The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University

The Huntington News

The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University

The Huntington News

The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University

The Huntington News

Protests on campus sparked by showing of movie director’s pro-Israel film documentary

By Kelly Kasulis and Maxim Tamarov, News Staff 

The divisive debate over the Israeli occupation of Palestine erupted again on campus Tuesday evening, at a screening of gay porn filmmaker Michael Lucas’ “Undressing Israel:  Gay Men in the Promised Land.” Lucas’s depiction of gay life in Israel provoked a protest at afterHOURS by QueerUP that targeted NUPride and Huskies for Israel.

A little after 7 p.m., the 2012 film, which according to its website “examines a side of Israel that is too often overlooked:  its thriving gay community,” was drowned out by ten protesters chanting, “Shame on NUPride, shame on Michael Lucas.” About 46 people were in afterHOURS at the time of the protest. Despite initially agreeing to co-host the event, NUPride was absent. Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), the Northeastern Hillel and the filmmaker himself were also absent from the event.

The protesters were members of QueerUP, a non-Northeastern, Boston-based community of people against “pinkwashing” – the idea that portraying Israel as a progressive, “queer-friendly” place obscures the treatment and occupation of Palestinians in Israel.

“We wanted to make it very clear that we’re in solidarity with Northeastern SJP. But this is not about SJP – This [protest] is about us, as queer people who are anti-Zionist, protesting a film that is basically the epitome of pinkwashing,” Leah Karvette, a 23-year-old Boston resident who works with various social justice groups, said. “As a queer person, it kind of made me sick that we are being shown as people who are doing all this frolicking and partying.”

“But then again it’s all on the backs and blood of the Palestinian people,” Kravette said.

Protesters also chanted, “Queer liberation, no occupation,” and “Stealing land is not okay, even if your army’s gay,” before being escorted out of the venue by security.

“There was one section about army, because everyone has to go to the army, and because army is a big issue for gays,” Lucas said in a phone interview, in justification of his interviews of gay men about their Israeli Defense Force (IDF) experiences. “When I was making the movie, we still had ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’. How could I avoid the subject? Of course I had to address it.”

The screening, initially hosted by Northeastern’s Huskies for Israel and NUPride, was “not meant to antagonize anybody,” Steven Burk, who coordinated the event, said. Burk, a fourth-year international affairs major, said he first heard about Lucas at an Atlantic-Jewish film festival.

“We just wanted to learn more as Huskies for Israel – we weren’t looking to stir the pot at all,” he said. “I think the film showed a unique perspective of LGBT issues in the least.”

“It was brought to us as a screening of a film that would be talking about LGBTQ issues in Russia,” Joshua Trowbridge, a sophomore mechanical engineering major and president of NUPride, said.

Lucas, who made an appearance for the screening of his film at Boston University the night before, was initially supposed to be present for a question and answer session at Northeastern on Tuesday and to present a trailer of his film on the oppression of homosexuals in Russia called “Campaign of Hate: Russia and Gay Propaganda.” Advertisements for the event were not changed to say that Lucas was no longer coming, and there is disagreement as to why he did not attend in the first place.

“[It was] because of logistical issues – because of his scheduling. We found out a few days ago,” Burk said. “We felt like, because of the situation, it would be okay for him not to come.”

NUPride’s Trowbridge posted in the organization’s Facebook group Wednesday night that Huskies for Israel “cancelled the speaker.” Lucas also said that he was asked not to appear two hours before the screening.

“Huskies for Israel asked me not to come because they didn’t want confrontation, which I think is a cowardly act,” Lucas said. “It’s bad that [they] capitulated because of some bullies.”

According to statements made by both Lucas and Trowbridge, NUPride rescinded its sponsorship – which Trowbridge said was only assistance with advertising in the first place – the day of the screening. But pinkwashing was not explicitly the reason for the withdrawal of support, Trowbridge said, since QueerUP never approached NUPride about their opinions before the event.

“Our decision to pull out of this is solely because we are an apolitical organization. We support the aspects of the film that raise awareness of the LGBTQ troubles,” he said. “We felt threatened by the statements [QueerUP made] and did not appreciate what they did, and considering a lot of them were not Northeastern students, I don’t think it was their place to be at Northeastern.”

Max Klapholz, co-president of Huskies for Israel and a sophomore biology major, said that he found out the protests were going to occur an hour before the screening.

“I guess it is a bit upsetting that [protesters] didn’t stay to watch the film – at least hear what had to be said,” he said. “I think the film definitely showed that there are nuances for the LGBT community, no matter where in the world.”

Karvette, a member of QueerUP who wrote part of the organization’s release given out in afterHOURS, called NUPride’s withdrawal “a victory” when she spoke with The News following the protest. Prior to and throughout the protest, Karvette did not know that NUPride withdrew its sponsorship.

“I guess the goal [of the protest] was that NUPride would understand that you can’t just conflate being pro-Israel with being gay,” she said. “[Protesters] wanted to show NUPride that you can’t say this in their name.”

Karvette said that, for some, Lucas is controversial because of previous remarks made outside of his film, particularly in regards to Islam. According to an article published in 2008 by CNN, Lucas previously said, “It totally escapes me how gay people can side with burqa-wearing, jihad-screaming, Koran-crazed Muslims.” CNN also reported that he called the Quran “today’s Mein Kampf” and once supported Charles Merrill’s art project that involved burning a Quran valued at $60,000.

“Islam is not friendly to anybody. Islam is not friendly to Muslims. Look at what Muslims are doing in Syria,” Lucas told The News. “The real violence is not used on Arabs. The real problem in violence is Muslims on Muslims … even if you say that Israel is a bad guy.”

But in response to accusations that he is pinkwashing, Lucas said that the term is used by a small group of people – mostly academics.

“Pinkwashing is used by the same people who call themselves ‘queer.’ Most gay people either love Israel or do not care about it,” he said. “By this logic, Obama supporting gay people is taking attention away from Afghanistan.”

Lucas defended Israel — especially Tel-Aviv — as gay-friendly, stating that a movement toward gay rights in Israel began in the 1940s. In 1985, Israel accepted gay citizens into its army, he said – “earlier than America.”

“It’s politically incorrect to say, ‘I hate Jews’ – now, they say, ‘I hate Israel,’” Lucas said in explanation of the criticism of Israel and pinkwashing. “It is criticized much more than any country in the world – more than China, Russia and Saudi Arabia.”

Lucas also mentioned that many of his critics have accused him of being paid by the Israeli government to make the film as an advertisement.

“Why would they pay a porn director to make a propaganda film about Israel?” Lucas said in response.

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