemitic to speak out against a specific government action (war, etc) what IS antisemitic is painting every Israeli (and often every Jew everywhere) with the same brush.
There are also many definitions of Zionism, and without checking to see if you are using it the same way others are using it, you are getting nowhere. The term is currently used by many as a code word for evil genociders (another fraught word with multiple definitions) or something, but that's not what the vast majority of Jewish people are referring to when they use the word. And in any case, that still begs the question "which Jews" and "in what era."
Basically, there needs to be a lot less assuming and a lot more listening. Othering and assaulting American Jews in lieu of beating Bibi over the head is antisemitic and it's dangerous for everyone. American Jews have no more to do with Israeli government policies than American Blacks have to do with the policies of, for example, the government of Uganda. We don't live there, we don't vote there, we don't necessarily know that those policies are nor how the Israeli government works (or is supposed to work), and we are mostly too busy fighting off the overwhelming police state that has planted itself right here in the US.
I'm not going to get into it over who did what to whom nor when - at this point most people have cemented in their position and don't really care what other information is out there. What I am trying to say is that the situation in the Middle East is far more complex than bumper sticker politics allows for, and oversimplification does not work well for anyone. I mean, I get it. You're angry, horrified even, at what you see as genocide. Genocide it horrifying. You feel helpless to stop it, and you want someone nearby to take it out on. But how does attacking American Jews address the problem? THAT is what is antisemitic (or racist, xenophobic, homophobic, transphobic) looks like - characterizing all of a group as all the same. It's lazy thinking and it's dangerous.
OK, getting off my soapbox. I'm probably going to be sorry I let myself ramble here but hey, go ahead and start yelling and calling me names. I can always block you, I suppose.
"That its military aggression " <-- What aggression? Defense can be violent and not aggression -- as this is.
"It’s a telling example of Israel's fraught relationship with LGBTQ rights, one that is often deployed in order to justify massacres in the region." <-- What massacres?
"Over the course of twelve days in June, around 1,000 Iranians were killed by Israeli forces. By comparison, 28 Israelis have been killed by Iran in the same timeframe." <-- Even if true, so what? I should weep for Iranians when they fail to remove from governance their mullahs who are hostis humani generis? That's on them, the same way Germany had a fitting trial by fire for their tolerating when not encouraging their Austrian corporal.
"The IDF has also bombed Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen over the last few months." <-- And when I consider who was under those bombs, GOOD !!! It's not innocent goatherders.
"This is all in addition to Israel’s ongoing genocide in Palestine," <-- There is no such thing. There is instead only the tolerance of those who live in Gaza and Lebanon, for those who desire to commit genocide against Israel.
Those who instead permit and encourage their children to laugh, skip, and play around Hamas gunmen firing on Israelis are not. When they lose their children, I weep at the necessity of it, not the fact of it.
The sheer bigoted, factlessness of the braindead, heartless Left with respect to Israel's right to preserve itself per the rules of warfare which it is following, is rivaled only by the same mindless vitriol I see in MAGAts.
What is worst of the Social Conservatives here is how they have and seek to satisfy their imam envy...
The Washington Post satellite image analysis showed damage to four different areas of the prison, including the visitor center, medical center and ward 209. Whoever told you that only the gate and guard housing were damaged is a liar.
No, I said the only strikes I saw were to those areas, and I was not lying. Even if any bombs went astray or were inadvertently targeted owing to incorrect intelligence -- that is no war crime.
If your intelligence is not good enough to know where to target a missile or if your bombs are too inaccurate to avoid killing a ton of civilians, maybe you should just stick to bombing exclusively military targets that you know you can actually hit (like Iran did).
So what? I didn't say it was. I am saying and I do know, taking the NYT and it's sources here on face value on this topic is inexcusable, and, that there is no genocide being attempted by Israel.
"Who called it a genocide? " <-- The article we are commenting about. "This is all in addition to Israel’s ongoing genocide in Palestine . . ."
"By reporting; it’s the killing of 100 transgender people already being held in prison." <-- With no even vaguely credible attempt to allow it could have been innocent error, but instead to imply any bomb Israel drops is a war crime.
"If you don’t find that to rise to your level of concern; you have a serious problem." <-- Concern for what? I know full f--king well the IDF doesn't want to waste any bombs on a target they have hit accidentally either through technical problems or bad intelligence, and they idea they hit the "transgender wing" on purpose is stupid beyond belief.
... I will not condemn those same actual imams or their flunkies under arms being killed to delay or prevent their getting nukes, neither strikes against their government generally.
"Israeli officials framed the mass slaughter of civilians—including human rights activists, medical staff, and nearby residents—as “somehow an act of liberation,” The Times reports."
What mass slaughter of civilians? The people you quote uncritically, I know have been liars as bad or worse even than Trump! is, and that for 4 decades.
"I hope one day you learn how to love instead of hate." - Toni
I do know how to love Toni, what you want me to do is hate Israelis and desire their death, and for me to "love" those who want to murder them, and you, and I.
Not to the extent that you permit them to murder people including children, which is what you and Baum and the rest of the murderously stupid brain dead Left is demanding of Israel. You are with your own bigotries as bad as any MAGAt is.
The New York Times and it's sources are no more credible in this report than it is when it supports transphobic positions in its articles.
"Mass slaughter of civilians," as if to ignore the fact that Israel was targeting Revolutionary Guard leaders and nuclear scientists. Hamas plays the same game in Gaza, forbidding anyone there from pointing out that ANY of the bombing victims were militants. If Israel is randomly killing Gazan civilians, how is it that the 2% of the population that has unfortunately died includes almost all of Hamas's 10/7/2023 leadership?
