Imtiaz Popat

Protesters disrupted the Vancouver Pride Parade for pinkwashing by accepting sponsorship from the TD Bank.

by Imtiaz Popat

The Vancouver Queer Film Festival has finally stopped Pinkwashing. They have dropped the Royal Bank that funds Israeli genocide of Palestine as a sponsor. The festival had previously adopted the PACTBI. the campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Isreal. Sunder Pride Film Festival also dropped their sponsorship of the Royal Bank to stop Pinkwashing last year.

However, Indian Summer Festival in Vancouver this year has taken sponsorship prom BMO which funds the Palestinan genocide and is on the Boycott and Sanctions list. Last year the Scotia Bank stopped funding the Palestinian genocide force due pressure from boycotts and has been dropped from the BDS boycottt list. The boycott against the Bhungra Summer Jam in Surrey sponsored by the Scotia Bank has also been dropped this year.

New West Pride, Burnaby, Surrey, Delta, Chilliwack, Nanaimo and Coquitlam Pride have also stopped Pinkwashing. So have Ottawa’s Capital Pride have Pride festivals is the Atlantic including St John’s and Fredericton Pride.

Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver Pride continue to pinkwash by accepting corporate sponsors who want to also fund Israeli genocide of of Palestinians including the including raping and murdering LGBTQ Palestinians. White Rock Pride also continues to pinkwash by taking sponsorship from the TD Bank saying they are more concerned to the needs of their local community.

Many community organizations in Vancouver are boycotting Vancouver Pride by not marching and participating including the Rainbow Refugee Society, Salaam, Trikone, Seeds, Queers Against Israeli Apartheid and Queer Collective for Palestine. Vancouver Pride has lost a lot of its corporate sponsorship this year including lulu Lemon which also funds the Israeli genocide of Palestine and has had to downsize. Vancity offered to sponsor Vancouver Pride, but Pride Society Co-Chair John Boychuck says they are in a contract agreement with the TD Bank. Vancity is now sponsoring New West Pride. The Vancouver Trans March and Dyke Marches are to be Pinkwashing free and promote groups supporting LGBT in Palestine. Many Pride events are also Pinkwashing free.

Sunder Pride Film Festival also dropped their sponsorship of the Royal Bank to stop Pinkwashing. However, the Vancouver Queer Film Festival still accepts sponsorship from the Royal Bank which they are reviewing. The Vancouver Asian Film Festival also continues to accept Royal Bank sponsorship.

Vancouver Folk Festival and the Vancouver International Film Festival are free of corporate sponsors that fund the Israeli genocide of Palestine.