CENSORSHIP 2008-2010
For the June 2008 Pride festival, Pride Toronto welcomed any contingent of individuals interested in participating to do so. This was the first year of QuAIA’s participation in the Pride March, following their formation during Israeli Apartheid Week that same year. They held banners that read “Queers Against Israeli Apartheid;” “We Stand with Queers in Palestine;” “Lesbians and Gays Against Apartheid.” Although not their first action, QuAIA was immediately met with calls to ban the group from marching in the festival the next year. Pride Toronto took no action against them, and refused to take a side in the matter, or ban any group from Pride.
"Fight the Ban. Fight the Occupation," 2010.
In the lead up to Pride 2010, a video was released by lawyer Martin Gladstone, made up of footage taken at the 2009 Pride March depicting QuAIA. The video was distributed to corporate sponsors of Pride, and within Toronto City Hall, in an attempt to lobby for QuAIA’s banning from future marches— and for sponsers to pull out of the festival. In response, Pride Toronto announced it would hold focus groups to meet with members of the community and seek input on “the involvement of activist political organizations in the festival.” Pride Toronto also tabled the idea of an ethics committee to approve signage carried in the March, however, this idea was rescinded after public outcry over censorship. An ethics committee would have resulted in all posters and signage at the Pride Parade to be pre-approved, and would have effectively allowed for Pride Toronto to control all messaging carried at the festival— especially messaging that would have been considered political or controversial.
Emails released under the city’s Freedom of Information Act display communication between the City of Toronto and Pride Toronto, working to weed out so-called “problem groups” like QuAIA by prohibiting their messaging, since the group could not be banned outright. On May 21st, 2010, Pride Toronto’s Board of Directors released their resolution: banning the term “Israeli Apartheid” from appearing in the parade. An email from the desk of Tracey Sandilands of Pride Toronto describes how the decision resulted in "howling from the left," which she encouraged others to ignore. Moreover, she suggests that the decision to scrap the ethics committee was not supported within Pride Toronto, but rather forced by public pressure.
"Lori Martin - Pride Update," April 13, 2010.
"Pride Toronto Board of Directors Resolution," May 2010.
"RE: Pride Toronto and QuAIA," April 19, 2010.
"No Pride in the Occupation," 2010.
"Dr. Alan Li M.D Refusal of Grand Marshal Position," May 28, 2010.
Seven days after the resolution was released by Pride Toronto, Dr. Alan Li, the invited grand marshal of the 2010 Pride Festival, issued a statement refusing the title. The statement describes Li’s criticism of the ban on the term Israeli Apartheid as an act of censorship by Pride Toronto, and a betrayal of Pride’s founding principles. Dr. Alan Li's critique makes note of the role of Toronto City Council in the selective silencing of voices in the community that do not align themselves to "political and corporate pressure."
"Notice of Motion - Pride Toronto Funding," June 6-7, 2010.
A month after the May 2010 resolution, Pride Toronto reversed their decision, allowing Queers Against Israeli Apartheid to march, so long as they agreed to sign the city’s anti-discrimination policy. However, a policy was adopted by the City of Toronto allowing them to withhold funding and grants from Pride Toronto should any group in attendance violate the city’s Anti-Discrimination Policy. The approved motion specifically names QuAIA as a group of concern. The group was never found to have violated the policy in any of their posters or signage carried at the parade.