The fact that Jewish and Arab Israeli LGBTQ people are free to live their lives does not excuse any bad actions Israel's government takes. But please do not rely solely on the reporting of journalists whose lives depend on pleasing homophobes and transphobes to evaluate those actions.
Adopting the lie that Israel is even attempting a genocide against Gazans is itself in fact endorsing the genocide of Israelis.
"If Israel is randomly killing Gazan civilians, how is it that the 2% of the population that has unfortunately died includes almost all of Hamas's 10/7/2023 leadership?" <-- And simply put, it is not so that the IDF is randomly or uncaringly killing anyone. The IDF takes extraordinary and generally successful efforts to avoid non-combatant casualties. the rules of war permit blockade, including of food, and humanitarian provision of food is not possible where it will be confiscated by the belligerent's combatants in the blockaded area. Israel can not lawfully prohibit the feeding of Gazans, but can lawfuly prohibit the feeding of Hamas.
If the people who want to feed Gazans for humanitarian purposes want to go in armed and drive of and kill Hamas when they Hamas goes to take the food, more power to them -- and if those humanitarians won't do that, then Israel can lawfully stop them from going in.
Erin, I love your work; I have followed regularly for many years, and think the work you're doing is of incredible value and importance, and is almost always done in such a professional, responsible, way, the kind of reporting we all deserve, and that has truly made such an impact.
I am so sad to see you defending this kind of anti-Israel screed. There are ways of reporting on these events and being critical of the decisions and actions of the Israeli military and government without going out of one's way to make sure that every single line is phrased in such a way as to frame Israel as profoundly, fundamentally, villainous. Just look around - see how professional news outlets are reporting on it.
This isn't journalism. It's a hit piece. It is someone simply using your platform to promote a particular view, a particular biased narrative or perspective, of Israel - not its government, not its leaders, but Israel as a whole, as an entity - as fundamentally villainous.
I don't care what side you're on. This isn't about sides, and I am not by any means trying to say that any and all criticism of Israel must be pushed back against. I am saying that one can be critical of specific actions and decisions without asserting a worldview around it that assumes and asserts villainous intentions or of character at every turn.
Polemics like this one reflect badly on you, on your reporting, on everything that you do here. The work you do is so important, and I would hate to see you lose reputation, status, support, following because of this kind of hateful screed. I am deeply sad to see you defend and support this, and I hope that you will take it down.
Hey! Author of this piece here. I appreciate your feedback. Admittedly I try to stay out of comment sections, but I do want to point out that this article is, in fact, a critique of the Israeli government.
I write that the Israeli government bombed a civilian infrastructure, leading to reports of mass death of trans people, and that bombing civilians is arguably at odds the Israeli government's self-branding as a beacon of progressive values. I think that is factual.
I do not think I ascribed intentions to the bombing beyond what's been reported—I focus on the impact, which was mass civilian casualty, including reports that it was largely trans people. Whether or not that was their primary intended target is nominally relevant, because it was the ultimate result. It shows, at best, a disregard for their lives. I reject the idea that 100 civilians should be slaughtered—regardless of the nationality of said civilian. I believe in supporting all trans people, not just ones of a certain ethnicity or race or religion.
If Iran executes 100 transgender people in broad daylight tomorrow, I would want to report on that too. Thank you for taking the time to comment and express your thoughts.
"I write that the Israeli government bombed a civilian infrastructure, leading to reports of mass death of trans people, and that bombing civilians is arguably at odds the Israeli government's self-branding as a beacon of progressive values. I think that is factual." <-- Which is how you let me know you've never read the Geneva Conventions, or studied the history of their application.
"It shows, at best, a disregard for their lives." <-- Bullshit! Your claim is the baseless assertion that because the bomb hit a medical ward of some type the IDF must not have done due diligence -- that is a baseless assertion.
"If Iran executes 100 transgender people in broad daylight tomorrow, I would want to report on that too." <-- They've been doing that to LGBTQ people for one reason or another for over 40 years. Where is your history of writing on it?
Were you aware this was almost certainly not a "trans" ward, but where they were forcing gay cisgender men to have gender reassignment surgery or be executed?
Without taking a side on this strike (e.g. my own opinion non-withstanding), this seems out of character for this publication to me.
This isn’t a rights issue (which is usually what Erin writes about). It’s a violence issue. We have no idea why the bombing took place and who the target was on the Israeli side (why did they do it). We also don’t know why these people were imprisoned on the Iran side. There were also obviously other deaths in the prison as well.
The article also doesn’t seem well vetted, one source, no video. A single photo.
Did Erin give the ok on this one? I know she is out on vacation…
I agree. I have been pushed out of my queer community over the past year because of being Jewish and the harsh rise in antisemitism. I also understand that those perpetrating this do not intend to be, do not believe they are being antisemitic, usually can point to at least one Jewish person who agrees with them on such a contentious issue (even at shul this is a hard topic), and genuinely believe they are trying to help people.
I have appreciated that this publication has been queer news and queer news only, and focused on legal issues, and not dipped into something that is very heavily reported on everywhere else. This is also, as you note, not a good authoritative article, and unfortunately there is no shortage of secondary or tertiary reporting that adds an unnecessary slant to a complicated issue with all the primary sources in languages the authors don't speak.
I hope this publication does not become another echo chamber on this issue.
Hey, thanks for taking the time to respond to this piece. I wrote it and I'm Jewish, so I too struggle daily with the complexities of Jewish life rn.
There has been extensive evidence of the destruction caused by the bombings including photos, video, firsthand accounts, satellite imagery. It's in many major news outlets.
