Ed Murray accused of "Pinkwashing"

Harrison Lee • Feb 6, 2018

Feb 6, 2018

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          <article>
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                <h1>Ed Murray accused of "Pinkwashing"</h1>
                <h2><p>Many LGBTQ activists are harshly criticizing Seattle Mayor Ed Murray for his planned trip to Israel in June. Murray is set to attend an LGBTQ-related conference lead by The Aguda, a pro gay-rights Israeli nonprofit.

Murray is being accused of “pinkwashing” or, drawing attention away from the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts.

“The</p></h2>
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               <p>By <a href="/author/harrison-lee-crosscut-com/">Harrison Lee</a></p> 
              <p><time datetime="2025-02-04T05:00:00-08:00">Feb 6, 2018</time></p>
            </header>
            <p>Many LGBTQ activists are harshly criticizing Seattle Mayor Ed Murray for his planned trip to Israel in June. Murray is set to attend an LGBTQ-related conference lead by The Aguda, a pro gay-rights Israeli nonprofit.</p><p>Murray is being accused of “pinkwashing” or, drawing attention away from the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts.</p><p>“The Israeli government is paying him to come be part of a propaganda conference that promotes Israel as a gay-rights haven in order to cover up the realities of apartheid,”</p><p>said Dean Spade, an activist and associate law professor at Seattle University.</p><p>Murray is denying these claims and has said,</p><p>“I respectfully disagree with those who are attempting to characterize my trip to Israel as an attempt to ‘pinkwash’ Israel’s relationship with Palestinians. The situation in the Middle East is complicated, but my position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has long been both clear and public,”</p>
          </article>

Many LGBTQ activists are harshly criticizing Seattle Mayor Ed Murray for his planned trip to Israel in June. Murray is set to attend an LGBTQ-related conference lead by The Aguda, a pro gay-rights Israeli nonprofit.

Murray is being accused of “pinkwashing” or, drawing attention away from the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts.

“The Israeli government is paying him to come be part of a propaganda conference that promotes Israel as a gay-rights haven in order to cover up the realities of apartheid,”

said Dean Spade, an activist and associate law professor at Seattle University.

Murray is denying these claims and has said,

“I respectfully disagree with those who are attempting to characterize my trip to Israel as an attempt to ‘pinkwash’ Israel’s relationship with Palestinians. The situation in the Middle East is complicated, but my position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has long been both clear and public,”

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By Harrison Lee

Harrison Lee is an editorial intern at Crosscut. He is a senior at Seattle Academy. He has had journalistic experience working with Microsoft in Bangalore, India. In Seattle, he produced an investigat