The Paradox That Baffles Outsiders
To many observers, the slogan “Queers for Palestine” looks like a cruel joke or a self-destructive act of political theater. After all, Hamas, the governing power in Gaza, enforces laws that criminalize homosexuality, with punishments ranging from imprisonment to execution. Images of activists waving rainbow flags alongside banners supporting a group that would persecute them if they lived under its rule create an almost surreal contradiction.
But to the participants, this alliance isn’t madness. It’s a form of ideological consistency. What seems irrational from the outside follows a clear logic once you understand the deeper motivations driving it.
The Hidden Logic: It’s Not About Hamas, It’s About Revolution
To decode this, it helps to recall the insight of conservative thinker David Horowitz, who famously said: “The issue is never the issue. The issue is always the revolution.” In other words, for many radical activists, specific causes, whether they’re about gender, race, climate, or geopolitics, serve as vehicles for a broader revolutionary project.
For this faction, the struggle is not primarily about LGBTQ+ rights, Palestinian liberation, or even social justice as commonly understood. It’s about dismantling what they see as the oppressive structures of Western civilization, capitalism, colonialism, and the liberal democratic order. Once that frame is in place, their support for seemingly incompatible movements starts to make sense.
To them, Hamas represents a “resistance” movement fighting against the same overarching enemy: the Western capitalist system. The shared target, not shared values, is what binds them together.
When Opposites Unite: The Coalition of the Discontented
In revolutionary movements, alliances are often forged across wildly conflicting belief systems. The principle is simple: unite against the common enemy now, sort out ideological differences later. History offers countless examples, temporary alliances between communists and nationalists, atheists and religious zealots, environmentalists and industrial unions, all driven by a shared desire to bring down the prevailing system.
“Queers for Palestine” operates from this same pattern. To them, Hamas’s theological conservatism is secondary to its revolutionary status as an anti-imperialist force. Their alignment is symbolic, a show of solidarity with what they perceive as resistance against Western hegemony. The paradox disappears when you realize they see themselves as part of the same global struggle to dismantle systems of power they believe are inherently oppressive.
Identity Politics Meets Revolutionary Idealism
The modern activist landscape often merges personal identity with political struggle. Movements that began as fights for equal treatment have, in some cases, been absorbed into a larger ideological framework that views all oppression through the same Marxist lens—where economic power, gender norms, and global politics are interconnected expressions of dominance.
In that worldview, aligning with any force that opposes “the system” is a moral duty, even if that ally holds beliefs diametrically opposed to one’s own. Thus, solidarity with Hamas isn’t seen as an endorsement of religious extremism, but as participation in a broader revolt against Western authority and capitalism.
The Dangerous Convenience of Ignoring Consequences
The problem, of course, is that revolutions rarely pause to consider what comes next. The activists’ focus on symbolic resistance often blinds them to the practical realities of what their alliances imply. Were their revolutionary dreams realized, they might find themselves victims of the very ideologies they helped empower.
Yet history shows that revolutionary zeal often overrides self-preservation. For some, being “on the right side of history” matters more than surviving the history they help create.
Bottom Line: Understanding Without Endorsing
“Queers for Palestine” may look like a tragic contradiction, but within their ideological framework, it follows a coherent logic. It’s not a celebration of Hamas’s brutality but a rejection of the system they see as sustaining global injustice. The cause isn’t Hamas, the cause is revolution.
To outsiders, this appears insane. To insiders, it’s a moral crusade. The lesson is clear: before judging what seems irrational, it helps to understand the internal logic of belief, especially when that belief is driven less by facts and more by fervor.
We are so screwed.
— Steve
