The Queer Insurrection and Liberation Army

The Queer Insurrection and Liberation Army (TQILA) is a queer anarchist armed group and subunit of the International Revolutionary People's Guerrilla Forces formed on 24 July 2017 by LGBT members of the IRPGF, its formation was announced from Raqqa City along with a statement explaining the purposes of its formation in which the response to the systematic persecution of LGBT people by the Daesh is highlighted as one of the main motivations of the group.

TQILA is reported to be the first LGBT unit to fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, and apparently the first LGBT militia in the Middle East.

Formation
The testimonial image of its formation, in which fighters posed alongside a sign with the motto "These faggots kill fascists" and two flags —one belonging to the recent group and an LGBT flag— that was quickly viralized by several western media that, surprised by the paradoxical unit against Daesh, echoed the event with large repercussions.

The unit, like the rest of the IRPGF, is a member of the International Freedom Battalion, in one of the testimonial photos is sighted Heval Mahir, commander of the International Freedom Battalion, and the marxist-leninist guerrilla TKP/ML TİKKO, holding the LGBT flag. Despite being part of the International Freedom Battalion several media erroneously reported that TQILA could be an official unit of the Syrian Democratic Forces which caused confusion. Following the impact of this mistaken information Mustafa Bali, media director of the SDF, denied such information alleging that there is no an LGBT brigade within the coalition, but does not deny the existence of the same which, indeed, belongs to the International Freedom Battalion.

Ideology
Ideologically the unit is defined as queer anarchist, in turn they are part of the IRPGF, an anarcho-communist and especifist brigade that claims horizontality, the abolition of the state, the struggle against capitalism, sexism, racism and patriarchy. Also, TQILA affirms that they reject and criticize sexism and homophobia within the revolutionary left. They defend the idea of feminism on the Rojava Revolution, the liberation of women and the impulse of the role of women in society against the traditional gender stereotypes in the region. The group affirms that "TQILA sees this as an opportunity to open up a critical dialogue amongst the revolutionary parties and guerrilla forces about gender and sexuality issues".

In a statement released on 1 August, the group says that they fight for social autonomy, gender equality, direct democracy and worker controlled industries, "is at the heart of the project in Rojava and the goal for an autonomous Kurdistan." They also affirm that they recognize the struggle against all forms of kyriarchy and support the ongoing revolution in the region. Later in the same text they compare the Chiapas rebellion with Rojava, saying that "Rojava seeks to move beyond the traditional nation-state model that is the impetus behind most national liberation struggles".