Episode 58: Homonationalism and Pinkwashing

This episode features presentations from the recent Homonationalism and Pinkwashing Conference in NYC! Homonationalism describes when sub-sectors of specific gay communities achieve legal parity with heterosexuals and then embrace racial and religious supremacy ideologies. Homonationalism is increasingly present in Nationalist ideologies across the globe, as secular right-wing forces increasingly leave anti-gay politics to organized religion. The other focus of the conference was on “Pinkwashing,” a practice by which a government or corporation points to or exaggerates gay rights in order to present itself as progressive or mask its own crimes – an example is Israel’s promotion of sexual rights to obscure its occupation of Palestine.

We hear talks from Bashar Makhay about his work organizing LGBTQ Middle Easterners in Detroit and NYC, and from Dean Spade about anti-pinkwashing campaigns and prison abolition politics. Plus news and music!

Episode 58