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The following is an op-ed authored by Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) Chief Government Affairs Officer Lisa Katz, who leads CAM’s municipal initiatives with North American mayors:
Pride began as a movement demanding that every person be able to live openly, safely, and without fear.
That promise should include Jews.
Yet at this year’s San Diego Pride Parade, many Jewish attendees encountered something very different. Keffiyeh-wearing marchers carried Palestinian flags and signs accusing Israel of “genocide.” There were also banners featuring bloody hand symbols, which are widely associated with violence against Jews, and one sign incorporated a Star of David into the word “terrorist.” These displays clearly crossed the line from legitimate political protest to antisemitic hatred.
Every American enjoys freedom of expression, including criticizing Israel. The First Amendment protects that right, and it should.
But the right to free speech does not relieve municipal authorities of their responsibility to ensure that every community can participate safely and with dignity in public celebrations.
Cities routinely establish standards governing safety, conduct, and nondiscrimination for permitted events. Pride should be no different. If an event exists to celebrate inclusion, official event performers and participants should not be allowed to target another community with rhetoric or imagery that many reasonably experience as intimidation or hate.
This is not about silencing speech. It is about preserving the integrity of events that claim to welcome everyone.
Last year, San Diego Pride faced criticism after hiring a performer with a record of antisemitic rhetoric, a decision Mayor Todd Gloria rightly opposed. This year, one performer called Jewish participants “baby killers,” while Jewish symbols were used to vilify those taking part in the celebration.
The contrast was impossible to miss. While some participants used Pride to direct hostile rhetoric and imagery toward Jews, Jewish participants marched through the same parade wearing shirts that read simply: “Spread Love.”
Those two visions of Pride could not have been more different. One sought to divide. The other came to celebrate.
City leaders cannot solve geopolitical conflicts, nor should they try. Their duty is far more fundamental — to ensure that every resident can live and participate in their community without being targeted because of who they are. That begins with establishing clear, content-neutral standards for permits, municipal partnerships, and public support, and requiring organizations that host community events to prevent targeted harassment and intimidation.
If Jewish LGBTQ+ Americans cannot celebrate Pride without encountering symbols that equate Jewish identity with terrorism or rhetoric that paints them as murderers, then Pride has drifted from its founding belief that no one should have to hide part of who they are to belong. Jewish LGBTQ+ Americans should not be the exception.
Read more:
Annual San Diego Pride Parade Marred by Open Displays of Antisemitism
