Between Patriarchy and Occupation: Rauda Morcos and Palestinian Lesbian Activism for Bodily Rights

Abstract

Rauda Morcos is a Palestinian activist who was publically outed in 2003 when Morcos agreed to be interviewed for Yediot Ahoronot. Although Morcos asked that her sexual orientation not be made a subject of or an issue in the article, the journalist referred to her as a “lesbian” in the story’s bold letter headline and included a large photograph of her. As a result, in the span of a few days there was literally no one among Israel’s Palestinian population who did not know who Morcos was or that she was a lesbian.