Just days before this year’s Johannesburg Pride, several organisations have called for a boycott of the event over claims of corporate “rainbow-washing,” specifically that one of its alleged sponsors, Amazon, supports Israel amid ongoing human rights violations in Palestine.
In an open letter circulated on social media, the organisations, under the collective name of “NoGoBurg Pride”, accused Johannesburg Pride of aligning with corporations that “profit from oppression” and have “no true commitment to equality.”
“Amazon is on the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions campaign list as part of a worker-led campaign to stop enabling settler colonial Israel with technology,” the letter stated. “Israel tries to pinkwash the genocide of Palestinians by masquerading as LGBT+ friendly, but not in our name!”
The letter also criticised Amazon Web Services (AWS) for establishing its African headquarters on “significant San and Khoi terrain” in Cape Town, a project currently being challenged in court. It further accused Amazon of removing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the United States “in line with Trump’s agenda.”
The signatories insisted that “Pride is meant to be a protest — a parade in solidarity with each other, not a branding exercise for companies.” They urged supporters to “wear all black to Joburg Pride on 25 October and march with us” or to “boycott the event altogether and attend one of the many alternatives.”
They described Johannesburg Pride as “a space focused on corporates and the most privileged,” adding that it had become “nothing more than a sponsored party — selling corporate products and rainbow-washing the image of companies.”
Controversial Support for the Boycott
The open letter was endorsed by several organisations and initiatives, including House of Ditsie, founded by pioneering LGBTQ+ activist Bev Ditsie, one of the organisers of the first Johannesburg Pride in 1990. Ditsie also shared the letter on social media.
Other signatories included the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Queers for Palestine, and Save Our Sacred Lands. However, Save Our Sacred Lands has been accused of failing to dissociate itself from individuals and organisations that hold anti-LGBTQ+ views.
East London-based activist Sikhander Coopoo alleged that Save Our Sacred Lands displayed tacit support to Haroon Orrie, the national coordinator of Pagad (People Against Gangsterism and Drugs), who in 2023 publicly called for the execution of LGBTQ+ people.
“This association is more than poor judgment; it reflects a profound disregard for the safety and dignity of queer people,” said Coopoo. “When organisation leaders align themselves with those who perpetuate violence against marginalised communities, it signals that their supposed support for inclusivity is, at best, superficial.”
Coopoo added that he had left a Save Our Sacred Lands group “because I felt my personal safety was at risk.”
Concerns have also recently been raised by queer activists about the inclusion of anti-queer groups in a 27 September mass march in Cape Town calling for an end to Israel’s occupation of Palestine.
Johannesburg Pride Responds
Johannesburg Pride responded to the boycott call with a video statement by Kaye Ally, organiser of Johannesburg Pride and Executive Director of Pride of Africa.
Ally did not directly address the allegations regarding Amazon’s sponsorship but instead focused on concerns about the alleged affiliations of some of the groups supporting the boycott. [UPDATE – Johannesburg Pride has now denied that Amazon is a sponsor of this year’s event.]
“The recent call to boycott Johannesburg Pride is deeply concerning. It’s built on misinformation and endorsed by groups with a long history of homophobia,” she said.
“Let me be clear — Pride empathises deeply with the suffering of the Palestinian people, but we cannot align ourselves with regions or movements that uphold Sharia law or any system that criminalises and executes LGBTQ+ people.”
Ally argued that South Africa’s queer community should prioritise its struggles at home. “Too many of us still live and die in fear,” she said.
She further accused some pro-Palestinian movements of hypocrisy, alleging that they seek solidarity from queer people while remaining silent on LGBTQ+ human rights abuses in countries such as Uganda and Ghana. Referring to the 2022 US warning of a possible terror attack on Johannesburg Pride, she asked, “Where were they when we faced ISIS-related threats at Pride?”
“Johannesburg Pride stands for queer visibility and self-determination. We will not be used as pawns in anybody else’s political debate,” said Ally.
She added, “As a gay Muslim, I was deeply shaken by the [2022 South African Muslim Judicial Council] fatwa and later assassination of Imam Muhsin Hendricks. And yes, speaking up may put me at risk too, but for 15 years, Pride has been part of my life’s work, and I will not be silenced by those who walked away decades ago.”
The debate around Johannesburg Pride and its sponsorship highlights the tension between LGBTQ+ visibility, corporate involvement, and international solidarity movements. The controversy challenges South Africa’s LGBTQ+ community to navigate questions of ethics, inclusion, and the very purpose of Pride.
