Michael Lucas Threatens Boycott of LGBT Center Over Israeli Apartheid Week Invite

NEW YORK—Gay adult entertainment entrepreneur and Advocate.com columnist, Michael Lucas, is threatening to organize a boycott against New York's LGBT Center for its decision to host a party for an anti-Semitic organization. Lucas has called on the LGBT Center to cancel a party by Israeli Apartheid week (IAW), scheduled for March 5. He is further demanding that the LGBT Center's leaders publicly apologize, and pledge to ban any and all anti-Semitic groups from using their facilities in the future. "I'm preparing to organize a boycott that would certainly involve some of the Center's most generous donors," said Lucas. "It was an inexcusable decision on the Center's part to associate itself with a hate group like Israeli Apartheid Week, but there's still time for them to reverse course and begin restoring their reputation." Lucas said he has already spoken with a number of other furious LGBT Center supporters who plan to withdraw all future donations should the "Smash Israeli Apartheid" party go forward. According to a statement issued Tuesday by the Lucas camp, “Anti-Israeli groups, like IAW, are using the pretext of support for Palestinians to stoke old anti-Semitic hatreds and perpetuate Jewish stereotypes. They're also growing increasingly and aggressively pro-Islam. Sociologists, like Phyllis Chesler of College of Staten Island say, ‘Anti-Zionism is new anti-Semitism.’ The IAW is attempting to organize a boycott campaign against Israel.” Jewish and non-Jewish members of the gay community are baffled by the LGBT Center's decision to support a controversial organization that has nothing to do with gay rights, the statement added. "At first I thought this was a joke," Lucas is quoted as saying. "Israel is the only country in the Middle East that supports gay rights, while its enemies round up, torture, and condemn gay people to death—often by publicly hanging or stoning them to death."  The announcement added that gay people in these societies often flee to Israel for safety and protection. "If the LGBT Center wants to host a fundraising and awareness party for anti-Semites, they might as well go all the way and host a tea dance for Fred Phelps," said Lucas. On the LGBT Center website, the following description of the event has been posted. "Siegebusters and Existence is Resistance present this fabulous event! DJ sets, guest performances, and great company, part of Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) an annual international series of events held in cities and campuses across the globe. The aim of IAW is to educate people about the nature of Israel as an apartheid system and to build Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaigns as part of a growing global BDS movement." According to Wikipedia, “The aim of the week was officially said to be a contribution ‘to this chorus of international opposition to Israeli apartheid and to bolster support for the boycotts, divestments and sanctions campaign in accordance with the demands outlined in the July 2005 Statement: full equality for Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel, an end to the occupation and colonization of all Arab lands– including the Golan Heights, the Occupied West Bank with East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip—and dismantling the Wall, and the protection of Palestinian refugees’ right to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in U.N. resolution 194.’” The first Israeli Apartheid week was held in 2005.