Believe it or not, there are worse places in the world to be gay than in the United States. In the Arab world, being gay or even a little effeminate will at the least earn you the overt ire of your family and friends, at the worst result in violent persecution or death.
Enter Palestine, where the only thing more hated than homosexual men is the Israeli ‘occupation.’
In an attempt to ride the wave of marriage equality the U.S. Supreme Court passed June 26, Artist Khaled Jarrar said he painted a rainbow flag on the West Bank separation wall Monday to raise awareness about the Israeli occupation, The Associated Press reports.
Other Palestinians discovered the rainbow flag and immediately whitewashed it.
The subject of homosexuality is taboo in the Palestinian community, and gay lifestyles aren’t tolerated. “People don’t accept different thinking in our society,” Jarrar told the AP. (RELATED: Egypt Cracks Down On Gays)
One Palestinian lawyer who disagree with the artist’s image told the AP: “It would be shameful to have the flag of gays in our refugee camp.”
Spanning six slab of the barrier between Israel and the West Bank, the flag was positioned between graffiti portraits of Yasir Arafat and other leaders.
Homosexuality is banned in the West Bank and Gaza, but some Palestinian gays have sought refuge in Israel, according to the AP. A massive gay pride parade in Tel Aviv drew over 100,000 attendees in early June.
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.