A long-time source of division at Pride movements around the world has led to parade shut-downs and demonstrations, most recently in Toronto

Last November, Israel’s official social media accounts shared a photo of a smiling Israeli soldier proudly holding a rainbow flag amid the rubble in Gaza, where over 10,000 Palestinians – mostly women and children – had been killed in the weeks following October 7.

Written upon the multi-coloured flag – an iconic, decades-old symbol of LGBTQ+ pride – in English, Arabic and Hebrew, were the words “In The Name Of Love.”

The image quickly went viral. The soldier, a 31-year-old gay man, explained to the media that the Israeli military was “the only army in the Middle East that protects democratic values… it is the only army that allows LGBT people the freedom to be who they are, and therefore I fully believe in our goal.”

Meanwhile, on Instagram, Israel’s account described the image as an “attempt to raise the first pride flag in Gaza as a call for peace and freedom.”

But for many LGBTQ+ activists, and those struggling for Palestinian liberation, the incident represented an almost perfect example of “pinkwashing” – a term that refers to a state or organization’s attempts to use LGBTQ+ rights and symbols to distract or deflect attention from its harmful practices.

  • @[email protected]English
    9•5 months ago

    I sure wish queer people were left out of this war that has essentially nothing to do with them. It’s a caricature of intersectionalism. Here’s another absurd example: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/stjohns-pride-palestine-action-yyt-1.7253192

    St. John’s Pride names pro-Palestine advocacy group as grand marshals for annual parade

    On July 21, Palestine Action YYT will lead the annual parade, which will wind its way through downtown St. John’s and end at Bannerman Park for the Pride in the Park event.

    The group has protested throughout the city for months, with downtown marches downtown calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, vigils for those who have died in the conflict, and tent encampments and the occupation of Memorial University buildings to call on administration to divest from companies that are funding the war.

    • @[email protected]English
      26•5 months ago

      Pride being used to help disadvantaged victims is fine.

      Pride being used to make genocide progressive is vile.

      • @[email protected]English
        3•5 months ago

        Pride being used to help disadvantaged victims is fine.

        The real disadvantaged victims are queer people in Palestine (and especially Gaza), where being gay or trans is persecuted to a degree unlike nearly every other place in the world. Not only are they oppressed by Israel, but they’re also oppressed by their own people. Here’s a good report on the matter (PDF) https://cdn.sida.se/app/uploads/2021/05/07094749/rights-of-lgbt-persons-palestine.pdf

        Human rights should come before anything else, whether it’s borders or religion or whatever. The morally consistent position is to advocate for Palestinian freedom that also includes freedom for all Palestinians to be themselves.