I also want to note that I have routinely written stories here that are not focused on legal issues. Transness is vast and versatile: the fight for trans rights and trans life transcends borders and singular themes like legal stories. I frequently seek out intersectionality in my reporting—connecting trans rights issues with other human rights issues, such as the criminal justice system or reproductive health care or racism, because all human rights issues are intertwined. I think these efforts are clear in my reporting in this and other stories. None of us are free until all of us are free. Hope this clears things up <3
Maybe for your next topic you should consider examining ostracism of Jewish queers by the rest of the queer community (probably not here though, because like this article that topic is not really in line with Erin's general focus).
In the community it has come to basically assuming that anyone who looks at this historically complex situation and doesn't immediately jump to 100% agreement is automatically an enemy, no need to hear them out and find out what they actually think. For obvious reasons, queer Jews have had to think of this topic endlessly, and as human beings all have different opinions that are more involved than "for" or "against."
War crime,genocide. Continuation of what they have already done in Gaza, and if genocide implies extinguishing completely, then this appears to fit what happened at this prison to trans prisoners.
Thanks for this well-stated article drawing attention to the pain in another part of the world. For those who may not wish to believe the NYT, here is an Israeli perspective.
And in case the gifted link doesn't work, there's this:
"Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar referenced the prison strike in a post on X, saying, "We warned Iran time and again: stop targeting civilians. They continued, including this morning. Our response: Viva la libertad, carajo!""
I have seen some previous comments suggesting that transgender people do not exist in Iran. The commenter(s) should check further. We exist everywhere, and will stand in solidarity with all, no matter the nationality.
Thanks for publishing this comment and linking Haaretz.
The article from Erin’s channel seems lower quality than usual.
More sources here and context would be helpful by the author (Erin’s stand-in).
Doing my own digging, it also sounds like journalists were invited to tour?
I’d also like to know why these (trans) folks were in this jail, Iran’s human rights record for trans folks is particularly murky, and we don’t know if they were imprisoned due to transphobia or other matters…I could totally see something like support for Woman Life Freedom, not following gender norms for their target gender, or something similar. Or it could be something as mundane as petty crime.
Context would help here, a lot, I want a better quality article.
Not having access to the NYT, all I can follow is the second link quoted in the post, which goes to some video and text that appears reliable (from dissident/activist sources; definitely not beyond questioning, to be sure) showing the conditions in which transgender people are held in this prison. The proximal cause of imprisonment isn't known, but I wouldn't consider that to put it outside the framework of this Substack. It properly addresses mistreatment of U.S. transgender prisoners, who are of course entitled to humane treatment in which the punishment is only what the law provides (and that is very often not what they experience).
I won't attempt any critique of the quality of the post (which is short and indeed not very "tight" from a thematic perspective, but then I'm a scientific writer and not a journalist!). I do think the politics behind the Evin Prison being hit are fair game for this venue. I read about it already in Haaretz (before this), and was shocked in spite of my jaded self: bombing a prison like that?????????????? I won't say what I really think of whoever decided to do it (Trans inmates or anyone else - we all know the history of that place.)
Thank you for sharing this. This is the first queer article I've seen regarding the conflict and genocide. I am curious to know the history of trans people in Palestine. Media portrays it as conservative but it's such an ancient culture, surely there was room for people who fit neither category.
A Dutch town recently did a 24 hr read of all the victims since Oct 7th. It took 1.5 hrs to read all the Israeli victims and about 5 days to read the list of Palestinian lives climbed, of which that list had grown by over 100 lives at conclusion of reading.
This merciless slaughter needs to end. 80% of Israel supports a complete genocide of Palestinians, not believing a single soul worth saving. They are wildly out of control. If you are still listening to mainstream media for the conflict, stop. Listen to the doctors(whom are being executed and disappeared at an alarming rate)
LemonJai, I salute your curiosity to learn more about ancient Palestinian trans culture. The difficulty lies in the fact that the concept of a Palestinian Arab people distinct from other Arabs goes back only to the 1970s. Before that, Palestine was a strictly geographic term. During British control from 1919-1948, Jews and Arabs were equally "Palestinian."
Even today the Arabs who live in Israel/Palestine include Druze, Bedouins, Samaritans and Christians, as well as mainstream Sunni Moslems, all different cultures.
Thank you for sharing this. This is the first queer article I've seen regarding the conflict and genocide. I am curious to know the history of trans people in Palestine. Media portrays it as conservative but it's such an ancient culture, surely there was room for people who fit neither category.
A Dutch town recently did a 24 hr read of all the victims since Oct 7th. It took 1.5 hrs to read all the Israeli victims and about 5 days to read the list of Palestinian lives climbed, of which that list had grown by over 100 lives at conclusion of reading.
This merciless slaughter needs to end. 80% of Israel supports a complete genocide of Palestinians, not believing a single soul worth saving. They are wildly out of control. If you are still listening to mainstream media for the conflict, stop. Listen to the doctors(whom are being executed and disappeared at an alarming rate)
Thank you for sharing this. This is the first queer article I've seen regarding the conflict and genocide. I am curious to know the history of trans people in Palestine. Media portrays it as conservative but it's such an ancient culture, surely there was room for people who fit neither category.
A Dutch town recently did a 24 hr read of all the victims since Oct 7th. It took 1.5 hrs to read all the Israeli victims and about 5 days to read the list of Palestinian lives climbed, of which that list had grown by over 100 lives at conclusion of reading.
This merciless slaughter needs to end. 80% of Israel supports a complete genocide of Palestinians, not believing a single soul worth saving. They are wildly out of control
More Trans violence...can we just not do this.
