Latest news with #SanDiegoPride
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
UCSD pulls out of San Diego Pride amid objections to festival headliner
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — UC San Diego and UC San Diego Health has announced it will not be participating in the San Diego Pride this year over what it views as antisemitic statements made by Kehlani, one of the festival headliners, regarding the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The move to pull its sponsorship and opt out of the festival follows a coalition of Jewish groups and Mayor Todd Gloria, who announced earlier this month they were sitting out of this year's the celebrations in light of the Grammy-nominated singer's comments and 'safety concerns.' In a statement earlier this week, UCSD officials described Kehlani's views as 'blatantly Antisemitic' and stressed they were making the move to 'stand firm' in its commitment to supporting Jewish members of its campus community. 'Not just a party:' World Pride celebrations end with defiant politics on display The statement noted the university and its health system still intend to march in the Pride Parade. Kehlani, who identifies as non-binary, has been an outspoken advocate for Palestinians amid Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza through their social media platform and music. Although the singer's stalwart advocacy has drawn accusations of promoting antisemitic rhetoric from those supportive of Israel. One such display critics point to is their music video for 'Next 2 U,' in which the message 'long live the intifada' is prominently featured. The phrase means 'shaking off' in Arabic and has been used to describe Palestinian rebellion against Israeli occupation. However, this history leads those supportive of Israel to view the phrase as a call for violence against Jewish people. The use of this phrase was cited as the rationale in the cancellation of a scheduled performance of theirs back in April at Cornell University by the school's administration. In response to Cornell's decision, the singer posted a video to Instagram pushing back on the interpretation of her view as antisemitic, saying she is not 'anti-Jew,' rather 'anti-genocide' and is opposed to the actions of the Israeli government in the course of the conflict. FOX 5/KUSI reached out to San Diego Pride for comment on UCSD's withdrawal and is awaiting a response. The nonprofit, in a previous statement, said it does not endorse the political views of performers booked for the festival, adding, 'We honor the value of artistic integrity, the importance of free expression and the role that artists play in shaping culture, challenging systems and amplifying voices while respecting each other's differences.' How to handle the ongoing conflict in Gaza has been a tension point for San Diego Pride, having also drawn backlash from those who have expressed support for Palestinians. Last year, the nonprofit came under fire for the abrupt cancellation of a workshop led by two pro-Palestinian groups, Jewish Voice for Peace and People for Palestine San Diego, at San Diego She Fest — a beloved street fair that takes place prior to the Pride Parade and Festival. Local LGBTQ+ community deals with vandalism amid Pride Month At the time, San Diego Pride cited safety concerns in canceling the workshop. In an open letter shortly after, however, She Fest organizers said the purported risk was 'non-existent,' as they had 'an extensive safety plan, security on site and no viable threats.' The move ultimately led She Fest's leadership to sever ties with the nonprofit, stating in a post on Instagram the two came to a mutual decision that it was not possible for them to move forward together 'in a way that honors [She Fest's] values and responsibility to our community.' As for the Jewish groups boycotting this year's Pride in light of Kehlani's statements, several said they similarly plan to celebrate Pride independently of the main festivities in July. 'It's really sad to me that the San Diego Pride didn't understand the needs of the community,' Lilian Faderman, a congregant at Temple Emanu-El and LGBTQ+ historian, told FOX 5/KUSI earlier this month. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jewish Groups Withdraw From 2025 San Diego Pride Festival Over Kehlani's Support For Palestine
All the Jewish groups that have traditionally participated in the San Diego Pride Festival have pulled out of this year's event due to headliner Kehlani's vocal support for Palestine. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, eight organizations and synagogues issued a joint statement this week saying that their decision was due to 'serious safety concerns' prompted by what they called the R&B singer's 'repeated amplification of violent antisemitic rhetoric.' Among those pulling out of the event slated to take place on July 19-20 in San Diego's Balboa Park — Kehlani is slated to perform on the first day of the fest — are the Jewish Federation of San Diego, Anti-Defamation League of San Diego and the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center. In a statement released last week, the organizations said their decision came after 'The Finest Community Coalition released a statement last month, signed by nearly three dozen Jewish organizations, urging San Diego Pride to reconsider giving Kehlani a platform. That appeal has thus far gone unanswered, and as a result, there will be no organized Jewish presence at San Diego Pride this year.' More from Billboard Tyler, the Creator, Finneas, Kehlani & More React to Los Angeles Protests Against ICE Cloonee Postpones L.A. Shows Amid ICE Raids: 'I Will Not Throw a Party Whilst the Latino People Who Have Supported Me in This City Are Hurting' Leon Thomas' 'Mutt' Snatches Third Radio Crown of 2025 In addition to those organizations, the Chronicle reported that festival's current director of medical operations and her assistant director have stepped down from their volunteer roles. In response to the actions, San Diego Pride's board of directors said in a statement that it does not endorse the political views of any of its performers. 