Sanctuary Queer Arts Solidarity Statement

Sanctuary Queer Arts stands in solidarity with the people of Palestine.

We are witnessing multiple atrocities and humanitarian crises in Gaza enforced by the state of Israel and supported by the UK and other Western governments. We stand with our peers and colleagues (Queers in Palestine, Arts Workers for Palestine Scotland, BPOC writers Network, Voices4London and many others) in the knowledge that silence at this urgent time of crisis and escalating genocide is not a neutral position.

Sanctuary Queer Arts is a Community Interest Company. We exist to provide safe, sanctuary spaces for LGBTQIA+ artists in Scotland, to amplify LGBTQIA+ voices and to provide and support spaces for the community to come together to celebrate, exchange and commune.

We believe that standing in solidarity with the people of Palestine is a queer issue. A true queer liberation is intertwined with all liberation struggles – including the fight against antisemitism, and for a free Palestine. Palestinian people are not responsible for the actions of Hamas, equally neither are peoples of Jewish faith responsible for the actions of the government of Israel.

We support Arts Workers for Palestine Scotland’s Open Letter calling for all of Scotland’s arts and literary organisations to call for an immediate ceasefire, an end to siege on Gaza and to stand with the people of Palestine - and therefore stand against settler-colonialism, racism, Islamophobia, and genocide.

What are we doing?

  • Company co-directors have written to our representatives to demand an immediate ceasefire and an end to the siege.

  • Company co-directors have signed the Queers in Palestine solidarity letter and International queer solidarity with Palestine Open Letter, linked below.

  • Sanctuary is writing to the cultural organisations we partner with calling them to use their voice to stand with the people of Palestine and call for a ceasefire.

  • Sanctuary is working with an anti racism worker to help our organisation and workers take stock of our current practices and processes, identify where we need to improve and set out a clear plan for training and development.

  • Sanctuary is updating our ‘equal opportunities’ and ‘creating sanctuary spaces’ policies to provide clear, actionable resources and organisational processes to protect workers, artists and audiences from acts of Islamophobia, antisemitism, and other forms of racism during this period, and in the future. 

  • Sanctuary is following our peers’ examples (eg UBelong’s and Scottish BPOC Writers Network) and adding a new point to our Creating Sanctuary Spaces Policy: “Pro-occupation, pro-war, pro-colonialism, fascism, and white supremacist sentiments will not be permitted on our platforms and in our spaces.”

  • Inspired by Arika, Sanctuary will be creating and commiting to a Boycott Divest and Sanction policy.

Sanctuary seeks to be representative of and led by the LGBTQIA+ community in Scotland.

We invite feedback/discussion/learning/understanding in order to continually be further informed of the multiple experiences of our diverse community.

Email us: hello@sanctuaryqueerarts.com

What can you do?

Further resources and sources of information: