Proud to support Pride again

[King_David]

With the radical, polarizing group Queers Against Israeli Apartheid out of the march, Mayor Rob Ford had no good reason to cut funding from Toronto’s Pride parade. Still, the mayor was on record as being against spending public money on any such event “no matter what the parade is.” So it was encouraging that Ford expressed willingness on Friday to support money for Pride, albeit after the parade, provided that the group truly doesn’t take part.

Both tactically and in principle, “Queers Against Israeli Apartheid” did the right thing by saying it would not march this year. The group exists to push the provocative — and flatly wrong — idea that Israel’s policies toward Palestinians are equivalent to those of South Africa’s racist apartheid regime. By forcing itself into the parade it had become a divisive element in an event meant as an expression of gay solidarity. Many Jewish gays understandably felt offended rather than included.



http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/article/975676--proud-to-support-pride-again

[King_David]

1. Kulanu , the Jewish gay group

Never had such a large contingent marching in any parade as they did in last years parade.

QuAIA managed to galvanize and unite the Jewish gay community as never before.

[King_David]

2. Canadian Jewish Congress Acknowledges the Decision of QuAIA NOT to March in Toronto’s Pride Parade

Canadian Jewish Congress Acknowledges the Decision of QuAIA NOT to March in Toronto’s Pride Parade
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE



April 15, 2011

Toronto - Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC) issued the following statement today regarding QuAIA’s decision NOT to march in this year’s Pride Parade:



“This is a positive step and reaffirms what Canadian Jewish Congress has been saying all along. There is absolutely no place in the Pride Parade for hateful and discriminatory messages. The Pride Parade should be about openness and inclusivity and not about divisive, inflammatory messaging, which serves only to create a hostile and toxic environment,” said CJC CEO Bernie M. Farber.



http://www.cjc.ca/2011/04/15/canadian-jewish-congress-acknowledges-the-decision-of-quaia-not-to-march-in-torontos-pride-parade/

[damntexdem]

3. Rather, the completely-accurate view that Isreali apartheid is like SA's was.

[azurnoir]

4. what a statement for freedom and liberation

to pressure a gay group that does not ascribe to a certain political ideology to withdraw, makes a statement in and of itself

[King_David]

5. Yes a victory against bigotry

The Jewish Gay group was pleased

[azurnoir]

8. so the Jewish Gay group would not have been proud enough to march?

using bigotry to fight bigotry how 'creative'

[shira]

9. There was no bigotry used to fight bigots.

Enough playing the victim card, alright?

[azurnoir]

10. lol I am not a victim and QuAIA were not the ones playing that card either n/t

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

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[LeftishBrit]

13. AIB?

To me that is the Allied Irish Bank.

I suppose most bankers *do* act like victims when criticized, but I assume that's not the organization that you mean?

[shira]

14. Anti-Israel brigade. n/t

[azurnoir]

15. Really and why did QuAIA voluntarily drop out of the pararde?

This should make for an interesting answer, I'm betting absolutely no other 'gay group' had one teensy little bit of involvement

[LeftishBrit]

6. What about if a group calling itself 'Queers for Israel' were to join the march?

Or 'Queers for Harper and the Conservatives' or 'Queers against Arab Terrorism' or 'Queers Who Want Obama's Birth Certificate', etc. etc.

I think the march is probably more effective if *not* cluttered up with all sorts of unrelated causes.

[azurnoir]

7. what about that it is a gay pride parade and if they are gay groups then so be it let them march

but it is at least honest of you to defend this move, the whole thing is political and mucked up it reminds me of pressure groups in the US trying to put restraints on academic freedoms

[LeftishBrit]

11. I don't actually defend the council getting involved and telling them which groups could and

couldn't march.

But I do think that if it's a gay pride march it gives its message best without bringing in all sort of other political issues, which are both distracting and divisive.

Same goes for a march for any other cause.

[azurnoir]

16. But still and none the less it was political all around n/t