Ottawa’s mayor has announced that the group will not participate in this year’s Capital Pride after a falling out between the group and a prominent Jewish organization ahead of the event.
Last week, Capital Pride released a statement laying out four “commitments” in support of Palestine, saying it could not express solidarity without betraying “the commitment of liberation that guides our work.”
Capital Pride has incorporated a boycott list into its sponsorship screening process, acknowledged the “ongoing genocide” in Gaza in its opening remarks, hosted a “Queer Arab Showcase,” and pledged to call for a ceasefire and increased humanitarian aid.
The statement drew immediate backlash, and the Jewish Federation of Ottawa announced earlier this week that it would withdraw from this year’s Pride parade.
The company said Capital Pride “refuses to change its position” and is “alienating Jewish 2SLGBTQ+ individuals and the broader Jewish community.”
Other groups praised Capital Pride’s statement and called on the group to take a stronger stance.
The mayor says he will attend other events as well.
Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe previously said he hoped the two groups could reach a reconciliation.
But on Thursday night, he announced he would not be taking part in this year’s Capital Pride event at X.
Sutcliffe said the Ottawa Jewish Federation and Capital Pride had discussed the statement, but he was disappointed that Capital Pride decided to stick with its original statement.
The mayor said he plans to attend other Pride events as long as they are not hosted by Capital Pride.
Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said he will not attend any events hosted by Capital Pride after the organization issued a statement of solidarity in support of Palestine and the Ottawa Jewish Federation withdrew from this year’s Pride parade.
“This board decision, taken just days before the start of the Pride event, has unfortunately created an atmosphere where many feel unwelcome to attend,” he said in a statement posted to X.
“Pride has always been and should continue to be a celebration of diversity and inclusion where no one feels left out. I urge the Capital Pride Board to take steps to ensure no one feels left out this year.”
Speaking at an event in Stittsville Friday morning, Sutcliffe said the decision about Capital Pride wasn’t an easy one.
“But I think these events should be about diversity and inclusion, and right now some members of our community are feeling left out,” he said.
Capital Pride responds
Capital Pride board co-chair Francesco McAllister-Caruso said he was disappointed with Mayor Sutcliffe’s decision and called on him to reconsider.
“Our movement is founded on equality, justice and inclusion for all,” he said, “and to do that, we must foster difficult but important conversations on these topics.”
He said Pride was “essentially a protest movement for liberation and human rights for all people.”
He added that the group opposes all forms of hatred, including anti-Semitism, and is deeply concerned by the recent surge in anti-Semitic acts in Canada.
“We stand with Ottawa’s Jewish community in the fight against this growing hatred.”
McAllister Caruso said Capital Pride has spoken with members and leaders of the Jewish community and heard their concerns.
“We reiterate our readiness to devote even more resources to the safety of Jewish people,” he said.
Rabbi Daniel Mikelberg has a different take on the conversation with Capital Pride.
Mikelberg, who is gay, is a rabbi at Temple Israel of Ottawa and works with the Ottawa Jewish Federation, which he said has met twice with Capital Pride to discuss Pride’s statement.
“Frankly, the second meeting made things even worse,” he said.
Capital Pride said its board concluded there was nothing they could do to address the needs of the Jewish community, Mickelberg said.
Mickelberg said it’s not too late for Capital Pride to change its stance and apologize, with the Capital Pride Parade on Aug. 25 still a week away.
Plans for people participating in the Pride Parade
The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) will not be participating in this year’s Pride parade, according to a memo to staff from CEO Alex Munter.
He said the Capital Pride committee decided to “repurpose the Pride Parade into a protest against Israel” and that community members “don’t feel safe or welcome to participate.” He said it sends a “message of exclusion” to CHEO’s participation.
“I am personally saddened by this turn of events,” he wrote at the end of the note. “I have been a regular participant in the Ottawa Pride Parade for over 30 years and have served as Grand Marshal three times. My family and I will miss being able to participate. I hope that next year the event can once again unite our community and celebrate our common humanity.”
Speaking at a Pride-related event in Gatineau, Mayor Maud Marquis Bissonnette said she will be taking part in the city’s Pride event, organised by Outaouais-based Jeunesse Idem.
The group declined to comment on the situation in Ottawa but said its members plan to take part in the Capital Pride parade.
Lionel Lehoulier, a spokesman for Trans Utawais, supported Capital Pride’s position and said he believed queerness was often used as a weapon in these debates.
“There are queer people in Gaza and there are queer people in Palestine who are being hurt right now. They matter too. It’s a complicated conversation, but it’s an important conversation.”
Menashe Spivak Sladowski is a queer Jew affiliated with both Queers for Palestine Ottawa and Independent Jewish Voice.
Spievak Sladowski said Sutcliffe has not often spoken out in support of queer rights and said she was disappointed the mayor was using Capital Pride as a platform to promote a “Zionist narrative.”
“[Sutcliffe] “We will not make anyone feel unsafe in order to show our solidarity with Palestine,” they said.
Spievak Sladowski added that Capital Pride’s statement shows “strong leadership” because the Pride movement as a whole “has always been political.”
Some feel capital pride has gone too far.
Mark Berlin, who considers himself a member of both the LGBTQ+ and Jewish communities, said he supports the mayor’s stance.
“As the mayor of the city, he is in a position to represent the entire community, the inclusive community,” Berlin told Radio-Canada. “Capital Pride’s actions, which he perceived as exclusionary, have put him in a position where he cannot support the city.”
McGill’s Berlin added that he felt Capital Pride’s statement was outside their “area of expertise” in that “their mandate does not allow them to speak out on geopolitical issues.”
