Queer as in Black lives matter

On this first day of Pride month, Rainbow Street planned to launch a campaign culminating on Give Out Day on June 30. We’re pausing that launch in solidarity with all who are protesting police violence in the wake of the murder of George Floyd.

As queer people, we understand the power—and the necessity—of an uprising. At its core, Pride itself is a protest, a riot, a rebellion.

And right now, our Black comrades and their allies are rising up. With them, we say the names of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and Tony McDade, a Black transgender man murdered by police in Florida last week.

Rainbow Street is a queer organization—queer as in Black lives matter, queer as in anti-racist, queer as in united against police terrorism, white supremacy, colonialism, militarism, capitalism, oppression. Queer people aren’t safe until these systems are dismantled. 

Whether you are protesting today or sheltering at home, we wish you peace and power this Pride month. 

Art by Shirien Dabra and Miriam Mosqueda (@vientoxsol).

The Queer Arabs interview Kevin Steen of Rainbow Street

Last Friday, The Queer Arabs Podcast released their latest episode featuring a full interview with Rainbow Street Executive Director Kevin Steen. On the show, Kevin discusses Rainbow Street’s origins, the organization’s theory of change, what it means to identify as an activist, and more.

The Queer Arabs Podcast is a regular show with episodes in English and Arabic featuring queer- and trans-identified Arabs and their guests. The platform has become an important meeting ground for change makers working at the intersection of LGBTQ and Arab identities.

You can find the Queer Arabs on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Listen to the show at thequeerarabs.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

Tunisian Queers Condemn False Reports of Marriage Equality

Too good to be true: A tempting headline perpetuates colonialist stereotypes about LGBTQ organizing around the world.

On April 28, 2020, multiple online news outlets began posting articles with headlines proclaiming that Tunisia had become the first Arab country to legalize same-sex marriage. These headlines are deliberately misleading. Rainbow Street condemns the intentional spread of misinformation and urges the participating news organizations to report responsibly and accurately on LGBTQ issues in Tunisia in future.

To summarize the issue, Rainbow Street defers to our partners at Mawjoudin, a membership-based LGBTQ organization in Tunisia, who released the following statement denouncing the misinformation: