熱情砸爛的攤子/

The documentary City of Borders centers on a gay bar Shushan in Jerusalem, a place that brings together Palestinians, Jewish Israelis, Arabic Israelis, Jewish Arabs, religious or atheist, queer, straight and drag queens. The bar serves as a place that embraces all conflicts of sexualities, religions, nationalities, geography, and occupation through queer desires and the common human need for belonging. The film itself, however, is not as optimistic as it wants to be. Sa'ar Netanel, a secular Israeli who owns the bar and serves as the first openly gay member of the city council in Jerusalem, has to constantly deals with not only the homophobic threats while he is putting on Jerusalem's Gay Pride Parade in 2005 but also homophobic hostilities from mostly orthodox Israeli politicians. The film presents the tension between the two cities- Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. While Tel Aviv portrays itself as the liberal, Capitalist Disneyland for gays, Jerusalem is seen as a sacred land that needs to preserve its tradition and conservatism- which is translated by some orthodoxes as gay bashing.

In this conservative climate of Jerusalem, the film goes in depth to examine an interracial realtionship between a Palestinian-Israeli woman, Samira Saraya , and a Jewish-Israeli woman, Ravit Geva. Saraya, an anti-Zionist activist, speaks for the brutal occupation in Gaza as well as the racism against Palestinians within the supposedly safe, liberal state of Israel that's all about cultural diversity. Geva, even though supportive of her partner Saraya's activism and politics, fails to recognize her privileges as a white Jewish Israeli at times. While Saraya talks about how Palestinians are treated as second-class citizens and have no voice in the society, Geva interrupts and says, "Yes they can speak. There's freedom of speech in Israel!" Saraya quickly responds, "freedom of speech for whom?"

In another tract of the storyline, the film follows the life of Boody, gay and devout Muslim, risks his life by sneaking through the wire from the West Bank to Shushan to perform as a drag queen and, like what he says, "we are just going there to have fun. We are not going there to throw bombs." The film reveals his relationship with his mom, who is aware of his son's sexuality and not accepted, but is supportive to her son in her own way. The portrayal of Boody critics the dominant Western discourse of outness, in which the conflicts of religion and family are often impossible to co-exist with outness. Boody ends up in a small town in Connecticut, where he finds his partner and sees the limitations of queer immigrant rights in the US.

The film also follows the story of a Jewish-Arabic Israeli, Adam Russo, who is stabbed by an Orthodox Jew in Jerusalem's Gay Pride Parade. A former Israeli soldier and has clear Zionist ideology, Russo is not defeated by the gay-bashing incident and still carries his Israeli flag in Pride. At the end of the film, he is preparing his marriage with another Israeli man and moving into house he just brought in the Israeli settlement in West Bank.

The director of the film, Yun Suh, a first-generation Korean American from California, talked about how her inspiration for making this documentary about the Palestinian-Israeli gay communities was her experience of being an outsider, as an immigrant and a woman of color in the US. Having the privilege to be a documentary maker in the central of the conflict during the war as well as interview these people who might have risked their lives to be on the big screen, Suh fails to use the documentary as a crucial tool to really critic how liberal Zionism portrays Israel as a safe haven for queers but in fact only further justifies Israel as an apartheid state and its continuing siege in Gaza. While the film shows the possibility of love, empathy, and forgiveness can exist among Israelis, Palestinians, queer and straight folks, it fails to take a clear anti-Zionist, anti-Imperialist stance in the midst of some very extreme forms of violence against Palestinians, against people of color, and against queers. After all, queer liberation is not a dance party in the gay bar in Tel Aviv, but a space of justice where every kind of otherness can belong to that we will and must fight for all.

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Rally for Custodian RIghts!

A protest by UW custodians and their families yesterday made it clear to UW Custodial Services that swing-shift custodians would not move to the day shift without a fight.

Swing-shift custodians at the UW have been fighting to stay on their current shift of 4:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. since UW Custodial Services announced in March that the 85 custodians currently on the shift would be forced to move to the day shift.

As a lead in to yesterday’s special Board of Regents meeting, more than 100 people marched and chanted from Red Square to the Northlake Building, which houses the UW’s Custodial Services. The protesters blocked the front door of the building and demanded that Gene Woodard, director of Custodial Services, rescind his decision to move swing-shift custodians to the day shift or be fired.

“Gene has to go!” the crowd shouted repeatedly.

The protestors were composed of a broad scope of UW community members, including custodians, students, UW faculty and non-custodial staff.

“Time is running out,” said Mehereteab Mengistu, a swing-shift custodian who was present at the protest. “They don’t respect us.”

Swing-shift custodians are scheduled to start working the day shift this coming Monday.

The protest was fueled in part by a negotiation meeting that took place Wednesday between the union representing UW custodians, Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE) Local 1488 and UW Custodial Services.

