On Tuesday morning, the 26th of March, dozens of activists from all around Palestine distributed thousands of flyers in universities in Palestine, including at An-Najah National University, Birzeit University, and Al Quds University in Abu Dis, in addition to distributing them to Palestinian students at universities in Haifa and other cities in the ‘48 territories.

The flyer — titled “Did You Know?”— included five short sentences that challenge the sexual and gender binaries that dominate Palestinian society and erase the rich sexual and gender diversity in Palestine.

This initiative was another step forward for alQaws, aiming to provoke wider social debates about sexual and gender diversity in Palestinian society. By distributing of flyers in public spaces, we wanted to encourage university students to have a direct debate and discussion about these issues, otherwise we don’t reach in the more formal, professional trainings and workshops we conduct with CSOs.

The reactions to the flyers ranged from engaging with its content and calling for dialogue, to more violent speech against it. The discussion spread from university campuses to social media, with discussions taking place in university student groups and pages on Facebook, reaching a larger reach and engagement.

This is not alQaws’ first or last grassroots initiative, as we are developing our community and outreach initiatives during the coming three years and aspiring for more visibility.