Statement of solidarity with the Palestinian people

After much consideration, Gendered Intelligence wishes to issue a public statement of support for the Palestinian people, as they continue to face genocidal actions by the state of Israel.

It is written into Gendered Intelligence’s governing document that one of our core charitable objects is raising awareness of, promoting support and respect for, and advocating for human rights. As a charity with the human rights of LGBTQ+ people at our heart, we believe it is essential to acknowledge the interconnected struggles of all marginalised peoples around the world to live lives free from oppression and violence.

In December 2024, Amnesty International’s investigation concluded that “there is sufficient evidence to believe that Israel’s conduct in Gaza following 7 October 2023 amounts to genocide”. The United Nations Special Committee report of November 2024 investigating Israeli actions similarly found practices consistent with genocide, including the obstruction of humanitarian aid, targeted attacks on civilians, using starvation as a method of war and inflicting collective punishment on the Palestinian population.”

We are horrified by these reports. We also know that bearing witness to the violence inflicted on Palestinians by Israel, and the UK government’s ongoing material and diplomatic support for the Israeli government, has taken a profound emotional toll on many of our staff and the young people we support. The importance of this issue has been voiced in particular by members of GI’s internal Race and Ethnicity caucus. Our Youth Board has reported that some young people attending our groups feel not just appalled at the violence enacted on Palestinians, but let down by the lack of solidarity shown by adults around them.

Gendered Intelligence are in the process of developing a partnership and supplier assessment protocol which will include ethics as a core criteria. Since 2021 we have had a policy to not engage in sales or partnerships with companies with a primary business in the arms trade, using information from Campaign Against the Arms Trade. We also conduct an ethics review ahead of agreeing any potential partnership with an external organisation. In light of feedback from our staff and Youth Board, we intend to improve and develop our commitment to an ethical approach to suppliers and partnerships, and are exploring alternative options to suppliers named on the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) list.