Politics revitalize Pride

by Michelle Robidoux

Debates and struggles of the past few years over the place of politics in Toronto’s Pride have visibly revitalized the annual event.

The threat to “ban” Palestinian solidarity activists from Pride last year if they carried placards referring to Israeli Apartheid has renewed political debate in the community about free speech, the plight of Palestine and the corporatization of Pride.

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford’s decision not to participate in any Pride events—the first mayor in 16 years to do so—has been met with a new mood of resistance in the community. Throughout the main Pride march on July 3, Ford was openly mocked.

Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti, a veteran anti-gay crusader, spent Pride weekend stalking participants with a video camera to catch anyone supporting Palestine. He wants to use this as the basis to defund Pride.

But signs indicate this is backfiring. The last round of witch-hunting Palestinian activists by politicians like Mammoliti produced a huge response from the LGBT community.

Last year, many past Pride Grand Marshals returned their awards to Pride Toronto to protest attempts to censor the parade; alternative Pride events were organized.

In April, the city manager delivered a report saying that the term “Israeli Apartheid” does not violate the city’s anti-discrimination policy and that the inclusion of Queers Against Israeli Apartheid in the parade should have no bearing on whether or not Pride is funded.

All of this has contributed to putting politics back into Pride.

This year, Stonewall TO was organized the week before Pride as a more openly political march, and drew over 500 people. At the end of the march, Back To Our Roots hosted a great event of workshops and performances.

At Saturday’s Dyke March, a lively contingent of Dykes and Trans People for Palestine carrying a large Free Palestine banner was well received (as can be seen in Mammoliti’s video). Later, a “Stop Ford’s Cuts” flashmob fashioned on Brigette DePape’s stand in the Senate sashayed down Church Street.

Although QuAIA voluntarily withdrew from the Pride parade so Ford couldn’t use it as an excuse to defund it, they dropped a 40-foot banner from the top of Wellesley subway station calling for a boycott of tourism to Israel.

In the wake of Pride there will be a new round of struggle around the issue of free speech and Palestine. Mammoliti wants to use his witch-hunt both to attack Palestinian solidarity activists and to pursue his long-standing anti-gay crusade.

But Mammoliti’s threat also to cut funding to Caribana and other cultural events, combined with the anger at Ford’s snub of Pride, is generating a sense that Ford’s “nation” is one of bullies. In this context, the renewed activism in the LGBT community could become their worst nightmare.