Deachman: Capital Pride’s Palestinian stance challenges us all

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It’s 3 a.m. and sleep is elusive. A column I’m working on — this one — is in my head and won’t shut up and leave me alone.

The question is one of allyship — showing support for marginalized groups who face social, economic or political disadvantages due to such factors as race, ethnicity, sexual orientation of gender. I’m struggling with how to be an ally through these particularly troubling, polarizing times. My insomnia has been prompted by events halfway around the globe — and in our own front yard.

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Organizers at Capital Pride, presumably no strangers to allyship, came up hard on the issue after releasing a statement two weeks ago in solidarity with Palestinians, even as it also decried the attack on Israel that provoked the war in Gaza. As a result of Capital Pride’s stance, a growing number of people and organizations have said they won’t march in Sunday’s Capital Pride parade, or in some cases take part in the festival at all. Among those who have indicated they’ll boycott the parade are Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, the City of Ottawa, the Liberal Party of Canada, the Ontario Liberal Party, the Jewish Federation of Ottawa, CHEO, The Ottawa Hospital, the Montfort Hospital, Ottawa Tourism, the Bank of Canada, Giant Tiger, Loblaw, the LCBO, the University of Ottawa, the U.S. Embassy, the Public Service Pride Network, Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario (CEPEO), Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est (CECCE) and the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board.

Enough, really, for a parade of their own.

Several of these groups contend that Capital Pride’s stance has alienated many members of Ottawa’s Jewish community, who now feel excluded, unwelcome, and unsafe should they attend. Pride parades elsewhere, including in Montreal, Toronto, Halifax and Vancouver, have been disrupted by pro-Palestinian demonstrators. The fears come amid bomb threats sent Wednesday to more than 100 synagogues, hospitals and Jewish community centres, including in Ottawa, so people are already feeling generally insecure.

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As well, Pride’s statement, critics argue, compromises the values of diversity and inclusion the movement has long upheld.

It’s dismaying that it has come to this. Pride week and the parade are significant, usually joyous, events in Ottawa, reflecting and celebrating residents’ diversity while honouring the pioneering efforts of those who fought for the rights and acceptance of 2SLGBTQIA+ people.

Was it naïve of Capital Pride not to foresee the reaction it’s getting? Or did it make its bed understanding what might follow? Will it live up to its commitment to integrate the Palestinian BDS National Committee‘s boycott list into its existing review of current and future sponsorship agreements? If so, it would mean jettisoning TD Bank, its main “presenting” sponsor, as well as “silver” sponsor Loblaws, “bronze” sponsor the LCBO, and festival sponsor the province of Ontario, which are all on the BDS Coalition’s “Boycott List of Shame.” (BDS is the acronym for the campaign of boycotts, divestment and sanctions against businesses and organizations that support Israel. The campaign aims to pressure the Israeli government to change its policies in the occupied territories.)

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(Full disclosure, Postmedia, which owns the Ottawa Citizen, is also on the BDS list. It is not a sponsor of the festival.)

I am neither Jewish, Palestinian, nor queer. I’m an old, straight white guy. So I reached out to many people who feel the effects of Capital Pride’s decision more directly. Unsurprisingly, there is no consensus among them.

Some, including queer activists who have marched in the parade for decades, are angry at Pride, saying it should have stayed in its lane and not involved itself in such complex and contentious issues. They’re not necessarily opposed to the group’s stance, but rather to the fact that it publicly took a position in the first place. “Their job is to run the festival and parade,” said one. “Period.”

Capital Pride’s statement admits to veering off-course. “ … our mandate is focused on queer and trans communities in the region,” it begins, then goes on to note that violence and instability “around the globe” demand its attention. While it has in the past spoken out about queer rights in such countries as Uganda and Iran, the link to its core mandate has mostly been clear. Not so much, its dive into the Israel-Hamas war.

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Others I spoke with fully support Pride’s decision to take a public stand, suggesting it would be antithetical for an organization advocating for a 2SLGBTQIA+ community that has fought hard over rights and recognition to ignore human rights violations elsewhere. History, they say, will judge its position, and likely favourably: how could it do otherwise when, according to The Associated Press, the death toll in Gaza from the war has topped 40,000, including almost 6,000 women and more than 10,000 children, while the UN reports that nearly a half-million Palestinian civilians are facing “catastrophic” food insecurity?

Capital Pride, which received $85,000 in cultural funding from the city this year (and according to the city has adhered to the provisions of its funding agreement), is hardly the first organization to involve itself with causes many consider outside its bailiwick. With mixed success, private concerns or companies have often dabbled in world affairs. In 2016, for example, Nike came out in support of the NFL’s Colin Kaepernick after he refused to stand for the U.S. national anthem in protest against racial discrimination and police brutality. In 2021, Ben & Jerry’s announced it would stop selling ice cream in occupied Palestinian territory (a decision later overturned). Those private organizations, though, are not being funded with public money.

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Yet, given its history and mandate, Capital Pride is more naturally predisposed than Ben & Jerry’s or Nike to involve itself in social issues. And customers who disagree with the organization’s values may, just like those who oppose Ben & Jerry’s or Nike’s actions, take their business elsewhere. (In the case of Pride, though, there is no other parade).

Two weeks ago, I was on Parliament Hill covering a Palestinian protest and march. Since I’m far from an expert on the Middle East, I felt my footing was precarious, especially given the reticence of many participants to speak with me(dia) on the record. One woman who would not identify herself nonetheless spent a good deal of time offering me her take. She later emailed me to say that I at least seemed curious and open to learning.

I hope that’s true of all of us — that we keep the lines of communication open to the thoughts and concerns of others. Everyone has the right to be offended by whatever bothers them, but while we won’t always agree with our neighbours, we shouldn’t let those disagreements build walls between us.

There’s no reason we can’t be allies of Jews, Palestinians and 2SLGBTQIA+ people, and be able to be critical of specific actions of others, without automatically being branded antisemitic, Islamophobic or homophobic.

Then maybe we can all march in a parade together.

bdeachman@postmedia.com

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