Gay Times sorry for ‘one-sided’ Gaza posts, including one calling Hamas a ‘resistance movement’
Media brand apologises for series of Instagram posts, with one appearing to frame Hamas' butchery on 7 October as 'resistance' and Israel's response 'asymmetric'.
Media brand Gay Times has apologised for a series of Instagram posts branded “one-sided”, “antisemitic” and even supportive of Hamas as a legitimate resistance movement.
One Instagram post claimed that Hamas is the leader of the Palestinian resistance movement while another condemned Israel’s actions but did not condemn Hamas’ attack on innocent civilians. Disgusted Jewish followers voiced their discontent in the comment section, with one writing: “Rename yourself Gaza Times. You present a one-sided view of a complex situation. Shame on you.”
Comments accusing the brand of antisemitism were allegedly deleted, before the posts were deleted entirely. The social media posts have since been deleted, with a statement on its website apologising for causing hurt and condemning Hamas.
The statement said: “We regret that our editorial standards fell short on this occasion of the inclusivity and impartiality in regards to this coverage that we strive for as a content team, and sincerely apologise for the hurt it has caused. We are clear in our condemnation of Hamas as a terrorist organisation. We categorically condemn the attack on 7 October.
“We mourn the loss of innocent civilian lives lost in the territories affected by the ongoing conflict – and we hope for a peaceful resolution. Action will be taken internally at Gay Times to continue to interrogate our own journalistic standards and strive for greater inclusivity in our output.”
The media brand’s posts, which were broadcast to its 1.2m followers, had been condemned by prominent Jewish LGBTQ+ voices.
David Levine, former vice president of children’s programming at Disney, and winner of the 2020 LGBT Brit Award for Inspirational Leader, told Jewish News: “Sadly, Gay Times has twisted the concept of intersectionality into the antisemitic narrative of Israel as the oppressor. Its unbalanced posts are rife with repetition of age-old tropes.
“That has encouraged antisemitic comments by its users while Jewish LGBTQ+ people feel that their views are being ignored. As an example, Gay Times places all of the blame for Gaza’s conditions at Israel’s feet, with no reference to Egypt or Hamas for that matter, when describing the situation. Indeed, Gay Times describes Hamas as the leader of Gaza’s resistance movement, legitimatising a proscribed terrorist group. Brands should steer clear of aligning with Gay Times and Hamas.”
Israeli writer and Jewish LGBTQ+ influencer Hen Mazzig accused the brand of “antisemitic propaganda”.
He added: “The LGBTQ+ community has established itself on the values of acceptance and pluralism, fighting for marginalised groups to be protected. Yet Gay Times, which was an iconic platform for our rights, has turned into a hateful one-sided and antisemitic propaganda platform which won’t hear the cry of LGBTQ+ Jews.
“Instead, they seal a few Jewish voices who are tokenised to kosher their antisemitic campaign. The truth is that their words directly affect whether Jews are safe or not, and if LGBTQ+ Jews will have to choose between these identities.”
Matthew Waksman, a founding member of queer Jewish club night Buttmitzvah, says that Gay Times must go further than simply deleting their inflammatory Instagram posts, and called for its statement to be published on their social media pages.
“Gay Times’ silence on 7 October and subsequent legitimising language around Hamas was deeply alarming,” he told Jewish News.
“As one of the founding members of Buttmitzvah, one of the UK’s biggest inclusive queer club nights and one that celebrates Jewish culture at its heart, it’s devastating to see an LGBTQ+ magazine showing such disdain for Jewish lives and using reckless and inflammatory language.
“To call Hamas a resistance movement in any form is horrifying, especially at a time when it is terrifying to be a Jew. I welcome that Gay Times has deleted the Instagram posts and made a statement on its website.
“I expect them to publish it clearly on Instagram where the initial posts were made so they can start to undo the deep hurt that they have caused to the community. I hope Gay Times genuinely takes steps to learn from this.
“We need to come together and we don’t need any more division in the world right now.”
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