Thank you for the hard work Erin.
Here, take a queer history article if you dont want to focus on this.
https://thistleandmoss.com/p/queer-history-573-gertrude-stein
Missing from who's notice? "Trans" wing how? The point was to free political prisoners and destabilize the Iranian regime. And not to put too fine a point on it, Iran when it catches a male gay couple, it executes both unless one accepts coerced gender reassignment surgery.
The article clearly points out that Iran is treating LGBTQ+ people poorly, given the crackdowns and the existence of the wing.
But that does not excuse Israel bombing the wing and causing the deaths of 100 people. That too is not liberation, these were transgender civilians who were persecuted by one country and bombed by another.
It would be irresponsible not to report on this, it's a tremendous loss of transgender lives.
"But that does not excuse Israel bombing the wing and causing the deaths of 100 people." <-- Simple error does, and, there is no credible excuse even claimed here to pretend it was anything other than error.
"these were transgender civilians" <-- Some, maybe, and maybe none. Given Iran's policies, many were gay men forced to have gender reassignment or be executed.
"It would be irresponsible not to report on this, it's a tremendous loss of transgender lives." <-- How it is being reported on here is irresponsible.
There are reasons you don't bomb civilian buildings, and this result is exactly why. It is irresponsible to make excuses for Israel doing this. I'd report on the US if we did the same thing. I remember similar actions happening by the US in the early 2000s wars and we were widely (rightfully) criticized, despite the US asserting that it was "collateral damage."
There are reasons you bomb civilian buildings and doing so for those reasons is no war crime at all.
"I'd report on the US if we did the same thing." <-- And if you reported it the same way I'd object vociferously for the same reasons -- complete lack of moral perspective as to what the rules of war actually are, and with how perfectly they can be effectuated.
"It is irresponsible to make excuses for Israel doing this." <-- No excuses are needed, releasing political prisoners to destabilize the mullahs regime is perfectly rational and legal under the rules of war.
"I remember similar actions happening by the US in the early 2000s wars and we were widely (rightfully) criticized, despite the US asserting that it was "collateral damage."" <-- No, not sanely or rightfully criticized. Perfection is not possible, self defense however imperfect is.
To mangle allusions I hope productively, this piece is protesting too much about a splinter in one eye while turning a blind eye to the board in another eye -- all to the purpose of apparently hoping someday the head with the eye with splinter, is separated from it's neck.
There is no genocide attempted by Israel against anyone, and there is no excuse to claim there is. It is a faith based claim, not an evidence based one.
Yeah, I think we will differ on this at a fundamental level - that civilian casualties are acceptable and that targeting buildings with large numbers of civilians is acceptable. At that basic level disagreement, we probably will not find much common ground.
Please just ban this person lol. They are obviously a white nationalist and are just being extremely racist (calling Arabs "goat herders", explicitly stating that there are no innocent Arabs, etc.)
You are apparently presuming they intended to hit the civilians, I am not. You are demanding a level of perfection not humanly possible for self defense to be acceptable, I am not.
Clearly your mileage varies.
A Zionist dismissing clear war crimes? Color me shocked
A genocidal anti-Zionist dismissing clear war crimes? Color me shocked.
You’re not really trying to minimize these deaths because some of them might have been gay? Because that’s not helping.
No, I am not trying to minimize these deaths. I am not tolerating them being used dishonestly towards supporting an actual genocidal campaign.
I’m pretty sure that the NY Times is quite pro Israel.
Pretty sure they are about as pro-Israel as they are pro-transgender.
A simple error to launch bombs into a foreign country? That country (Israel ) is out of control. Iran isn't a good country by any means, but this idea that the best solution to things is to use bombs only makes things worse. The target may or may not have been an accident, but that is no excuse. Many were gay men? Do you have stats to show that? What does it matter whether they are gay, trans or cishet? They were killed. I don't want a 100 gay people dead either. But you have no evidence either way.
They definitely freed them. From the prison, their limbs, and their lives as well. Great compassion for the death of one hundred transgender brothers and sisters. I'm sure your reward is waiting in heaven for your compassion.
I have no reason see as credible, even one claimed witness.
BTW, jerk, the only actual Israeli hit on that prison I know of was to the gates and guardhouse.
And here we have yet another example, as if we needed one, of how Zionists are not compatible with the safety and humanity of transgender people and never will be.
Your denialism is eerily similar to that of any other transphobe. You might as well be calling this a “fever dream.” IYKYK
I have news for you sweetie, the mullahs getting a bomb or 60 is what is not compatible with the safety or humanity of any people, including transgender ones, Iranian ones, or transgender Iranian ones. You couldn't name even one fact I am denying -- you just don't like what the facts mean.
The fact is Zionism is not objectionable to sane people at all -- it was the murderous insane objections raised violently to it by those who could have peaceably been it's neighbors which were objectionable. Those states then proceeded to lose about 5 wars to Israel in succession, and Israel can no more be expected to return any territory taken from it's enemies on that course than Poland should give back to Germany, what was once Pomerania, Silesia, and/or a Prussia.
The fact is that if Gaza had elected a peaceable government, instead of tearing up the water and sewer system Israel gave to them for rocket tubes with which to attack Israel, and not undertaken the attack of Oct. 7th, 2023 -- they would be a peaceful prosperous sovereignty now . . . and that Oct. 7 attack, which was a deliberate war crime by the government of Gaza, was planned with and supported by Iran.
I am not interested in your neoliberal geopolitical DARVO. Nor am I interested in your whitewashing of theocratic fascists, the lion’s share of which are American Evangelicals, as “sane.”
Nationalism is a plague on human rights. I do not think you are in the right place.
Oh I know you aren't interested in facts, in reality, or in what is right or wrong. News flash, Israel is fighting for it's existence against the theocratic fascists and you are supporting the theocratic facsists. That's not DARVO, it's just more reality than you can deal with maturely.
"Nationalism is a plague on human rights." <-- Deflection by false equivalency.
"I do not think you are in the right place." <-- I'm right where I need to be and how I should be.
PS. "neoliberal geopolitical" <-- I have no reason to suspect you have any idea what either word means.
Where you “need to be?”
Jesus Christ. Just join the IDF so you can murder starving Muslim children already. It’s clearly what you feel morally called to do.
"Just join the IDF so you can murder starving Muslim children already" <-- Why yes, you are completely deranged. The IDF does nothing such. Hamas lies about the IDF doing that.
These are good people in Gaza.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cyvmmr154v2o
The poeple you are supporting are not the good guys.
And for the love of any God out there, stop feeding the trolls and giving them food(words). Moderators, do your jobs. Stop tolerating intolerance because you fear not letting them "be heard". They get angry because they know it pressures you into feeling bad but don't. If you feel bad, you give them a platform to reach more like minded idiots. You have the ability to control what is on YOUR platform, moderate it. Anti zionism =/= anti Semitic. End colonization, end white supremacy, end zionism. These go hand in hand unless you listen to mainstream media(ALL of which are owned by pro genocide and zionist men. Im not joking, follow the money.) This goes beyond republican and democrat. Look up the AIPAC money trail, both are extremely guilty in taking millions from zionists to point at each other and cry foul. STATES must sign a waiver promising not to boycott Israel if they want federal aid. It is worse than we could imagine. We are owned by Israel like it or not.
So so sad, sorry and angry. Thank you Erin...
Thank you for sharing this. This is the first queer article I've seen regarding the conflict and genocide. I am curious to know the history of trans people in Palestine. Media portrays it as conservative but it's such an ancient culture, surely there was room for people who fit neither category.
A Dutch town recently did a 24 hr read of all the victims since Oct 7th. It took 1.5 hrs to read all the Israeli victims and about 5 days to read the list of Palestinian lives claimed by the occupation, of which that list had grown by over 100 lives at conclusion of reading.
This merciless slaughter needs to end. 80% of Israel supports a complete genocide of Palestinians, not believing a single soul worth saving. They are wildly out of control. If you are still listening to mainstream media for the conflict, stop. Listen to the doctors(whom are being executed and disappeared at an alarming rate by the IOF)
" 80% of Israel supports a complete genocide of Palestinians," - that's not even close to true. Frankly, there is nothing that 80% of Israelis can agree on politically. They have factions just like we do. What would you think about someone who insisted that 80% of Americans support decimating Medicare? You'd think they were nuts, right? Just consider that.
Anyway, not directed at any one person specifically -
In fact, the current government is very, very unpopular in Israel. Your statement is a lot like claiming that we Americans are all responsible for the actions of the Orange Regime here, regardless of for whom one voted nor how active one has been in the resistance.
Like the US, Israel is made up of a tremendous diversity of people. One reason Bibi continues the war is because it keeps him out of jail... which is where many Israelis would like to see him. While it may not necessarily be antisemitic to speak out against a specific government action (war, etc) what IS antisemitic is painting every Israeli (and often every Jew everywhere) with the same brush.
There are also many definitions of Zionism, and without checking to see if you are using it the same way others are using it, you are getting nowhere. The term is currently used by many as a code word for evil genociders (another fraught word with multiple definitions) or something, but that's not what the vast majority of Jewish people are referring to when they use the word. And in any case, that still begs the question "which Jews" and "in what era."
Basically, there needs to be a lot less assuming and a lot more listening. Othering and assaulting American Jews in lieu of beating Bibi over the head is antisemitic and it's dangerous for everyone. American Jews have no more to do with Israeli government policies than American Blacks have to do with the policies of, for example, the government of Uganda. We don't live there, we don't vote there, we don't necessarily know that those policies are nor how the Israeli government works (or is supposed to work), and we are mostly too busy fighting off the overwhelming police state that has planted itself right here in the US.
I'm not going to get into it over who did what to whom nor when - at this point most people have cemented in their position and don't really care what other information is out there. What I am trying to say is that the situation in the Middle East is far more complex than bumper sticker politics allows for, and oversimplification does not work well for anyone. I mean, I get it. You're angry, horrified even, at what you see as genocide. Genocide it horrifying. You feel helpless to stop it, and you want someone nearby to take it out on. But how does attacking American Jews address the problem? THAT is what is antisemitic (or racist, xenophobic, homophobic, transphobic) looks like - characterizing all of a group as all the same. It's lazy thinking and it's dangerous.
OK, getting off my soapbox. I'm probably going to be sorry I let myself ramble here but hey, go ahead and start yelling and calling me names. I can always block you, I suppose.
There's some context on the situation for Palestinian trans folx here, and it's not what you want to hear, sadly.
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-11-11/ty-article/.premium/the-only-safe-place-for-transgender-women-in-prostitution-in-tel-aviv/00000193-1b21-d76b-afd7-bbb106c40000
Some prior reporting on the LGBT imprisonment at the facility that I found helpful for context: https://iranwire.com/en/features/69698/
"That its military aggression " <-- What aggression? Defense can be violent and not aggression -- as this is.
"It’s a telling example of Israel's fraught relationship with LGBTQ rights, one that is often deployed in order to justify massacres in the region." <-- What massacres?
