British-Jewish journalist Jonathan Sacerdoti authored an article entitled, “Bombing Iran is the perfect way to celebrate Pride.” While the article’s title has since been changed to, “Bombing Iran’s evil regime is a point of Pride for Israel”, in it he praises Israel’s missile strikes against “the homophobic tyrannical theocratic regime in Iran.” Numerous web commenters have condemned the article.
“Sure, gay rights weren’t their primary war concern, but it still seems a fitting way to inject some true meaning back into the now-hollow Pride movement,” Sacerdoti writes, having earlier written (in the same article) that, “Gay Pride has become a tiresome and hollow celebration of ultra-sexualized behavior in public places… a counter-productive circus of debauchery … now almost completely devoid of any meaningful ideological principle.” He also laments that Pride month observances last the entire month.
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He then recounts Iran’s hardline religious laws which deny LGBTQ+ people legal due process and punish them with whippings (and even death) as well as anal rape in prisons.
“So while the Tel Aviv pride parade hasn’t yet been officially canceled, I for one can see no better replacement for the traditional drug-fueled display of sexual vulgarity than the continued thrashing of the horrific Iranian regime,” Sacerdoti concludes. “I’m not sure the Gays for Palestine or [gay Jewish-British Green Party leader] Zack Polanski’s Islamist-aligned go-go dancers will agree, but this seems a far more meaningful way to stand up for non-heteronormative rights.”
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One commenter on Bluesky, Caio Almendra, called the article an example of “pinkwashing.” The term can refer to “an instance or practice of acknowledging and promoting the civil liberties of the LGBTQ+ community, but superficially, as a ploy to divert attention from allegiances and activities that are in fact hostile to such liberties.”
Pinkwashing is sometimes associated with “homonationalism,” when people cite Muslim-majority countries’ anti-LGBTQ+ policies as a pretext for racism, Islamophobia, and violence against Muslims.
Another Bluesky commenter, Ben Kafir, called Sacerdoti “someone who thinks pride should be celebrated by bombing more school children.” The comment may refer to the February 28 U.S. military strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Girls’ Elementary School, which killed 156 civilians, including 120 schoolchildren.
Fellow Bluesky user, Scott Dagostino, called The Spectator “a homophobic rag begging for hate-click attention.” Dagostino noted that the publication recently published another article entitled, “The tyranny of Pride is coming to an end.”
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