We are proud to openly align QCO with the Albuquerque Queers for Palestine and the call from Queers in Palestine for community members and groups across the world to voice their support for and solidarity with the Palestinian people amidst this most violent and vicious bombardment of Palestine. Our support for the Palestinian people, their lives, and their freedom is not, in any way, a statement against the Jewish people or support for the denial of their lives or their freedom.

“Queer Campout intends to be an inclusive, consensual, and anti-oppressive space, meaning we actively work against racism, ableism, transphobia, fatphobia, classism, sexism, white saviorism, xenophobia, and other forms of systemic oppression.”

As organizers and campers, we return to our values and use them to guide our path forward as Queer Campout grows and evolves. We invite you to reflect on them as well. We recognize Zionism, Islamophobia, anti-semitism, capitalism, and US imperialism as additional forms of oppression that we must actively resist and dismantle in order to realize the kind of community that we envision.

As such, we resolutely believe that voicing our support of Palestine is an opportunity to not only reaffirm our core values but also practice steadfast commitment to them and to the liberation of all oppressed peoples. By supporting our Palestinian siblings in Gaza, the West Bank, and across the world—be it through the signing of a letter, calling our representatives, participating in public demonstrations, or myriad other acts of solidarity and resistance—we are enacting the values and principles that underpin Queer Campout and the community we strive to create together.

We believe, also, that failing to state our support of Palestine speaks just as loudly, if not louder, than this statement.

We stand–both metaphorically and often literally–in solidarity with folks of conscience who are rising up to say no to ethnic cleansing, apartheid, and settler colonialism; in Palestine, here on Turtle Island, and across the world.

Recommended reading: Why Queer Solidarity With Palestine Is Not “Chickens for KFC” – A conversation with Dr. Sa’ed Atshan about the rise in LGBTQ+ solidarity with Palestine and the reductionism of its backlash (please note that the death toll has risen since this article was published—as of today, a total of 21,320 Palestinians have been killed and 55,603 injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since 7 October).