"Over the course of twelve days in June, around 1,000 Iranians were killed by Israeli forces. By comparison, 28 Israelis have been killed by Iran in the same timeframe." <-- Even if true, so what? I should weep for Iranians when they fail to remove from governance their mullahs who are hostis humani generis? That's on them, the same way Germany had a fitting trial by fire for their tolerating when not encouraging their Austrian corporal.
"The IDF has also bombed Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen over the last few months." <-- And when I consider who was under those bombs, GOOD !!! It's not innocent goatherders.
"This is all in addition to Israel’s ongoing genocide in Palestine," <-- There is no such thing. There is instead only the tolerance of those who live in Gaza and Lebanon, for those who desire to commit genocide against Israel.
These are good, brave Gazans.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cyvmmr154v2o
Those who instead permit and encourage their children to laugh, skip, and play around Hamas gunmen firing on Israelis are not. When they lose their children, I weep at the necessity of it, not the fact of it.
The sheer bigoted, factlessness of the braindead, heartless Left with respect to Israel's right to preserve itself per the rules of warfare which it is following, is rivaled only by the same mindless vitriol I see in MAGAts.
What is worst of the Social Conservatives here is how they have and seek to satisfy their imam envy...
I hope one day you learn how to love instead of hate.
You don’t bomb concentration camps killing innocent victims.
You bomb infrastructure supporting those camps.
And the only bombs I know of that Israel actually dropped on that prison were on the gate and guard housing. Exactly what you said you wanted there.
The Washington Post satellite image analysis showed damage to four different areas of the prison, including the visitor center, medical center and ward 209. Whoever told you that only the gate and guard housing were damaged is a liar.
No, I said the only strikes I saw were to those areas, and I was not lying. Even if any bombs went astray or were inadvertently targeted owing to incorrect intelligence -- that is no war crime.
If your intelligence is not good enough to know where to target a missile or if your bombs are too inaccurate to avoid killing a ton of civilians, maybe you should just stick to bombing exclusively military targets that you know you can actually hit (like Iran did).
If there were so conveniently "only military" targets, you'd have a point. You don't.
Pssst. BTW, it is by intelligence which may be flawed, by which you even might know what even could be an only military target.
Your knowledge is not the limit of reality.
So what? I didn't say it was. I am saying and I do know, taking the NYT and it's sources here on face value on this topic is inexcusable, and, that there is no genocide being attempted by Israel.
Who called it a genocide? It’s not the deliberate elimination of an entire people.
By reporting; it’s the killing of 100 transgender people already being held in prison.
If you don’t find that to rise to your level of concern; you have a serious problem.
"Who called it a genocide? " <-- The article we are commenting about. "This is all in addition to Israel’s ongoing genocide in Palestine . . ."
"By reporting; it’s the killing of 100 transgender people already being held in prison." <-- With no even vaguely credible attempt to allow it could have been innocent error, but instead to imply any bomb Israel drops is a war crime.
"If you don’t find that to rise to your level of concern; you have a serious problem." <-- Concern for what? I know full f--king well the IDF doesn't want to waste any bombs on a target they have hit accidentally either through technical problems or bad intelligence, and they idea they hit the "transgender wing" on purpose is stupid beyond belief.
... I will not condemn those same actual imams or their flunkies under arms being killed to delay or prevent their getting nukes, neither strikes against their government generally.
"Israeli officials framed the mass slaughter of civilians—including human rights activists, medical staff, and nearby residents—as “somehow an act of liberation,” The Times reports."
What mass slaughter of civilians? The people you quote uncritically, I know have been liars as bad or worse even than Trump! is, and that for 4 decades.
"I hope one day you learn how to love instead of hate." - Toni
I do know how to love Toni, what you want me to do is hate Israelis and desire their death, and for me to "love" those who want to murder them, and you, and I.
you know, loving even our enemies is pretty standard religious praxis
Not to the extent that you permit them to murder people including children, which is what you and Baum and the rest of the murderously stupid brain dead Left is demanding of Israel. You are with your own bigotries as bad as any MAGAt is.
The New York Times and it's sources are no more credible in this report than it is when it supports transphobic positions in its articles.
sir this is a wendy’s
I am no sir, and the reason you have to deflect with nonsense is you have nothing real to say.
There is no genocide against anyone being carried out or even colorably attempted by Israel -- literally the reverse is true.
And you want that real genocide to happen, because you do not want what is required to prevent it.
"Mass slaughter of civilians," as if to ignore the fact that Israel was targeting Revolutionary Guard leaders and nuclear scientists. Hamas plays the same game in Gaza, forbidding anyone there from pointing out that ANY of the bombing victims were militants. If Israel is randomly killing Gazan civilians, how is it that the 2% of the population that has unfortunately died includes almost all of Hamas's 10/7/2023 leadership?
The fact that Jewish and Arab Israeli LGBTQ people are free to live their lives does not excuse any bad actions Israel's government takes. But please do not rely solely on the reporting of journalists whose lives depend on pleasing homophobes and transphobes to evaluate those actions.
Adopting the lie that Israel is even attempting a genocide against Gazans is itself in fact endorsing the genocide of Israelis.
"If Israel is randomly killing Gazan civilians, how is it that the 2% of the population that has unfortunately died includes almost all of Hamas's 10/7/2023 leadership?" <-- And simply put, it is not so that the IDF is randomly or uncaringly killing anyone. The IDF takes extraordinary and generally successful efforts to avoid non-combatant casualties. the rules of war permit blockade, including of food, and humanitarian provision of food is not possible where it will be confiscated by the belligerent's combatants in the blockaded area. Israel can not lawfully prohibit the feeding of Gazans, but can lawfuly prohibit the feeding of Hamas.
