Members of Central Florida’s Queers for Palestine marching in Orlando. (Photo courtesy of Queers for Palestine)
ORLANDO | In October 2023, a group of queer activists came together for their first action in Central Florida. By December of the same year, Queers for Palestine was officially established, built on the foundation of solidarity, mutual aid and a shared vision for a liberated Palestine.
While Queers for Palestine focuses heavily on direct action through protests, education and fundraising, their efforts extend beyond that. The group believes that true liberation cannot happen without mutual aid and collaborative efforts.
“Direct action is strengthened with the practices of mutual aid and vice versa,” Lamia Moukaddam explains. “It’s about more than just responding to crises; it’s about building sustainable systems of support and solidarity.”
The group has partnered with local organizations like the Neighborhood Fridge located at Masjid al-Quddus to provide culturally aware meal prep ingredients during Ramadan and with Blue Trunk Community Network to establish an edible garden at an Islamic school. The garden was created in honor of martyr Yousef Abu-Rabea, who had begun a food sovereignty initiative in the north of Gaza.
“We just see the interconnectedness of our struggles and we make sure to support our community too,” Moukaddam says.
As a queer-led movement, Queers for Palestine faces unique challenges.
“There is the anti-Arab and Islamophobic rhetoric that’s being spoken to us by our own queer community locally,” Moukaddam says. “We’ve got queerphobia constantly in our DMs, comments and to our faces from Zionists, and frankly, also the queerphobia that exists within our community.”
The group emphasizes that their work is also about creating a space where queer and trans Arabs can feel welcomed and valued — something that didn’t exist before in their community.
“What spaces do we have in the queer community that is open and welcoming to the queer and trans Arab experience? And what spaces do we have in the Arab community that values queer and trans Arabs? And that’s become Central Florida Queers for Palestine,” Moukaddam says.
The misunderstandings and bigotry the group faces often stem from conditioned Islamophobia and a refusal to recognize the existence of queer and trans Arabs.
“We get really wild comments,” Moukaddam admits. “There’s this weird manner of functioning as though Arabs can’t be both queer and Arab.”
They also point out the hypocrisy of using queerphobia as a justification for genocide while queer and trans people are also under attack in the U.S., Moukaddam adds “What makes people justify genocide against the community on the basis of queerphobia? Are we aware of the anti-trans attacks in our country here in the U.S.?”
For Queers for Palestine, solidarity extends beyond just protesting or organizing events. It’s about aligning movements, supporting each other’s struggles and understanding that their fight for liberation is intertwined with the struggles of others.
“Palestine is really just a start and exposing a lot of things,” Moukaddam says. “We reach liberation together a lot quicker.”
Their partnership with Healing Our Homeland, a woman-led, Palestinian-run organization founded by Reem Elkhaldi in the Nuseirat refugee camp, embodies this collaborative approach. It was established officially a few years ago rooted in generational work, focused on providing mutual aid and liberation efforts for women and children.
The future that Queers for Palestine envisions is one where they are welcomed and embraced by both the queer and Arab communities.
“A future where we struggle together and not in silos, that’s how we win,” Moukaddam says. “That’s how we achieve liberation.”
April is National Arb American Heritage Month. You can find information on upcoming local events and follow Central Florida’s Queers for Palestine on Instagram @cflqueersforpalestine.
