Bar Canceling Queer Dancer's Act Over Pro-Palestinian Sign Sparks Boycott

A Philadelphia bar is facing a boycott from members of the LGBTQ+ community following a decision to cancel a performance by a queer, pro-Palestinian performer.

The Philly Voice reported this month that the Tabu bar in Philadelphia's Gayborhood community was facing a boycott after canceling a show by Leila Delicious, a pro-Palestinian queer performer. The cancellation was over a sign that Delicious brought to the bar that said: "Our generation will free Palestine," on the front and "Biden, demand a ceasefire. If you support genocide, you Isreal dumb!" on the back, Eater Philly reported.

The cancellation and boycott comes amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas militants. A surprise attack from Hamas on October 7 resulted in more than 1,000 Israeli deaths, the Associated Press reported, and fighting between the two has continued since. More than 18,000 Palestinians have been killed in the fighting, AP reported on Tuesday.

In the U.S., there has been many protests and rallies for those supporting either side. Many pro-Palestinian protesters have continued to call on U.S. President Joe Biden to demand a ceasefire, while others have encouraged Biden to continue supporting Israel in its war effort.

Following the decision to cancel the performance, the Philly Voice obtained a letter from advocacy group New Generation for Palestine, which was written by many LGBTQ+ performers and said, "We, the undersigned artists, producers, and performers, stand firmly with our colleague and friend Leila Delicious...We have all performed or produced at Tabu at various times in the past."

Newsweek reached out to the New Generation for Palestine via email for comment.

In a post to X, formerly Twitter, Philadelphia Gay News shared a photo of some protesters outside the bar and wrote: "Approximately 70 protestors gathered in Khan Park on Saturday, Dec. 15 to address an ongoing conflict between queer community members and nightlife entertainers with the owners of Tabu — a Gayborhood bar and performance venue."

Another post from @protest_nyc showed videos of protesters outside the bar.

Shortly after the protests, Tabu issued several statements on social media that have since been deleted. In one post reported by Eater Philly, the bar said that the sign promoted "genocide against Jews" and noted that "such despicable behavior has no rightful place here."

In another post reported by Eater Philly, the bar said, "the decision to not allow a sign speaking on this topic was made with the intention of ensuring the emotional safety of all of our customers, performers and staff. We acknowledge that we may have misinterpreted the intention of the performer's sign and for that we sincerely apologize."

"We sincerely apologize to all members of our community who were adversely affected by our decision. We will be reaching out to the performer to see if they would be open to having an open conversation if they so choose," the post added.

Newsweek reached out to Tabu via email for comment.

While speaking with the Eater Philly, Delicious said: "As a Palestinian from Gaza, performing is now the only way to be grounded in my body and keep survivor's guilt at bay...To be turned away at the door, crying outside in the cold, from an establishment I have given so much money, art and vulnerability to, was both shocking and devastating."