Organizers scramble to revamp Pride Toronto's human rights events
PRIDE / Human Rights Committee member hopes international grand marshals will return to the fold
Cate Simpson / Toronto / Monday, June 28, 2010
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Pride's Human Rights Committee has been left scrambling to revamp their programming for the week, in the wake of Pride Toronto's decision to reverse its ban on the term "Israeli Apartheid." Several events that were initially cancelled are now either back on or revamped, while others could not be salvaged at this late stage.

"We had this amazing event that we had to cancel, because we were angry with Pride," says Jane Walsh, a member of the Pride Toronto Human Rights Committee. The event, a day of human rights talks followed by a film screening and after-party, was originally scheduled for June 28 and was to be the week's flagship human rights event.

This event has been replaced with a panel discussion called Sex Inter/National at Isabel Bader Theatre, which was organized in partnership with Queers Against Israeli Apartheid. The discussion will feature Colin Robinson, the co-founder of Caribbean Pride, and Haneen Maikey, the director of Palestinian queer group Al-Qaws. The event will be moderated by Andil Gosine, York University's head of sexual diversity studies.

"QuAIA didn't ask for a boycott, and it was kind of a fine balance to figure out what we were going to keep and what we were going to cancel," she says. The decision to revamp today's programming was made in hopes of putting pressure on Pride to reconsider, says Walsh.

"We can't be talking about international human rights in this way with censorship of QuAIA [at the same time]," she says.

In addition to her role with the Human Rights Committee, Walsh is one of several members of the Pride Coalition for Free Speech, a group of people who formed to protest the "Israeli Apartheid" ban. The group scrambled to put together a series of events under the heading Alterna Pride, which include June 28's Sex Inter/National and the independent dyke march Take Back the Dyke on Saturday, July 3.

The goal, says Walsh, was to stand firm against the Pride board's censorship decision while still maintaining the human rights program. Walsh and Doug Kerr, her colleague on the Human Rights Committee and also a member of the Pride Coalition for Free Speech, have had to juggle these objectives.

"Our human rights program was looking at queers globally and we said we would not be ignoring what was happening in Palestine," says Walsh. "But we were in unique positions to influence the board, and I have made the choice to be angry with Pride and to try to change it."

A serious blow was dealt to the festival's human rights programming though with the withdrawal of this year's international grand marshals — Gloria Careaga and Renato Sabbadini. They were set to lead the international human rights contingent at the front of the parade. They were also scheduled to take part in several events throughout the week, including the now-revamped June 28 flagship event.

Now that Pride has lifted the "Israeli Apartheid" ban, Walsh is hopeful that both Careaga and Sabbadini will return to the fold. "We have nonrefundable [plane] tickets for both of them, but we don't have a final yes on either of them," says Walsh.

Whether or not the international grand marshals make it to Toronto, Walsh says that there will be an international human rights contingent in Saturday's parade. "Towards the front of the parade will be the Latin American community who were going to be marching with Gloria Careaga. The plan right now is to have members of the Coalition for Free Speech, and all of the people who gave back their awards or who have been honoured in the past to come to the front and march under the 30th anniversary banner."

"I would really love for this to be a year that we celebrate the re-politicization of Pride," Walsh says.

The committee's main task this week will be getting the word out via Facebook and other channels about what cancelled events are back on, and re-engaging the community members who have withdrawn in protest over the last few weeks.

Alterna Pride events:

Sex Inter/National (Take 2)
Monday, June 28, 7pm
Isabel Bader Theatre
93 Charles St West

See the full list of Alterna Pride events at pridefreespeech.com


Official Pride Toronto events:

Panel discussion: International queer human rights
Tuesday, June 29, 6pm
Gladstone Hotel
1214 Queen St West

See the full list of official Pride Toronto events at pridetoronto.com



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Reader Comments


 
Will someone please stop these people?
This all makes me sick. This fanatical woman is destroying the universality and unity of gay pride. Will our Jewish friends still feel comfortable participating in all this? What about those of us who aren't political? Or hold more right wing views? She calls it the "re-politicization of pride", and yet I wonder how much is going to be said about the oppression and murder of gays in Muslim countries. No, instead we will hear from gay Palestinians about how evil Israel is. Please give us a break. Just because the silent majority can't bother to get involved in this muck, don't think they aren't noticing it. This entire affair is completely undemocratic and not representative of the gay community as a whole. Would someone please get a backbone and stand up to these extremists?
Jim, Toronto Ontario
06/28/10 9:05 PM EST
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Diverse visions of Pride - Views of a black man
For some people, Pride is a celebration of how far we've come in making the world a better place for the queer community. For others Pride is a marker of activism about human rights, and how we can make the world a better place for the queer community in the future. For some, Pride Toronto is only about Toronto, or Ontario, or Canada, while for others Pride goes beyond our borders. As an example, I'm on the board of the Black Coalition for AIDS Prevention. We celebrate the happier, more productive lives of people living with HIV/AIDS now. We provide support. We also have ways of talking about HIV prevention using engaging safer sex messaging. We are also, however exploring issues such as homophobia, stigma, marginalization and criminalization of people living with HIV/AIDS. We also recognize challenges that immigrants and refugees face as they arrive from countries where it is less possible to be out. For me, Pride is an opportunity to talk about both celebration and political activism. We as a community have to learn how to talk to each other, and listen to one another, about our diverse visions of Pride. I look forward to Pride Toronto's community dialogue
Michael Went, Toronto Ontario
06/29/10 6:58 AM EST
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All right-wing, apolitical whiners - Happy Pride
Wow. You are sick. "Fanatical?"!!! Where to begin? People like you take up so much space here and on facebook. It's getting boring but I will take the bait. Explain the "universality and unity of gay pride" as you see it. You speak as if everyone under the rainbow is the same. "Will our Jewish friends still feel comfortable participating in all this?" My Jewish friends rock and are part of the energy that is making Pride energized and accessible to more people. I suggest you and your husband get more Jewish friends. "What about those of us who aren't political?" Wow, what about you? I wonder how I can help non-political people. If only we had listened to all those non-political people in our past...the world would have certainly be a better place - NOT. "Or hold more right wing views?" Right, the right wing has been soooo good to queers. "She calls it the "re-politicization of pride", and yet I wonder how much is going to be said about the oppression and murder of gays in Muslim countries." No one is stopping you from starting your own group or joining one of the ones that exist already...Oh right, I forgot you might not be political. "No, instead we will hear from gay Palestinians about how evil Israel is." I'm hearing a lot of stuff. It's great you're hearing from gay Palestinians. What are their names? Where did you hear them speak? Good for you from taking time out of your busy schedule to listen. "Would someone please get a backbone and stand up to these extremists?" be the first backbone! Stand up for what you believe in Don't be afraid to speak your mind. You might have to get political, you might have to get more friends or listen to people who aren't your friends or Fox News. Whatever you do, don't be afraid to listen to other people's views or have people challenge yours. Or people might call you fanatical. Have a happy Pride my friend. I
roy, toronto ON
06/29/10 8:31 AM EST
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Thank You
Thank you Michael Went and roy for being clear-headed and rising above the ongoing non-productive vitriol.
Craig, Montreal Quebec
06/29/10 10:16 AM EST
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can't stop, won't stop
Jim, if you attended the event last night with organizers and queer rights activists from the "global south," you would have heard criticism of many parties, including but not limited to criticism of homophobia and transphobia in Muslim countries. It seems that many people who are taking the right-wing position on this have a real problem with the "not limited to" part. They only want to hear criticism and condemnations against one group of people, and anything that equally criticizes different groups is bizarrely labeled "racism." Believe it or not, all of the problems of the world cannot be ascribed to one single group of people. Even more strangely, perhaps, is the fact that the world does not begin and end with your own asshole.
Sav., Toronto ON
06/29/10 11:27 AM EST
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Focus on gay rights
Human rights have a place at gay pride. Michael's post illustrates that perfectly. However, it's not the place for attacking Israel. If there has to be politics at pride, the focus should be on human rights for gays. Our community is too diverse for it to become an Israel-bashing affair. Remember our "oppressor" is the straight world, not Israel and certainly not the Jews.
Jim, Toronto Ontario
06/30/10 3:43 AM EST
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