Discourse around Pride and Palestinian rights part of history of activism in the 2SLGBTQ+ community

In the wake of the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7 last year and Israel's subsequent military assault in Gaza, Halifax Pride and other organizations in Canada have faced calls from parts of the 2SLGBTQ+ community to support Palestinian people. 

Community educator Aaliyah Paris is one non-binary and queer person in Halifax who's made that call.

She wants more transparency from Halifax Pride, and for it to divest from companies on the Canadian boycott, divest and sanction (BDS) list — a group of firms, organizations and people that pro-Palestinian groups say should be boycotted to put pressure on Israel.

"I really don't think I'm free until everybody is free," Paris said, adding that people "in places like Congo, Palestine, Sudan … are unable to even be out and celebrate."

TD Bank has sponsored Halifax Pride and other Pride organizations in Canada, and is one of the companies on the boycott list.

Following community pressure, Halifax Pride released a statement July 5 saying it had renewed its agreement with TD last fall, but that it would commit to exploring other funding options for next year's festival. 

This followed the organization's March call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and its statement of solidarity with Palestinian people. Halifax Pride did not respond to requests for an interview.

Meanwhile, in other parts of the region, St. John's Pride and Fredericton Pride named pro-Palestinian advocacy groups as grand marshals for their parades this year and committed to divestment.

All of these actions by Pride organizations are part of a long history of politics and activism in the 2SLGBTQ+ community, with the idea that "Pride began as a protest" being a common refrain. It's also not the first time pro-Palestinian activism has been a part of Pride.

"The origins of Pride absolutely are 100 per cent political," said Daniel MacKay, who runs an online encyclopedia detailing history and events within the 2SLGBTQ+ community in Halifax. People made "a place for themselves right … in their own communities," said MacKay.

TD Bank landed on the boycott list because of its financial entanglements with American weapons company General Dynamics. 

As of March 31, TD Bank had directed tens of millions of dollars of investments into General Dynamics, according to one of the bank's latest financial disclosures to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. TD may not necessarily own those shares itself and could, for example, be investing some or all of them on behalf of clients. 

In a statement to CBC News, TD said it has "long supported" the 2SLGBTQ+ community, pointing to its philanthropy and 2SLGBTQ+ business development team, and that it would continue to engage with the community to find ways to show its "unwavering support."

Of course no group is a monolith, and within 2SLGBTQ+ history there's division as well — this moment is no exception.