In a small apartment, a handful of friends — Jewish, Arab, secular and observant, all queer — kept running into the same problem. In LGBTQ+ spaces they were told their connection to Israel made them unwelcome. In communal spaces they were told their queerness did. So they built the room they needed instead.
What began as monthly meet-ups turned into study evenings, then delegations, then chapters on three continents. Along the way we learned that curiosity travels further than argument, and that people who share a meal rarely leave as strangers.
Today Queers for Israel is a home for thousands of people who hold complexity without apology: activists, students, parents, artists and allies who believe pride and belonging are not mutually exclusive.