In the meeting, UW Custodial Services made it known that they were firm in their decision to transfer swing-shift custodians to the day shift.

“There is no flexibility here,” said Salvador Castillo, executive vice president of WFSE 1488. “They [UW Custodial Services] have not agreed to leave more than eight people on swing shift.”

The prevailing concern among the protesters was the impact the move will have on custodians whose livelihoods depend on them working the swing shift.

“My wife works in the daytime, and I take care of my children when she’s working,” said Neztereab Seare, a swing-shift custodian of 20 years. “Also, if I go to the day shift, my salary won’t be enough because I have child support to pay.”

Concerns like Seare’s drove the protestors to speak directly to Woodard. The protesters shouted and demanded that Woodard come out of the building to speak. With no success, the protestors attempted to enter the building, but five UW police officers stopped them.

“We knew that they were going to march,” said Assistant Chief Ray Wittmier of the UW Police Department (UWPD). “We assigned a couple of light patrol generally to provide safety while they cross the street.”

However, the officers did allow three of the custodians to enter the building to see if Woodard was there. When they came outside informing the protestors that he was not there, they began shouting “coward.”

John Frazier, WFSE 1488’s newly elected president, had control of the megaphone during the majority of the protest.

“We’re going to start setting these up all the time until this thing is done and our people are okay,” he said. “Just to make sure that, at the end of the day, our workers are treated fairly.”

The protesters left Northlake Building with one final declaration.

“We’ll be back,” Frazier yelled into the megaphone.

The majority of the crowd moved on to participate in the special Board of Regents meetings to speak to the regents on behalf of the custodians.

Student, UWPD clash During May Day Rally

Student groups — including Democracy Insurgent, Jobs with Justice, First Nations and Movimiento Estudiantil Chicana/o de Aztlán (MEChA) — rallied at Red Square before joining the citywide May Day march for immigration rights on Friday.

May Day is an annual celebration for immigrant rights when participants express concern for better treatment of immigrant populations. However, this year, a disagreement broke out when UW police told protesters to put away their megaphones.

“They [police] came to the leaders [of the protest] and said if we continued to use the megaphone, we would be arrested,” senior Renato Mendoza said.

Police cited Code 132N-15-180 to the students, who then looked up the Washington Adminstrative Code.

“After we looked it up, we found that [the code number] was the incorrect one,” Mendoza said.

Students argued with UW police about whether or not they could use the megaphones after they researched the law police had given them and discovered that it didn’t exist. The actual Washington Administrative Code — 132N-150-180 — differed by one number from the law police had cited.

The code pertaining to megaphone use on college campuses reads, “Bull horns, amplifiers and other electronic devices that disrupt college programs or operations are prohibited on college property.”

Police reasoned with the protestors for more than half an hour before they put away the megaphones, UW Police Department (UWPD) Chief John Vinson said.

However, megaphones were used in an anti-budget cut and tuition-hike rally that took place last month and was sponsored by ASUW — the students involved in that rally, which marched through campus, were not told by police to put away their megaphones. Megaphones have also been used throughout this year by student groups such as Democracy Insurgent, Huskies for Israel and Students for Justice in Palestine, as well as for President Obama’s inauguration-day rally. In none of these instances were students told they were not allowed to use their megaphones.

Vinson said the officer who approached the students informed the group that she didn’t know how other officers previously enforced the code, but that it was her job to enforce it at that time.

“If an officer gives you a lawful order, we expect you to follow it,” Vinson said. Disobeying a college security officer giving a lawful order is considered an obstruction of justice.

After the rally in Red Square, student groups — including Democracy Insurgent, Jobs with Justice, First Nations and MEChA — joined approximately 1,000 protestors in the citywide march that began in Seattle’s Central District and ended in Pioneer Square.

Demonstrators downtown said they had no problems demonstrating for immigrants’ rights.

“We haven’t been bothered by police [in Seattle] at all,” said UW senior Elizabeth Snow during the rally. “They’re just staying on the sidewalks, making sure that everything’s okay.”

RALLY FOR PALESTINE:

 Let's Crash the Israeli Independence Day Party!

*On April 29th, Huskies For Israel is hosting “Israelpalooza”, a party to celebrate Israeli Independence Day. They are celebrating the existance of an apartheid state built on 60+ years of ethnic cleansing and racism.

*The land they call Israel is being stolen from Palestinians, an indigenous people who are being forced into tiny reservations like Gaza strip. While Huskies for Israel celebrates, Israel continues its brutal siege on Gaza.

*Let’s demonstrate that the UW community opposes Israeli Apartheid. Lets show them we will not let events like “Israelpalooza” go unchallenged.

Say it loud, say it proud: Long Live Palestine!

WED. 4/29. UW HUB LAWN.

