Nothing Comes Clean With Pinkwashing: A Call For Accountability & Action

Open Letter to Vancouver Queer Film Festival (Out On Screen)

We call upon all queers and allied groups, collectives, organizations who support Palestinian liberation to sign onto this letter. Join us in demanding immediate, tangible change!

Add your name here: tinyurl.com/3t5the5x

“In the name of revolutionary love, a love which fuels our struggle for liberation and yearning for freedom, rooted in our love for our communities and our land; we tell you, there is no pride with genocide, and there is no pride in settler-colonialism.” - Queers in Palestine

For eleven long years, the Vancouver Queer Film Festival (VQFF) has refused to heed widespread calls from local queer and trans community members to take accountability for their deeply egregious history of pinkwashing Israel’s violent settler colonialism of Palestine and to commit to a Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) resolution.

On November 27, 2023 VQFF finally released a statement regarding Palestine. While we welcome this bare minimum step in the right direction, yet again, we see that despite the usual references to intersectionality, queer liberation, anti-oppression etc. there is still:

• No actual commitment to action regarding the outstanding years-long demand for a formal commitment to BDS, or for that matter no commitment to any tangible change.

• No commitment to accountability for VQFF’s continued normalization of the violent, ongoing Israeli settler colonialism and occupation of Palestine as a “conflict”.

• No actual apology for the years of harm caused by the festival in a multitude of ways. This includes “DEI washing” of their continued refusal to commit to tangible solidarity with Palestine and isolating and gaslighting those of us who have had the courage to continue to speak up.

To be clear, VQFF’s continued practice of pinkwashing has not been inadvertent or passive. The acknowledgements they make in their recent solidarity statement with Palestine are all issues brought to their attention repeatedly since Queers Against Israeli Apartheid “Vancouver” (QUAIA) first alerted the community about pinkwashing at the festival in 2012.

Informed and guided by the immense work, wisdom, and experience of queer Palestinians, especially PQBDS (Palestinian Queers for BDS) and alQaws for Sexual & Gender Diversity in Palestinian Society, QUAIA attempted every approach possible over the years to convince the festival to do the right thing. Even with a call to boycott in place, we held dialogue with filmmakers, volunteers and others participating in the festival. We made it abundantly clear through repeated attempts that we were willing to meet with the festival and work towards next steps.

Despite these efforts and those of many others working in collaboration with QUAIA, VQFF continued to engage in pinkwashing and normalization. Their response was to publicly gaslight, minimize, normalize and DEI wash Israel’s settler colonialism, occupation, apartheid, and genocide.

The festival unilaterally held processes and discussions with individuals and groups of their choosing, while deliberately excluding queer Palestinians, QUAIA, RAMP (Radical Access Mapping Project) and other allies demanding accountability and the adoption of a BDS resolution. Senior staff informed QUAIA at the time that VQFF’s lawyers had forbidden them from saying our name because it includes the words “Israeli apartheid”.

Over the years, we remained in dialogue with some staff who shared that there has been a climate of suppression on the issue, created by senior leadership. During a public panel a few years ago, VQFF’s current Executive Director referred to Palestine as a “complicated” issue. Yet in response to comments on social media critiquing their statement of solidarity with Palestine, the festival has responded by claiming that the current staff and board were not part of the organization ten years ago and cannot apparently speak to the actions and decisions made at the time. In fact, this response is a continuation of an institutional legacy of pinkwashing by VQFF. If the current leadership wish to change this history, they now have the best possible opportunity.

The festival continues to claim that it will take time to work through processes and discuss the possibility of tangible action. When asked directly, they continue to waffle about adopting a BDS resolution. How many more thousands of Palestinian lives, including those of queer and trans Palestinians, will it take for VQFF to finally move beyond performative solidarity and social justice washing to the tangible and immediately actionable steps that have long been asked for by the community?

Recently VQFF claimed that they have for the past number of years been practicing BDS informally so there’s no need for a formal resolution. When organizations like VQFF claim to be doing the work while refusing to formally and publicly commit to BDS, they’re actively causing harm and undermining the movement by isolating individuals and groups (usually those with less power and social cache) who are pushing for it.