If the people who want to feed Gazans for humanitarian purposes want to go in armed and drive of and kill Hamas when they Hamas goes to take the food, more power to them -- and if those humanitarians won't do that, then Israel can lawfully stop them from going in.
Erin, I love your work; I have followed regularly for many years, and think the work you're doing is of incredible value and importance, and is almost always done in such a professional, responsible, way, the kind of reporting we all deserve, and that has truly made such an impact.
I am so sad to see you defending this kind of anti-Israel screed. There are ways of reporting on these events and being critical of the decisions and actions of the Israeli military and government without going out of one's way to make sure that every single line is phrased in such a way as to frame Israel as profoundly, fundamentally, villainous. Just look around - see how professional news outlets are reporting on it.
This isn't journalism. It's a hit piece. It is someone simply using your platform to promote a particular view, a particular biased narrative or perspective, of Israel - not its government, not its leaders, but Israel as a whole, as an entity - as fundamentally villainous.
I don't care what side you're on. This isn't about sides, and I am not by any means trying to say that any and all criticism of Israel must be pushed back against. I am saying that one can be critical of specific actions and decisions without asserting a worldview around it that assumes and asserts villainous intentions or of character at every turn.
Polemics like this one reflect badly on you, on your reporting, on everything that you do here. The work you do is so important, and I would hate to see you lose reputation, status, support, following because of this kind of hateful screed. I am deeply sad to see you defend and support this, and I hope that you will take it down.
Hey! Author of this piece here. I appreciate your feedback. Admittedly I try to stay out of comment sections, but I do want to point out that this article is, in fact, a critique of the Israeli government.
I write that the Israeli government bombed a civilian infrastructure, leading to reports of mass death of trans people, and that bombing civilians is arguably at odds the Israeli government's self-branding as a beacon of progressive values. I think that is factual.
I do not think I ascribed intentions to the bombing beyond what's been reported—I focus on the impact, which was mass civilian casualty, including reports that it was largely trans people. Whether or not that was their primary intended target is nominally relevant, because it was the ultimate result. It shows, at best, a disregard for their lives. I reject the idea that 100 civilians should be slaughtered—regardless of the nationality of said civilian. I believe in supporting all trans people, not just ones of a certain ethnicity or race or religion.
If Iran executes 100 transgender people in broad daylight tomorrow, I would want to report on that too. Thank you for taking the time to comment and express your thoughts.
"I write that the Israeli government bombed a civilian infrastructure, leading to reports of mass death of trans people, and that bombing civilians is arguably at odds the Israeli government's self-branding as a beacon of progressive values. I think that is factual." <-- Which is how you let me know you've never read the Geneva Conventions, or studied the history of their application.
"It shows, at best, a disregard for their lives." <-- Bullshit! Your claim is the baseless assertion that because the bomb hit a medical ward of some type the IDF must not have done due diligence -- that is a baseless assertion.
"If Iran executes 100 transgender people in broad daylight tomorrow, I would want to report on that too." <-- They've been doing that to LGBTQ people for one reason or another for over 40 years. Where is your history of writing on it?
Were you aware this was almost certainly not a "trans" ward, but where they were forcing gay cisgender men to have gender reassignment surgery or be executed?
"This isn't journalism. It's a hit piece." <-- It is.
Without taking a side on this strike (e.g. my own opinion non-withstanding), this seems out of character for this publication to me.
This isn’t a rights issue (which is usually what Erin writes about). It’s a violence issue. We have no idea why the bombing took place and who the target was on the Israeli side (why did they do it). We also don’t know why these people were imprisoned on the Iran side. There were also obviously other deaths in the prison as well.
The article also doesn’t seem well vetted, one source, no video. A single photo.
Did Erin give the ok on this one? I know she is out on vacation…
I agree. I have been pushed out of my queer community over the past year because of being Jewish and the harsh rise in antisemitism. I also understand that those perpetrating this do not intend to be, do not believe they are being antisemitic, usually can point to at least one Jewish person who agrees with them on such a contentious issue (even at shul this is a hard topic), and genuinely believe they are trying to help people.
I have appreciated that this publication has been queer news and queer news only, and focused on legal issues, and not dipped into something that is very heavily reported on everywhere else. This is also, as you note, not a good authoritative article, and unfortunately there is no shortage of secondary or tertiary reporting that adds an unnecessary slant to a complicated issue with all the primary sources in languages the authors don't speak.
I hope this publication does not become another echo chamber on this issue.
Hey, thanks for taking the time to respond to this piece. I wrote it and I'm Jewish, so I too struggle daily with the complexities of Jewish life rn.
There has been extensive evidence of the destruction caused by the bombings including photos, video, firsthand accounts, satellite imagery. It's in many major news outlets.
I also want to note that I have routinely written stories here that are not focused on legal issues. Transness is vast and versatile: the fight for trans rights and trans life transcends borders and singular themes like legal stories. I frequently seek out intersectionality in my reporting—connecting trans rights issues with other human rights issues, such as the criminal justice system or reproductive health care or racism, because all human rights issues are intertwined. I think these efforts are clear in my reporting in this and other stories. None of us are free until all of us are free. Hope this clears things up <3
Maybe for your next topic you should consider examining ostracism of Jewish queers by the rest of the queer community (probably not here though, because like this article that topic is not really in line with Erin's general focus).
In the community it has come to basically assuming that anyone who looks at this historically complex situation and doesn't immediately jump to 100% agreement is automatically an enemy, no need to hear them out and find out what they actually think. For obvious reasons, queer Jews have had to think of this topic endlessly, and as human beings all have different opinions that are more involved than "for" or "against."
