27 Comments
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Eric Darwin's avatar

Is Pride about gay people anymore? It seems coopted into just another tool for left wing politics. My local bicycling club also went "politics first". And they wonder why folks drift away.

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IceSkater40's avatar

I can’t claim surprise. When I think of those I’m friends with on Facebook who are either lgbtq themselves or otherwise support pride activities, a lot of them are openly anti-Semitic. They would claim they are just pro-Palestine, but the way it’s expressed is hateful towards Jews and lacks nuance.

I’m sorry you were treated this way and appreciate you calling it out. It’s tragic when an organization that in theory should be anti-hate may instead be fostering a different kind of hate.

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Michael Aonso's avatar

It's concerning how many organizations simply ignore antisemitism, thus enabling if not actually encouraging it. But it's evil when an orgnization like Pride Toronto, that depends on sponsorships, donations and taxpayer funds, chooses to be selective as to which LGBTQ people they support.

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AY's avatar

Exactly - when was the last time Pride Toronto spoke up to support LGBTQ victims of Hamas in Gaza?

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Ted's avatar
11hEdited

Is it really a surprise that Pride and many other Canadian institutions have become and are "anti-Israel, anti-zionist and antisemetic"? Whether these positions are openly acknowledged or arise out of fear of Palestinian protesters or simple bigotry, is enitrely beside the point. It sickens me to see this Nation return to the anti-semetism, prevelant throughout this land prior to the Holocaust, an event that required creation of a new word we today throw around carelessly, "genocide".

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Nickerus's avatar

One could say that these organisations have been polluted by those Woke and the Progressives who bring with them their misinformed dogma.

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Malcolm Morrison's avatar

What to say? Shameful and cowardly.

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Nickerus's avatar

The Pride- so termed are just a small collection of the Gay community that think "it's all about them." What do they have to be proud about? Being gay? Being racists? Being antisemitic? Why waste anymore ink on this subsection of the gay community, the gay community who in the main it is reported do not want to be associated with this pride label.

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Richard Gimblett's avatar

Make them a pitch next year to highlight the experiences of gay Palestinians.

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Gerald Pelchat's avatar

Bingo!!

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NotoriousSceptic's avatar

100 upvotes to this !

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Tildeb's avatar
9hEdited

Why won't PRIDE stand up for Canadian Jews? My guess is for the same reason they won't stand up for women, girls, or lesbians. It's even got a name: progressive ideology, baby... aka 'woke'. Why would you not notice this earlier when 'problematic' gays and lesbians (like members of the Toronto Police Force) were refused to be allowed in the march? At the very least, your story demonstrates that the organization has been thoroughly captured by a toxic ideology and no longer represents its founding unifying principles. Of course, most 'good' and 'kind' and 'nice' people don't pay much attention to these glaring examples of anti-liberal, authoritarian, and bullying practices disguised with so many nice counter-factual words, but the betrayal by such organizations as PRIDE of so many young people who should belong (because they are indeed gay and lesbian rather than 'born in the wrong body') is profound. And profoundly sad. Your betrayal, and the betrayal of Canadian Jews, matters. But it still pales in comparison.

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Andrew Griffith's avatar

Sad. Thanks for sharing.

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Rob MacDonald's avatar

It has to be asked, will they add more letters now?

Perhaps -J or AS for antisemitic?

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Rumination of a madman's avatar

Could it be fear to the LGBTQ community as a whole and disruption of the Pride parade in particular that caused their action/lack of action in supporting your project and not anti-Semitism? Regardless poor choice on their part you deserve better.

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George Skinner's avatar

There's a depressing trend of mindless, trendy anti-Israel/pro-Palestinian sentiment among progressives that tends to drift into simple antisemitism. That extends to organizations dominated by progressives such as arts groups and apparently Pride. People are reacting to pro-Palestinian activism keyed to tug at their heartstrings and engage the progressive propensity to root for the oppressed or the underdog. They generally lack the knowledge to perceive the manipulation, nor do they have an appreciation for the broader context of the Israeli-Arab conflict. What's worse, the don't want to have their preconceptions challenged either. It isn't far removed from the way kids behave in high school, always trying to stay on good terms with the cool kids whether or not they actually like the music or want to dress that way.

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Tom Steadman's avatar

As a result of this and other not-very-bright decisions, PRIDE is a fading organization. You might choose to align with a less discriminatory, more positive organization.

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Sad_Mom's avatar

I’m curious — do you think the debacle with Black Lives Matter stopping the Pride parade back in 2016 still has an impact on how Pride conducts itself?

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Mark Kennedy's avatar

Why not submit a proposal about the prejudice that Gazan gays encounter? That would put Pride in a quandary, since Gazans are good and the west is bad, yet activists who protest anti-gay prejudice in Gaza have short careers.

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sji's avatar

The political scope creep in Pride is a shame.

The Pride organizers' cowardice, not being honest, is pathetic.

The continuing lopsided war (sorry, "Trump-Peace"?) is prosecuted by the worst people on both sides, and painting all Jews as ethnic cleansers is the same racist crap as Jews who think all Palestinians are terrorists.

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