I recently came across a post from you stating that it’s “insidious” that Pride events are often scheduled on Saturday which means you as an observant Jews can’t go. Why is your schedule more important that everyone else’s? Why do non Jews, such as myself, need to schedule things according to your schedule?
Are you a religious Christian for whom a Pride parade is considered "work" and therefore something you would not be able to attend were it scheduled on a Sunday? Do you attend Mass on Sunday that takes all day and therefore limits your free time on Sunday? No? So then why is it such a hassle for things to be scheduled on a Sunday? In fact, many workplaces still don't give off Saturday as a given, but they do give off Sunday. Wouldn't you want more people (Jewish or not) to be included?
Jews, whether you like it or not, were and are deeply foundational to the modern LGBTQ Pride and Rights movement. Magnus Hirschfeld was a Jew. Harvey Milk was a Jew. Brenda Howard, the literal "Mother of Pride" was a Jew. They may not have been Orthodox Jews or Shabbat-observant, but Jews of all levels of observance and religiosity deserve to be included. And Jewish religious institutions have been supportive of LGBTQ causes for decades. And even if Jews weren't part of and supporters of the community from the start, Jews are part of the community now and ought to be included, as should people of all ethnicities, races, religions, and nationalities.
But honestly? My views have changed since I made that post that earned it a screenshot and post onto reddit saying "look how crazy and entitled those Jews are". I think the Western LGBTQ movement's exclusion and hatred of Jews now goes far beyond scheduling things on Saturdays. That's just the surface level. Things are far more overt when Jewish interest groups are quite literally banned from Pride events, when Jews are regularly harassed and attacked both off-line and online, when the overwhelming message from the Western LGBTQ world is that an LGBTQ person who is also a Jew is a traitor to their own kind. And it gets worse and worse each year as more LGBTQ people trade in their own safety and welfare and future prospects to spend their time, energy, and money hating Jews. Not only is it disgustingly hateful, it's counterproductive. LGBTQ rights are being attacked and stripped away all around the Western world, but people care more about investing their energy into best excluding Jews, Jews who, LGBTQ or not, would be and are supportive of LGBTQ causes. It's deeply insidious.
My schedule isn't more important than anyone else's. I know that. You know that, and you know that you were reading my post in bad faith. Jews are not the only people who would benefit from important Pride events not being scheduled on Saturdays. People who still have to work on Saturdays would benefit too. And I know you read a tiny snippet of my post and blacked out, because in that post I also mentioned Pride events being scheduled on Jewish holidays (Shavuot often times falls out in June). I think if you are in a community with a large number of Jews who are contributing members, it's only basic decency to be considerate. I am annoyed at conventions that do that same thing, mind you. But "niche interest conventions" are not a broad, umbrella movement the way the Western LGBTQ movement is. A science fiction convention isn't part of the same movement as a WWII history airshow, for example, and they are often not run by the same kinds of people and they are often not even attended by the same kinds of people.
Put on your thinking cap and think for a moment as to why you have such a visceral reaction to a Jew asking to be included.
Can you walk to pride parades?
Depends where you live, depends on the person. For some people, being in a parade, where music is blasting, etc. isn't okay on Shabbat, it's not in the spirit of Shabbat. There's also the issue of how to get there, or even what to do once you're there. If a city doesn't have an Eruv, an Eruv observant Jew wouldn't be able to carry anything. And then there's distance. Some people don't live within walking distance of their local parades.
I just feel like, while they should make SOME events on Sundays, Jews make up a very small percentage of the population, and proportionally so to the LGBTQ community. I think they should make it on the day that works for the most people, and often times that is sadly Shabbat. I don’t think that is actively antisemitic, just bad luck. the other stuff, though, is antisemitic
My point is that I don't think it's even more convenient for events to be scheduled on Saturdays, for anyone. Like I said, in many places, people still have work on Saturdays, but Sundays are their days off. That's why it feels specifically spiteful. Because Sunday is a much more convenient day anyway.
