Censorship is an incredibly difficult subject to approach. Especially here in Canada where the right to free speech is trumped by the right to be free from discrimination and hatred. You can say whatever you want, so long as it isn’t considered hate speech. This is something I fully support. Hate speech is an incredibly dangerous method of attack. Words are quite possibly the most powerful thing humans have ever possessed. And being able to express ourselves verbally is what drives our culture.
The decision to censor the words “Israeli Apartheid” on the part of Pride Toronto constitutes playing with fire on their part. Nothing in the literature, slogans, or message of Queers Against Israeli Apartheid constitute hate speech, or anything remotely hateful. They are a group of like minded queers united in spreading their opinion on the State of Israel and their actions (which many people believe constitutes a form of apartheid). They aren’t spewing anti-semetic statements, they are criticizing a government and its policies. Something that Pride has been about since it’s very inception.
The argument that this groups message is not in anyway queer CAN be considered valid. I will concede that Israel isn’t on par with Uganda or Iran. Hell they even allow gays and lesbians to serve in the military (or rather they don’t care cause everyone serves time). But if the political message about disenfranchised people in The Middle East doesn’t belong in our parade (when brought to our attention by members of our own community), then there are some other people who don’t belong.
Gay people have more problems with booze then our straight counterparts. Why should we have vodka and beer companies marching in our parades? How about banks? What does low bank fees and mortgage rates have to do with gay pride? We can not play this whose message is valid game. It is arbitrary and will only devolve into splitting hairs.
And more importantly is the issue of censorship. The term Apartheid is a touchy issue to say the least. It stirs up pictures of Nelson Mandela in jail, legacies of colonialism, and institutionalized racism. Drag queens are a touchy subject for many people. Many gay people believe they set an incredibly bad example of the queer community. I have even heard them compared to minstrels. Many forms of BDSM aren’t even legal in Canada since the law states you can not consent to harm. If we allow some busy bodies to bully us into giving them their way what is next? Will drag queens be considered a legacy of negative gender conformity and latent misogyny? Will leather men and kinky dykes not be allowed to march with certain signs because they reference acts which exist in a legal grey area at best? What about TNT MEN or those Marijuana protesters?
The theme of Pride this year is YOU BELONG! We mustn’t allow a board of officials tell us that they is a little asterisk attached to that slogan. It is OUR pride. We all belong, and if we let the censors win this battle, we could loose the war.
