SD01 | The Israeli Question: How Pride was Hijacked
Comatose, not dead.
I can remember a time when Pride was provocative, outrageous, mostly independent and reigned free. Some may have considered it a freak show, but few could've walked away absent of thought-provoking concepts of the injustices perpetrated upon the gay civil rights cause.
In recent years it seems much has changed. Controversies have arisen that may have caused both city and private sector funding to become less eager to contribute as earlier. The over-commercialization and institutionalization of the event appears to have imposed a stranglehold that has diminished its original purpose in part.
It has become disciplined to a point where many believe it is no longer about freedom of expression and shocking rawness but rather that it has morphed into a commercial tourist attraction/circus viewed as an event utilized to bring in large sums of tourist dollars.
Perhaps this is due to the fact that Pride has accomplished nearly all its aspirations?
This may explain why it appears to me at least, why Pride has allowed itself to be hijacked by the very enemies and their cohorts of the very causes they have long sought to overcome. Those who destroy gay life throughout all neighbouring countries surrounding Israel (incl. The West Bank and Gaza).
Therefore I would like to address a focused area which has caused not simply me to abandon Pride, but on the large scale much debate if not strife over the last couple years.
I believe it is not only ludicrous for QuAIA to exploit Pride (at Pride's own expense) and protest against "Israeli Apartheid" during a Gay Pride parade, while Israel safeguards LGBT rights, same-sex marriage is recognized, LGBT have long served openly in the military, Israel has long served as a safe haven for LGBT Arabs/Muslims seeking refuge where they are offered safety, new identities, housing and new careers (Incidentally those Arabs and Muslims are amongst Israel's most ardent supporters) and Tel Aviv has arguably one of the best gay scenes in the world (33% of her residents identify themselves as LGBT).
All the while our sisters and brothers in the illegal LGBT communities in the Arab world including the West Bank and Gaza again, are summarily executed, imprisoned, victims of inter-family honour killings or if fortunate simply live in fear.
At what point did we lose our way?
Now that much has been accomplished, Pride has taken on a cause trumpeted routinely throughout the world ad nauseam. From CUPE to nearly every Church including The World Council of Churches representing some 560 million Christians, many universities and unions, marches and rallies and the like protesting Israel occur at almost any given hour somewhere in the world, including in Tel Aviv.
I truly want to remain hopeful that Pride will continue its good work, continue to battle for the rights of the LGBT community not only here in Toronto or Canada, but world-wide and not abandon its raison d'être and continue to protest in outrage against the injustices perpetrated upon the LGBT communities and not rest until the civil rights of all LGBT communities are liberated and protected.
Israel has been constantly attacked for thousands of years and she still perseveres as she will until the end of time. We needn't fret that Israel isn't being protested or demonized and rallied against its so called "Israel Apartheid" enough, that we should squalor the single annual opportunity we have to speak up for our brethren who seem to go unnoticed or all but forgotten in barbaric lands.
I don't want to plagiarize Pastor Martin Niemöller's bitter reflection after WWII, but if we do not speak out for our under/unrepresented community then who will? And if not now, then when? How many more gay souls need perish or suffer till then?
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Mark Steinfeld - Proud Canadian, Jew and Israelite