Pride Denied

Homonationalism and the Future of Queer Politics

This film tells the story of how corporate sponsors coopted the concept of LGBTQ pride, turning it into a feel-good brand and blunting its radical political edge. The film locates the origins of pride in sites of grassroots resistance and revolt, going back to the anti-police Stonewall uprising led by queer and trans people of color in 1969. It then traces how the deeply political roots of pride morphed into the depoliticized big-business PRIDE(tm) spectacles of today -- multimillion-dollar events designed to project an image of tolerance and equality rather than calling attention to the relationship between normative identity, power, and sexual repression.

The film also offers a stunning case study in the politics of "pinkwashing," detailing how the government of Israel has used its purported tolerance of gay rights to deflect attention away from its systematic repression of Palestinian human rights. Drawing on the insights of activists, artists, and educators, Pride Denied makes a compelling case for returning to the progressive political activism and grassroots community support that characterized the early LGBT rights movement.