"Zivo speculates that the strange phenomenon of LGBTQ+ Palestine solidarity must be due to lack of understanding of the developing world by western LGBTQ+ communities. Zivo says that we live in a bubble and can only think in a black and white, oppressor, oppressed framework, where the oppressed are morally righteous, and oppressors totally evil. We therefore can’t understand “moral complexity,” deny Muslim homophobia, and see Israel as evil."
Dear News Talk 980,
I am writing to you on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) to express my concern regarding your broadcast segment which aired on Monday 12:35 a.m., July 20, 2026.
In his program, host Ben Mulroney begins by mentioning a gay cruise boat denied permission to dock in Turkey and Egypt, and is puzzled why they didn’t just go to "gay friendly" Israel instead. This is the set up to quickly segue into his further puzzlement that so many lgbtq people are opposed to the genocide in Gaza.
Guest Adam Zivo can only compound Mulroney’s confusion, reiterating how “gay friendly” Israel is, with pride flags flying all over Tel Aviv. Zivo speculates that the strange phenomenon of LGBTQ+ Palestine solidarity must be due to lack of understanding of the developing world by western LGBTQ+ communities. Zivo says that we live in a bubble and can only think in a black and white, oppressor, oppressed framework, where the oppressed are morally righteous, and oppressors totally evil. We therefore can’t understand “moral complexity,” deny Muslim homophobia, and see Israel as evil.
To be fair, Zivo has enough familiarity with the situation that he has to admit that many queer people who express solidarity with Palestine do not deny that there is homophobia in the Middle East, but he quickly abandons this train of thought since it undermines his argument that the explanation for the solidarity Mulroney finds so perplexing is a lack of moral reasoning and sophistication among queer people.
Zivo might have pierced through Mulroney’s brain fog by pointing out that genocide, or more concretely the murders of children and medical personnel and reporters etc, the relentless high-tech bombing and destruction of hospitals and schools and homes, and now even the flimsy tents of the resulting homeless people, is a bad thing, a crime, in fact, a crime against humanity. If anyone is morally compromised, it is those who spend their time fabricating excuse after excuse for the crimes Israel has and continues to commit.
Zivo and Mulroney go on to talk about the “moral superiority” of the West, the same West that materially supports the ongoing Israeli genocide. When bombs and bullets supplied by Canada and other Western countries rip women and children and queer and straight Palestinians limb from limb in Gaza, we see the limits of this moral posturing.
Zivo approvingly cites the rise in anti-immigrant sentiments among some elements of LGBTQ+ communities as a sign that we are waking up to the dangers to our tolerant society posed by homophobic immigrants. When examined, this is the same old scapegoating where marginalized groups are blamed for structural problems. Queer people remember when not so long ago, we were the danger to society who needed to be suppressed. Immigrants are not the ones who cause climate change, increasing inequalities of wealth, the affordability crisis or geopolitical conflicts that threaten war. Those are the real and present dangers to our community.
Tim McCaskell
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