The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ advocacy group, has stopped accepting funding from two defense contractors: Northrop Grumman and RTX (formerly Raytheon).
This change was first reported by Progressive Publications interceptThe move comes amid a two-year pressure campaign from far-left and pro-Palestinian organizations that claim the companies are profiting from Israel’s military operations in Gaza by supplying the Israeli military with weapons and other military technology.
in a statement to metro weeklyHRC said it is not currently sponsoring Northrop Grumman or RTX, but did not directly respond to a survey specifically asking how those relationships ended.
These severances come on the heels of many U.S. companies pulling back on sponsorships of LGBTQ-related events and organizations and scaling back diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and policies under pressure from conservatives and the Trump administration.
“What is happening in Gaza and the entire region is devastating,” the HRC statement read in part. “The hunger of children and families and the violence against citizens and aid workers are horrific. And while we are focused on LGBTQ+ equality in the United States, this crisis, the growing cost of extremism in the United States and around the world, and Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, We have been vocal about how LGBTQ hatred is relevant globally, and we have also defended the right to protest here in the United States, a principle that is being undermined and threatened by this administration.”
Groups calling on HRC to end its relationship with Northrop Grumman and RTX include the Gender Liberation Movement, Adala Justice Project, ACT UP NY, Writers Against the War in Gaza, and Not Proud of the Genocide.
The Gender Liberation Movement and Adara Justice Project celebrated HRC’s announcement that it would no longer be a sponsor of Northrop Grumman and RTX.
“This is a step in the right direction to keep genocide and militarism out of our communities and institutions,” the organizations said in a statement. Instagram. “But the battle is not over yet.”
But the groups also noted in separate statements that the HRC has not promised to permanently refuse to accept cash from defense contractors in the future, nor is it seeking an arms embargo against Israel.
“Now that Israel has resumed its attacks on Gaza, war crimes are still being committed, war criminals are still held accountable, and divestment still must take place. Our work is not done and we remain committed to the fight,” the groups wrote. defender.
“Organizations like the HRC can no longer prioritize proximity to power over the well-being of our people, or center our inclusion in the very systems that are killing us,” the statement continued. “Freedom, equality, and justice for our queer and trans brothers here can only be achieved if we come together to confront the systems that harm communities everywhere.”
Shortly after the start of the Israel-Gaza conflict, and after Hamas-led attacks on Israeli civilians and foreigners on October 7, 2023, activist groups called on the HRC to sever ties with “all arms manufacturers and institutions profiting from genocide and militarism” around the world, commit to no future partnerships with arms manufacturers, and publicly call for an immediate arms embargo on Israel.
In February 2024, demonstrators protested outside HRC’s annual New York gala to protest the organization’s receipt of funding from arms manufacturers. as reported by they at that time. Some critics of the HRC have accused the organization of “pinkwashing,” using Israel’s relatively pro-gay laws as an example to emulate in an attempt to distract from Israel’s human rights abuses of Palestinians.
Israel’s military operation, which officials have previously said is aimed at destroying Hamas and ensuring the terrorist organization no longer poses a threat to Israel, hit nearly 80% of the Gaza Strip before October. Seven structures have been damaged or destroyed, according to satellite imageand yielded even more results 69,000 Palestinians deadAccording to statistics from the Palestinian Ministry of Health, which is overseen by the Hamas-led government in the Gaza Strip.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been injured in the conflict, and pro-Palestinian groups have accused Israeli forces of committing war crimes. social media video shared by some soldiers have distributed online The evidence includes allegations of targeting civilians, including children, abusing and torturing detainees, and using forced starvation as a weapon of war.
In September, a team of independent experts commissioned by the United Nations Human Rights Council gave an opinion that Israel was committing genocide against Palestinians.
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
