The Transgender Media Lab at Carleton University is ashamed that its home institution has withdrawn from Capital Pride without so much as an explanation.
We strongly support Capital Pride’s Statement in Solidarity with Palestine, including the following: “Part of the growing Islamophobic sentiment we are witnessing is fuelled by the pink-washing of the war in Gaza and racist notions that all Palestinians are homophobic and transphobic. By portraying itself as a protector of the rights of queer and trans people in the Middle East, Israel seeks to draw attention away from its abhorrent human rights abuses against Palestinians. We refuse to be complicit in this violence. Indeed, to withhold our solidarity from Palestinians in the name of upholding 2SLGBTQIA+ rights betrays the promise of liberation that guides our work.”
Queer resistance movements have always been aligned with resisting oppression in all forms. Pinkwashing of Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza ignores the fact that queer Palestinians exist, and are more likely to be killed through Israel’s actions than any homophobia or transphobia. This lab represents views of many diverse individuals including queer and trans Muslims who have experienced firsthand the effects of this racist dehumanization by colonial and imperialist institutions. This lab stands in solidarity with Palestinian resistance and liberation.