In the days after Oct. 7, apologists for Hamas wasted no time in starting their gaslighting campaign, claiming that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza.

A Wider Bridge, which mobilizes the LGBTQ community to fight antisemitism and support Israel and its LGBTQ community, expected months of anti-Israel activity within the larger queer community fueled by this gaslighting campaign. That’s how gaslighting works: These lies about genocide deflect attention away from Hamas, which is both virulently anti-gay and actually bent on genocide. 

We first saw the slogan “No Pride in Genocide” in March on a float in a Mardi Gras parade in Sydney, Australia. Then we saw No Pride in Genocide memes pop up in anti-Israel social media accounts around the world. After protests and encampments spread across college campuses, activists set their sights on Pride Month events in the U.S. as their next target for chaos. 

A Wider Bridge began our efforts to keep Pride safe for Jews and supporters of Israel at the start of 2024. We began by mobilizing our mission alums and other supporters and we joined with groups like the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee, the Conference of Presidents, Jewish Federations of North America, Community Security Initiative, Keshet, Secure Community Network, World Zionist Organization and many others to ensure that Pride leaders, elected officials, public safety agencies and others were aware and prepared. 

We reached out to the White House and the Department of Homeland Security to share our concern that Jews might be targeted for harm at parades, anticipating that protesters would likely block parade routes — not only to generate headlines but also to create hazardous situations for the crowds trying to continue their marches. 

During Pride, LGBTQ leaders in more than 100 cities around the world proudly waved our Jewish Inclusive Pride Flag, carried signs or posted stickers proclaiming that there is No Pride in Antisemitism. Stickers for Queers Against Antisemitism can be seen all over the world. In several of the largest cities in America, hundreds of thousands of marchers saw digital advertising on kiosks, taxi tops and mobile devices promoting Queers for Antisemitism and proclaiming that there is No Pride in Antisemitism. Thousands carried signs and signed our QueersAgainstAntisemtism.org pledge, which now boasts signatories from dozens of countries around the world and from every U.S. state.

LGBTQ community leaders, elected officials, public safety leaders and the rank and file of the LGBTQ community demonstrated what a small fringe the gaslighters represent. While the Queers for Palestine movement was loud and created headlines — media coverage providing an outsized impression of their size and clout — they were and remain a fringe minority.

I had the fortune to march in the Pride parade in New York City on the last Sunday in June, as I have many times in the past. This year was special, though: I was invited to join New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s contingent, a reminder that the great leaders of our nation welcome queer pro-Israel Jews like me.

In her group, I had the honor to march alongside other pro-Israel LGBTQ folks, including Judith Kasen Windsor, widow of our hero Edie Windsor, and friends of A Wider Bridge including Tanya Walker and Melissa Sklarz. We carried signs that said “Queers Against Antisemitism” and “No Pride in Antisemitism.” There were no “No Pride in Genocide” signs in sight — at least not yet.

Later that day, I had the pleasure of attending a party on the ninth floor of a building overlooking the parade route in Greenwich Village. From my balcony perch, I saw a parade that looked like all the others I’d experienced —- a celebration of who we are, a demand to advance equality, and a protest against those who would roll back our rights. There were several contingents of LGBTQ Jews, marching proudly. 

Then I spotted one float, powered by gaslight. It featured “No Pride in Genocide” signs, and a speaker chanting anti-Israel slogans. I took out my phone and took a picture. While each contingent in the parade was allowed as many as 100 marchers, this group had just 10 people on the float and 28 walking alongside it. Tens of thousands marched down the street, making this group less than one-tenth of 1%. It’s true that I saw a few other signs like theirs scattered along the route, but many more signs that said “No Pride in Antisemitism” or that supported Israel. 

To be clear, our concerns about Pride were not unfounded. We heard from dozens of cities that attempts were made by anti-Israel groups to disrupt parades and events; but in almost every circumstance, they were removed from the routes in a matter of minutes. Very few Pride participants even knew that anyone was trying to rain on their parade. 

Along the way, the Queers for Palestine cohort showed their true colors — and they aren’t the colors of the rainbow flag. Rather than aligning their agenda with our movement for queer rights, they showed that they don’t actually care about Pride at all. Instead, they tried to import a foreign conflict to create domestic conflict and take our Pride away. 

Thankfully, they failed. 

Ethan Felson is the executive director of A Wider Bridge.