Having been active on anti-pinkwashing frontlines for years both locally and globally in partnership with queer and other Palestinians, we know from experience that when BDS is not fully and formally entrenched into institutional policies and practices, it becomes a slippery slope that can succumb to the pressures of an increasingly growing and organized local zionist presence. Without this formal commitment to BDS what's to stop future leadership and staff from avoiding responsibility and claiming ignorance of the history, much as the current leaders are doing?

While there are those in the queer community who may not be familiar with the festival’s history of pinkwashing Israeli settler colonialism, many have known the facts yet continue to publicly support the festival. Some of these folks have since October 7, been very vocal and public about their support for Palestine. It’s heartening to see this new found support. At the same time, we call upon queer members of our community to also turn their attention to the pinkwashing that has been happening closer to home for years.

We call upon the Vancouver Queer Film Festival (Out On Screen) to immediately:

• Commit to a full cultural boycott of Israel according to PACBI guidelines and implement this into VQFF’s institutional policies, frameworks and practices. The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) is made up of a collective of Palestinian academics, artists and cultural workers and is a founding member of the Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC). According to the BNC, “PACBI has set out detailed guidelines outlining the principles of the cultural boycott and how it should be implemented in order to be in coherence with the PACBI call for a cultural boycott.”

• Publicly apologize for the years of pinkwashing, gaslighting, obfuscation, and exclusionary practices masked as democracy that have been directed against queer Palestinians, QUAIA members and those from allied groups and collectives who have led this fight. This includes subjecting members of QUAIA and others to racist harassment by former leadership.

• Commit to asking those who have led this fight and who have been directly impacted by the years of gaslighting, pinkwashing and denial what they need in terms of material, tangible reparations. This needs to specifically include queer Palestinians, QUAIA, RAMP, and others who have been harmed while actively being on the forefront of fighting for change.

We reiterate that we – along with others – would welcome engaging with VQFF to further support the implementation of these actions, with priority given to formally adopting the PACBI Cultural Boycott of Israel. We can be reached at queersagainstisraeliapartheid@gmail.com.

Towards a Free Palestine in our lifetimes,

Queers Against Israeli Apartheid “Vancouver” (QUAIA)

Endorsements: (225+ signatories to date)

Organizations:

Cambium Arts & Education

Massy Books

Massy Arts Society

Man Up Productions

The Birdhouse

Queer Muslim Network

Mubaadarat

Dyke News

Populous Map

United Aunties Arts Association

Unearthing Wisdom Consulting

Jews Against White Supremacy Toronto

Independent Jewish Voices Vancouver - Youth Bloc

UBC Graduate Students for Palestine

Marpole Mutual Aid Network

Say No To Pinkwashing

Vines Art Festival

Chinatown Together

Gabriela BC

queer muslim resistance

The New Gallery

Queer Reads Library 流動閱酷

Under the Table Poetry

UBC Trans Coalition

The James Black Gallery

Recorded Movement Society

Open Way Community Church

Individuals:

Patricia Massy

Amal Ishaque

romham gallacher, Radical Access Mapping Project (RAMP)