I wonder, too... As much as I agree the Gaza situation is important, don't we have enough going on right here in our own country to focus on? Not because Gaza doesn't matter, but because you can't help anyone else put out their fires if your own house is burning down. All that ends up happening is this: https://www.timesofisrael.com/adl-survey-1-in-4-americans-believe-recent-attacks-on-jews-were-understandable/
War crime,genocide. Continuation of what they have already done in Gaza, and if genocide implies extinguishing completely, then this appears to fit what happened at this prison to trans prisoners.
Fuck Israel
Thanks for this well-stated article drawing attention to the pain in another part of the world. For those who may not wish to believe the NYT, here is an Israeli perspective.
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-06-23/ty-article/.premium/israel-hits-tehrans-evin-prison-amid-heavy-idf-strikes-on-irans-repressive-regime/00000197-9c42-d5ef-a9bf-bfee8e600000?gift=77a4ffd3add049deaeab87aefd3e23ed
And in case the gifted link doesn't work, there's this:
"Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar referenced the prison strike in a post on X, saying, "We warned Iran time and again: stop targeting civilians. They continued, including this morning. Our response: Viva la libertad, carajo!""
I have seen some previous comments suggesting that transgender people do not exist in Iran. The commenter(s) should check further. We exist everywhere, and will stand in solidarity with all, no matter the nationality.
Thanks for publishing this comment and linking Haaretz.
The article from Erin’s channel seems lower quality than usual.
More sources here and context would be helpful by the author (Erin’s stand-in).
Doing my own digging, it also sounds like journalists were invited to tour?
I’d also like to know why these (trans) folks were in this jail, Iran’s human rights record for trans folks is particularly murky, and we don’t know if they were imprisoned due to transphobia or other matters…I could totally see something like support for Woman Life Freedom, not following gender norms for their target gender, or something similar. Or it could be something as mundane as petty crime.
Context would help here, a lot, I want a better quality article.
Not having access to the NYT, all I can follow is the second link quoted in the post, which goes to some video and text that appears reliable (from dissident/activist sources; definitely not beyond questioning, to be sure) showing the conditions in which transgender people are held in this prison. The proximal cause of imprisonment isn't known, but I wouldn't consider that to put it outside the framework of this Substack. It properly addresses mistreatment of U.S. transgender prisoners, who are of course entitled to humane treatment in which the punishment is only what the law provides (and that is very often not what they experience).
I won't attempt any critique of the quality of the post (which is short and indeed not very "tight" from a thematic perspective, but then I'm a scientific writer and not a journalist!). I do think the politics behind the Evin Prison being hit are fair game for this venue. I read about it already in Haaretz (before this), and was shocked in spite of my jaded self: bombing a prison like that?????????????? I won't say what I really think of whoever decided to do it (Trans inmates or anyone else - we all know the history of that place.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NfOY-e2zlQ
https://www.peace-mark.org/en/articles/103-4-en/
Thank you for sharing this. This is the first queer article I've seen regarding the conflict and genocide. I am curious to know the history of trans people in Palestine. Media portrays it as conservative but it's such an ancient culture, surely there was room for people who fit neither category.
A Dutch town recently did a 24 hr read of all the victims since Oct 7th. It took 1.5 hrs to read all the Israeli victims and about 5 days to read the list of Palestinian lives climbed, of which that list had grown by over 100 lives at conclusion of reading.
This merciless slaughter needs to end. 80% of Israel supports a complete genocide of Palestinians, not believing a single soul worth saving. They are wildly out of control. If you are still listening to mainstream media for the conflict, stop. Listen to the doctors(whom are being executed and disappeared at an alarming rate)
LemonJai, I salute your curiosity to learn more about ancient Palestinian trans culture. The difficulty lies in the fact that the concept of a Palestinian Arab people distinct from other Arabs goes back only to the 1970s. Before that, Palestine was a strictly geographic term. During British control from 1919-1948, Jews and Arabs were equally "Palestinian."
Even today the Arabs who live in Israel/Palestine include Druze, Bedouins, Samaritans and Christians, as well as mainstream Sunni Moslems, all different cultures.
Thank you for this info!
Thank you for sharing this. This is the first queer article I've seen regarding the conflict and genocide. I am curious to know the history of trans people in Palestine. Media portrays it as conservative but it's such an ancient culture, surely there was room for people who fit neither category.
A Dutch town recently did a 24 hr read of all the victims since Oct 7th. It took 1.5 hrs to read all the Israeli victims and about 5 days to read the list of Palestinian lives climbed, of which that list had grown by over 100 lives at conclusion of reading.
This merciless slaughter needs to end. 80% of Israel supports a complete genocide of Palestinians, not believing a single soul worth saving. They are wildly out of control. If you are still listening to mainstream media for the conflict, stop. Listen to the doctors(whom are being executed and disappeared at an alarming rate)
"This merciless slaughter needs to end" <-- By Hamas being destroyed, yes.
Killing tens of thousands of civilians won't destroy Hamas. Israel just wants to eliminate the Palestinian people and take over their land.
Thank you for sharing this. This is the first queer article I've seen regarding the conflict and genocide. I am curious to know the history of trans people in Palestine. Media portrays it as conservative but it's such an ancient culture, surely there was room for people who fit neither category.
A Dutch town recently did a 24 hr read of all the victims since Oct 7th. It took 1.5 hrs to read all the Israeli victims and about 5 days to read the list of Palestinian lives climbed, of which that list had grown by over 100 lives at conclusion of reading.
This merciless slaughter needs to end. 80% of Israel supports a complete genocide of Palestinians, not believing a single soul worth saving. They are wildly out of control