'Each member of our community must make their own decision about attending this year's events, but we hope everyone will come out as a sign of solidarity for our queer community,' read their statement. 'We honor the value of artistic integrity, the importance of free expression and the role that artists play in shaping culture, challenging systems and amplifying voices while respecting each other's differences.' Kehlani has been hit by a series of boycotts and cancellations due to her pro-Palestinian comments throughout Israel's ongoing war against Hamas following the militant group's terror attack on the Jewish state on Oct. 7, 2023, during which raiders killed more than 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages. In the ensuing war, Israeli bombing and incursions into the Gaza Strip and other Palestinian-majority territories have resulted in the deaths of more than 55,000 Palestinians according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not make distinctions between military and civilian deaths. In May, Kehlani's Central Park Pride concert in New York was canceled under advisement from the city's mayor. The festival announced that the Pride with Kehlani show slated for June 26 as part of New York's SummerStage series of shows was called off after it was notified by Mayor Eric Adams' office that 'they have concerns for security and safety issues.' Kehlani responded to that cancelation with a 'lol' on their Instagram Stories. The SummerStage cancelation came after Cornell University pulled the plug on a planned Kehlani appearance at the school's annual Slope Day event on May 7 over her public support for Palestinians and what they deemed her 'antisemitic, anti-Israel sentiments.' Kehlani responded the the Cornell cancelation with a statement on April 26 in which they said, 'I am being asked and called to clarify and make a statement yet again, for the millionth time, that I am not antisemitic nor anti-Jew. I am anti-genocide, I am anti the actions of the Israeli government, I am anti an extermination of an entire people, I am anti the bombing of innocent children, men, women — that's what I'm anti.' The singer added, 'In fact, the very first Live that I did in the beginning of this genocide was with a really beautiful Jewish organization called Jewish Voices for Peace, and I still continue to learn from and work alongside really impactful Jewish organizers against this genocide.' Oakland native Kehlani was also slated to be a headliner at SoSF, a new San Francisco pride festival, but they announced last week that they had pulled out of that June 28 event. Kehlani's 2024 'Next 2 U' video featured the phrase 'long live the intifada,' a reference to the two violent uprisings in the West Bank and Gaza Strip aimed at ending Israel's occupation of those territories. It also depicted the singer and their background dancers waving Palestinian flags and wearing suits made of traditional keffiyeh scarves. In a since-removed Instagram video last May, Kehlani called out their musical peers for not joining in and commenting on Israel's war against Hamas, saying, 'You can't speak? Disgusting… It's f–k Israel. It's f–k Zionism. And it's f–k a lot of ya'll too.'Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jewish organizations, synagogues withdraw from San Diego Pride
SAN DIEGO (FOX5/KUSI)–Jewish organizations and synagogues are choosing not to participate in San Diego Pride because of one of the festival's headline performers. Jewish synagogues and leaders said they decided not to participate after San Diego Pride failed to remove Kehlani as a headliner, despite a coalition of Jewish leaders sharing its concerns about Kehlani's participation in May. In the past, Kehlani has made comments against Israel and zionists and opened a music video with language that the San Diego Jewish community said could lead to direct harm. 'I have no objection to her supporting the Palestinian people. I do have an objection to her saying, 'long live the antifada,' which is dangerous,' said Lilian Faderman, congregant at Temple Emanu-El and LGBTQ historian. 'If people are ignited to violence we see what happens. We see what happened in Washington, D.C., with the murder of that beautiful couple. We see what happened in Colorado,' Faderman said. Several Jewish synagogues and organizations are now saying they will no longer participate in San Diego Pride due to safety concerns. Temple Emanu-el's senior rabbi, Devorah Marcus, and the president and ceo of the Jewish Federation of San Diego, Heidi Gantwerk, are a part of the Finest Community Coalition, which started earlier this year to combat antisemitism. The coalition said it reached out to San Diego Pride, but changes have not been made to the lineup. 'This is a really painful loss for people in our community who have spent years participating with great joy and pride. Many people in the Jewish community really enjoy being a part of Pride and this hurts,' said Heidi Gantwerk, President and CEO of the Jewish Federation of San Diego. Rabbi Marcus and Gantwerk said the Jewish community will still celebrate Pride in their own way with a community Shabbat and a brunch. Meanwhile, it still hurts Faderman to know she won't be able to be at San Diego Pride. 'It's really sad to me that the San Diego Pride didn't understand the needs of the community,' Faderman said. FOX 5/KUSI reached out to Kehlani's team and San Diego Pride for comment, but have not yet heard back. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