Rachel Lau, Queer Reads Library 流動閱酷

q. Lawrence, אילן

Han Gbar, Palestinian Youth Movement

Link Kawar, Queers Against Apartheid

Dev, Supervisor, Cinecenta

MK Bowen, Program Facilitator, Victoria Cool Aid Society

Dani Beyene, BLACK VOID UBC

Sarah Shamash, ECUAD, Assistant Professor, Critical & Cultural Studies

Milo Canlas, Anakbayan BC

Senda, Independent Jewish Voices

Holden Wall, former VQFF seasonal staff

Maria Angélica Guerrero, CBRC, Education Development Manager

Alexa Bunnell, The New Gallery, Operations Coordinator

Lara Therrien Boulos

Amanda Goulding

Carr Vn Li

Caitlin Beck

Galina Lee

Kelly Yang

Chelsea Tims

MJ Laing

Emily Taylor

Jay C

Rachelle Younie, Writer & Director

Jennie Duguay

TUSITA PAUL

Faye Basravi

Billy J

a. wan

Mina Voon

Beverly Ho

Wulfgang Zapf

Alyana Lalani

Kelty McKerracher

Avril Hwang

Vermillion S

Nish Thaver, Educator

DANI YOUR DARLING, Visual Artist & Musician

Amy P

Joanne

Emily P

Sophie Pouyanne

Anna

Justinne Ramirez

karmella

Aditi Mankar, Student

Vianne Chang

Gideon Berry

Emma White

Holly Goodacre

Adam Asaleya, Healthcare Aid

Natalie Sokol-Snyder, Teacher

Bill X

Lovepreet Smagh

Lauren Sortome

Jane Shi

Haya Aldoori

Cyn Williams

Jessamine Liu

rye orrange

Paz Pino

Niri S

Laura Gaaysiigad Cuthbert, Populous Map

Laksmi

Nurdoukht Taghdumbashi

Ophelia Taylor, Jewish

Michelle Watson

Dalal Badawi

Emily Smiciklas

Muniba Ahmed

Sashah Rahemtulla

Kaylyn

Regan Shrumm

Ellie Curry

emily

Imogen Paterson

Kimia rezaeian

Tavleen Purewal

Tina Chu

Nin

Katia

Kat Glasspoole

ash

Nicole Ilham

Yousef Metwally, Software Developer

Lo

Hannah Jackson

Camille Lefort

Madeleine Chan, Writer

Ben Fussell

Zion Greene-Bull, Artist

Alexa Tucker

Jo

Laura Cullen

Ashleigh

Clare Yow

saryn r

Nikki Zawadzki

Khushi M

K W

Ayesh kanani

teddy, vietnamese lesbian & former refugee

Aimana Mohamed, Social Worker

Breanna Himmelright

Fraser Macpherson

Severin Vaillancourt

Zenobia Dullemond

Kelly Cubbon

Sameen Ahmed

Anastassia Chepelkevitch

Rianne Svelnis

Anna Mathen

Bailey Bjolin

Margaret Hospers

Eva Peskin

Mischa Greig

Bug Cru

Ivy Nguyen

Emi Baeza

Bridget Simpson RN

Karima

Charlie Gates

Timothy Lightheart

Nina

Rae Finlay

Esther Hornsveld

Silas Woodsmith

Hikaru I

Lina Azeez

Luna Aixin, GaGiNang Productions, Owner

Danielle Lee

Em H

Todd Huang

Maki, GABRIELA BC

Dharani P

Kiana T

M Gnanasihamany

Francisco-Fernando Granados, Artist

Sam Connolly

Saheli Sodhi

Rilee German-Martinez

Robert Birch

Jessie Tollestrup

Max Quilliam

Alida Morris, Visual Artist

David Widgington, Undisciplinary Artivist

wren paetkau

Joy Gyamfi

Chloe Kavanagh

Ady McLeod

Kiara-Kumai, Actor

George

Reed Jackson

Jen Efting

Megan Speers

Samia Khan

Jessica

Sam S

Sarah Sheridan

Timothy 3

Jae Woo Kang

Saskia "Skye" Cseh

Cathy Foster

Alexa Mardon

Beth Carlson-Malena

Vic

Sheridan Tamayo-Henderson

Sabrina Hossain

Bevan Smith

Taz Soleil

Emily Anderson

Cassandra Olivas

Francis Cho

Destiny Lang, Kwantlen Student Association, Queer Students Representative

Belle Tower, Musician and Organizer

Paige Harwood, Singer/Songwriter

Bella Sie

Laura Smith

Andrew George

Noah Grigni, Weelaunee Coalition

Sanjum Dhillon

Kit Tempo, Vancouver Poetry House Team 2019        

Nic Peerson

Joey

Rainer Fehrenbachrt

Elliot Hodges

Mads Kania-Paquette

Nico Pante

Natalia Stubbs

Tamara Khoury

abigail millson

Jack  Mosher

Bee Booth

Lily Groves

Isabella Buonaiuto

Ava

Winnie L

Sophie Pouyanne

Sophia Wolfe, Recorded Movement Society, Organizational Director

Daisy Espinosa

Rita Wong, Writer

Linden Lalonde