She Fest splits from San Diego Pride nearly a year after workshop cancellation
Organizers said Pride’s decision to cancel the Pinkwashing 101 workshop related to Israel and Palestine only 12 hours before last year’s event was the catalyst to separate.
Written by Lauren J. Mapp, Edited by Kate Morrissey
She Fest, an LGBTQ+ collective, announced earlier this month it was separating from San Diego Pride, an organization it had worked with on programming for nearly 10 years.
The separation was a response to Pride’s abrupt cancellation last year of a workshop on pinkwashing or performative moves from organizations trying to win over the LGBTQ+ community. The workshop's organizers planned to highlight issues related to Israel and Palestine at She Fest’s flagship event during the kick off of Pride Week.
A volunteer-run collective that focuses on the experiences of LGBTQ+ women and gender diverse people, She Fest announced on its Instagram on April 18 that it had separated from Pride.
“She Fest and San Diego Pride were unable to move forward in a way that honors our values and responsibility to our community,” the collective wrote in a statement in its post. “As such, our committee voted to separate from Pride.”
In a written response to questions from Daylight on Tuesday, She Fest organizers said that before last year’s workshop cancellation, they hadn’t considered separating from Pride. But in the weeks after, they started an internal discussion about stepping away from the partnership.
“The cancellation was a moment in which She Fest realized a higher degree of independence would allow us to better adhere to our stated values,” members of the collective wrote.
Pinkwashing refers to organizations trying to appeal to the LGBTQ+ community through sympathetic messaging without working to improve equality or inclusion efforts. The term was coined in the Bay Area by Queers Undermining Israeli Terrorism in 2010 as a response to Israel promoting itself as a haven for the LGBTQ+ community within the Middle East.
Through the workshop, organizers with People for Palestine San Diego and Jewish Voice for Peace San Diego planned to educate attendees on identifying pinkwashing efforts from governments, businesses and other organizations.
After months of planning the workshop, Pride canceled it only 12 hours prior to the event. In response, Jewish Voice for Peace moved the workshop to Balboa Park, along with several other workshops whose organizers canceled their participation in solidarity.
In a collaborated Instagram post on July 13, Pride and She Fest apologized for the cancellation of the workshop, saying that it may have “run a risk to safety and to the organization that we were not prepared for” and there was a “significant chance of on-site conflict.” At the time, She Fest and Pride shared access to the collective's Instagram account.
Following the fallout, She Fest sent an open letter last year criticizing San Diego Pride’s decision to cancel the workshop and the method used. In it, the group alleged its reputation had been tarnished, and the cancellation damaged the relationships it had built with People for Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace.
“She Fest volunteers experienced inappropriate and disrespectful treatment by Pride leadership, particularly given the power dynamics at play,” the statement read.
The letter said that following the cancellation, She Fest had seen the departure of many of its members and leaders and decreased engagement among those who remained.
“Pride could have prevented these consequences by treating She Fest volunteers and the workshop’s organizers with respect and care; taking greater, more timely accountability; and allowing She Fest to have full control over the statement that was posted to our social media,” the letter continues.
She Fest organizers told Daylight that in the time between last year’s event and this month’s announcement, they met with Pride leadership to present their open letter — and later to share their decision to leave.
Organizers said discussions to separate didn’t center on a difference in vision, but rather the different ways the two organizations function, and that by operating as an independent organization, She Fest can tailor its work as needed.
“With fewer restrictions, She Fest will be able to listen to the needs and desires of the community and tailor our programming accordingly,” the members wrote.
In a statement emailed to Daylight, a Pride spokesperson wrote that “What started as an independent initiative grew into one of Pride’s most cherished programs — and we are honored to have supported She Fest’s journey of growth and impact over the years.”
“We view this evolution not as an end, but as a natural progression in the life cycle of community-led movements,” the statement continues. “We are deeply proud of the work we’ve done together and are inspired by the next generation of leaders shaping She Fest’s future.”
She Fest organizers said Pride has supported them during the separation and transferred control of the group’s Instagram account and other digital assets.
“Our years-long partnership with San Diego Pride allowed She Fest to grow into the organization we now are — it was simply time for us to branch off into our own, independent direction,” they wrote. “We only wish that San Diego Pride’s decision to cancel the Pinkwashing workshop had not been made to avoid the harm that came to our communities.”
A She Fest page on the Pride website has since been removed.
The group said it will not be holding its annual event to kick off Pride this summer, but that future events will be announced on its Instagram account.
“The logistics of this transition are extensive, and as an all-volunteer collective, we need ample time to plant our roots more firmly in the ground,” the collective wrote.
