Ottawa’s Mayor Mark Sutcliffe announced his decision to abstain from last Saturday’s Capital Pride festivities following a dispute between the organization and a major Jewish group preceding the event.
Capital Pride recently released a statement outlining four commitments that were perceived as pro-Hamas. The organization argued that withholding solidarity would compromise “the promise of liberation that guides our work.”
These commitments included:
1. Incorporating a boycott list into sponsorship evaluations
2. Acknowledging an “ongoing genocide” in Gaza during opening speeches
3. Organizing a “queer Arab showcase”
4. Advocating for a ceasefire and increased humanitarian assistance
This declaration prompted immediate criticism, leading the Jewish Federation of Ottawa to withdraw its participation from this year’s Pride parade.
Two local hospitals also announced they won’t be sending representatives to the Capital Pride events. Try to make sense out of this response. It’s chock full of gratefulness:
I’m so deeply disgusted that @AlexMunter hopped on board with @_MarkSutcliffe to support a FULL ON SLAUGHTER of Palestinina children. The CHEO Team saved my daughters live while she battled cancer, but it’s clear you have selective empathy for children. https://t.co/OWFHfNCngk
— CJMP (@cjpouliotte) August 17, 2024
Haley Robinson, Capital Pride’s grand marshal, told the press: “I don’t think the statement was meant for anybody to feel unwelcome. People have to remember that Pride isn’t just about a parade and celebration. It’s always been advocacy. It’s always been a fight … so I think it’s really important to continue to show your support for Palestinians and for other folks who are marginalized.”
GAY ARABS AND ROOFTOPS
The Capital Pride celebrations were kicked off back in August 2019 with a “Snow Pride Sunset Rooftop Party” at TELUS Penthouse on Slater Street in Ottawa. I couldn’t find a reference to a rooftop party in this year’s schedule, but it reminded me of the connection between Gaza rooftops and Gaza gays. Namely that Gaza gays are thrown off Gaza rooftops.
In Gaza, same-sex sexual activity is criminalized and carries a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment. Hamas has controlled the Gaza Strip for 15 years, taking ownership of the land in less than three days. As a result, being part of the LGBT community in Gaza is a crime, and members are constantly at risk.
In an i24NEWS interview from 2022, a young man identified as Abdul shared his experiences as a gay individual in Gaza. He described a climate of fear and secrecy, stating, “There are many gay people in the Gaza Strip, including within Hamas. If you’re gay, you must hide it. It’s extremely difficult. I was terrified of everything – being assaulted, abducted. I lived in constant fear that Hamas would discover my sexuality.”
Abdul recounted a harrowing incident at age 17 when he was caught with a male friend. “They confined me to a tiny 2×2 meter room. I was denied sleep, bathroom access, and food. The torture was severe,” he told i24NEWS.
He was coerced into swearing on the Quran that he would “not be gay again.”
Following this ordeal, Abdul spent two years homeless before eventually gathering enough funds to flee to Egypt and subsequently make his way to Turkey.
In August 2019, Ayman, a 24-year-old gay man from Shechem, was arrested by the PA police after he published a post on Instagram in support of the LGBT community. “I was very angry,” he told Haaretz. “I felt it was unfair and I wanted to protest. All I wrote was ‘Let us live the way we want.’ I didn’t even mention the word ‘gay.'”
But it was enough. Two hours after the publication of the post, police officers showed up at his house and informed Ayman that he was under arrest. “They took me to the police station and already during the initial investigation they told me that information had reached the PA’s intelligence that I support the LGBT community,” he said. “I was shocked. I couldn’t breathe. I was scared. Apparently, someone informed on me, there are accomplices who are paid money to spy on social and political activists. I refused to answer the interrogator’s questions about what I think about gays, and why I support them. When the policeman saw that I was not cooperating, he slapped me, spat in my face, then kicked me to the ground. I was handcuffed. I was then taken to a holding cell for 12 hours, and after that, they took me back for questioning and tried to get me to admit that I was gay. Then they told me they were taking me to Jenid prison. There were two other guys in the car. We weren’t allowed to talk to one another. We were being led from place to place like animals, without any right.”
Ayman prison called Janid prison a “slaughterhouse.” His description of what went on there conjures up stories of political prisoners who went through the interrogations of Stalin’s secret police. According to him, he was not the only prisoner held there because of suspected homosexuality. “Already at the entrance, the guards kicked me. They said I was not a man, that I was mentally ill, and that they didn’t want people like us in Palestine. They put me in a small cell with no ventilation, handcuffed by the hands and feet. The dirt and the stench were suffocating. In the background, I heard the screams and cries of men who were being tortured. I wasn’t even allowed to lean my back against the wall and there was no place to relieve myself. The handcuffs hurt me a lot. I begged them to let me go. They told me over and over again, ‘If you agree to tell us why you published the post and who are the gays you know, we’ll let you go.’ I refused. During the interrogations, they tied my hands and feet for 12 hours at a time. I had trouble breathing.”
Of all the different kinds of useful idiots (a term attributed to Vladimir Lenin) – Gays for Gaza may represent the ultimate idiocy. Possibly alongside Neturei Karta for Iran. The two groups should meet and exchange notes.
