6 months has passed, while the world has not been able to stop the ethnic cleansing and war crimes as they are broadcasted live. People all across Japan are taking action and starting initiatives, responding to the Palestinian call for BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanction) putting pressure on the world to end the 76-year-long Israeli occupation of Palestine.

It is during this time where as the nightmare continues to worsen that Japan is about to kick off Pride Week with "Tokyo Rainbow Pride (TRP)". While the LGBTQ community at large advocates for our rights, Israel attempts to co-opt our existence to justify and conceal its colonial rule and illegal occupation of Palestine through pinkwashing. The LGBTQ community in Japan has been engaged in, as well as protested against, this pinkwashing attempt.

This year, TRP's sponsors and parade floats include BDS target companies, as well as companies that are attempting to further enable war crimes by supplying military drones from Israel to Japan. In response to the concerns raised by the community, TRP has released two statements, that are far from being informed nor self-reflexive.

In the context of ongoing holocaust, Pride Week cannot go as "business as usual." Can we, as queer communities and individuals in Japan, support following statements and have your voice heard?

If you agree to the above statements, please fill out the following form, where your names and messages will be made public on our website. We understand that many of us are feeling distraught or uneasy about the genocide as well as the statements by TRP. Please feel free to share your thoughts in the message section if you are comfortable making them public, as we hope to create a platform for many voices to be heard. We are planning actions for Pride Week, and would appreciate your continued support.

Queers against Israeli apartheid and genocide


statement

1. We oppose the settler-colonial rule and violence by Israel towards Palestine, as well as any form of colonial rule and violence.

2. In response to the call from Palestinians, we support BDS and PACBI (academic and cultural boycott), and call for reassessment of current activities in the governments, corporations, and organizations/institutions. We, as an individual, too reassess our lifestyle and explore alternatives.

3. We strongly condemn governments, corporations, and organizations/institutions that are directly supporting, and/or actively complicit in the Israeli domination over Palestine.

4. We oppose the pinkwashing attempts to justify the domination of Palestine by Israel under the guise of advocating for LGBTQ+ rights. If we come to a situation where we do not know what to do, we will discuss the matter with others to explore options to move forward.

5. For these reasons, we criticize TRP for continuing their relations with BDS target companies and genocide enablers. If TRP really is an organization that supports human rights and value of each life using pride and rainbows, we ask our voices to be heard, and we urge TRP to create a system or structure that ensures organizing with zero tolerance of any kind of oppression. We hope that this statement also serves an invitation to TRP for a dialogue, and our door remains open.