生活的節奏變得太緊湊我把netflix的無限DVD帳號都停了。在唯一剩下的喘息時刻只想放著音樂倒在沙發上放空幾分鐘。我需要完整的十五分鐘不再想以色列復國主義、不再想認知心理、不再想著忽然有了一個女朋友的這件事。衣服得洗、帳單得繳、演講稿要寫、研究計畫書要交、每打開gmail都有三十幾封的信件要回覆。身體很累，感情的語言好像被慣壞了，真正感動的時候再也說不出準確的字語來表達。又說不出愛。只凝視著對方的眼睛讓她知道，至少這一分鐘的我給予她全部的注視。也失誤不曉得多少次了，現在的感情已不再是一樣的層次。我想要的是體諒和關懷和溫柔，依戀共存的時代已經結束了，我愛一個人是因為她的個體而也希望她繼續維持自己原有的生活。我的世界觀仍然守著一絲可能的社會正義，要為了比這更微小的理由生活下去似乎不再是可能的。社群、集體抵制、知識、音樂、幾包的香煙、和愛，原本抽象的假說都成為日子落實的姿態。

關於CIA血腥歷史的panel結束了，在走廊上和一個zionist hater大聲嚷嚷一路到了solstice。二十多個行動主義者聚在陽台上喝紅酒啤酒可樂或者咖啡。生活被簡約成這樣微小簡單的娛樂。用粉筆在red square上寫Free Palestine、讀不完的中東歷史、和男性行動主義者辯論女性在馬克思主義者中的角色、Charles Bukowski基本上是個asshole、對假惺惺的社會主義者翻白眼兩圈、搗亂CIA在校招募新成員的課程、連賭王這樣的電影也開始變得幽默了。妳在小巷子抽菸傳簡訊給這週末在紐約一場瘋狂派對的她。只想要跟她分完這根煙並在小巷裡擁抱。整理她的瀏海親吻她額頭。而在一些難得大好陽光的下午妳難免對於所有的現況感到無力。妳閉起眼站在斑馬路中央，質疑新世界的可能。那是當妳想到愛的時候。就算尚未到達。總有一個人讓妳期待新生活的可能。

好像是戀愛了。除了巴勒斯坦/以色列和驅逐CIA的運動，心裡想的都是這個女生。已經五天沒有回家睡了(!)，總是沒有特別計畫的又結束一整天在她的單人公寓裡。六點五十醒來，擁抱，她淋浴，尚未吹乾的頭髮和都是hemp沐浴精香味的身體和我擁抱。七點五十，在樓下的joe bar買兩小杯咖啡，走四個街區陪她等去公司的公車。一天的開始。一天的結束。想著這個女生。她說：我覺得自己對妳非常的專心，沒有需要認識別人的感覺，若妳在見其他的人，我大概也會覺得有些奇怪吧。大家都說：妳們根本就是情侶了吧！我也不急。剩下一些沒有說破的距離和神秘感。我也不曉得這段感情會走到哪裡。此刻的我也不在意。想到她便讓我開心。其他的名分什麼好像都不是太重要。電影，冰淇淋，公園，樂團。生活已被填滿沒有太多的空間。剩下的那些零碎的時間就留給這簡單純粹的慾望吧。

那天vicki在包廂裡叫著說:lara像不像angela附身!!??如果angela有一半的亞洲血統大概就是長這模樣...

肩頸疼的厲害，睡時磨下顎，決定去做芳療。大姐摸透了我的身體兩小時，結論說我其實是個很敏感的人，而我的身體其實沒有想像中的那樣緊繃，全部的疼痛都是心理引起的！壓抑牽連著一併帶進了夢境於是易醒。她說，妳曉得心理是會嚴重影響身體功能的嗎？妳和妳家人的關係好嗎？我想，我不知道該不該和她說我是念心理的。但看著這位大姐用著這些基礎理論其實還挺有趣的。她說，妳其實很需要愛呢！妳因為不擅長索取愛或者表達愛於是左半部的心肺功能出現了問題。果真左半背一顆顆的紅成一片。啊，該怎麼得到愛呢？真是個老掉牙的肉麻問題。的確是一陣子沒有什麼愛的動力了。慾望比愛來得簡單。一個人在凌晨五點寫暗示性過重的電子郵件給前女友也比追回愛簡單。一個在成都一個在北京。我跟中國欠了什麼債？我現在能想的只有坐上禮拜五晚上的班機飛回書寫我慾望的城市，和這大概近期間至少三個月都不會提及任何關於愛的話題的混血兒linds在tricky這團表演的場上，喝她計畫好要買給我的redbull vodka(因為時差)然後make out一整晚。

看台灣的MV看太多會讓人想談單人伴侶制寫情書住在同一間公寓裡澆小花打枕頭戰的癡情戀愛！真危險