alQaws for Sexual and Gender Diversity in Palestinian Society is pleased to invite you to its third Hawamesh forum this year, “Jerusalem: A Queer and Feminist Reading of the City,” on Monday 25 October 2021 at 6:00 PM at Yabus Cultural Center (Marakech Hall).
“Hawamesh” (margins) is an intellectual and cultural forum that aims to bring social and political discussions around gender and sexuality from the margins to the center of Palestinian discourse, challenging their marginalisation and emphasising their relevance to all members of society. Hawamesh is also an opportunity to bring alQaws and alQaws activists into closer contact and direct communication with larger circles in the local community.
For years, alQaws has held Hawamesh in multiple Palestinians cities including Ramallah, Jerualem, Haifa and Nablus. This upcoming Hawamesh, we will go back to meeting in person after holding the two previous forums online.
The original title of this discussion translates to "Jerusalem Boys Welcome You? A Queer and Feminist Reading of the City." This title borrows a lyric from “Inn Ann” – a rap song that gained popularity in the May uprising. The song both reflects the density of colonial violence in Jerusalem and celebrates collective resistance against it. On the other hand, the song is packed with expressions and images of hyper-masculinity and gendered violence. Inn Ann offers a microcosm of a larger socio-political reality in Jerusalem, which our upcoming Hawamesh seeks to explore through a feminist and queer lens.
The session deals with several layers, questions, and issues given rise to by the political reality of the city, including our daily lived experiences as LGBTQ+ people, systemic colonial violence and pinkwashing policies, and potential areas of work and change for feminist and queer struggles in a complex and hetergenous context.
Speakers:
Hanadi Adameh, Researcher at Grassroots Jerusalem.
Naser Odeh, Lawyer.
Omar Khatib, al-Qaws staff.
Moderated by Lama Ghosheh, Journalist and researcher in colonial studies.
ًExcited to see you and hear your thoughts.