Those behind the march in Glasgow this Saturday are facing accusations of pinkwashing

A volunteer-run Pride march in Glasgow has come under fire for its links to companies “complicit in profiteering from genocide”. 

Glasgow’s Pride, a limited company which relies on volunteers to run their event - set to take place this weekend and which last year attracted around 50,000 people to the city’s streets - is facing criticism and claims of pinkwashing after publishing its list of sponsors on its website. 

Pinkwashing - also known as rainbow-washing - is described as the promotion of the gay-friendliness of a corporate or political entity in an attempt to downplay or soften aspects of it considered negative.

The group, which says its organising committee is made up of a “small team whose passion and energy are making waves around the world”, lists what it describes as its “Proud Partners” on its website. 

The company was only registered on Companies House in April, despite claiming on their website to have run a similar event in 2023. 

Glasgow’s Pride published its list of sponsors last week, writing on its website a statement underlining that the group “do not support any form of pink washing by anyone”. 

They said: “Glasgow’s Pride Limited is focused on enhancing equality, diversity, and inclusion for the LGBTQIA+ community within Glasgow and stand with those of our community facing challenges across the globe.

“We aim to only work with our sponsors and suppliers who have the LGBTQIA+ community at the heart of their business through ensuring they are equal, inclusive and diverse by engaging in supporting policy development and wording for their employees and the members of our community they serve.

“Pride is and always has been about the LGBTQIA+ community, we do not support any form of pink washing by anyone, be this from brands or activist campaigns as this detracts from the focus of equality and inclusion of our diverse community within society.

However, a number of concerns have been raised about companies listed as “advocates”, “allies” and “champions” on the organisation’s website. 

These include energy company SSE who are identified as a “champion”, chemical firm Merck who are described as an “advocate”, and American multinational finance company, JP Morgan Chase & Co - who Glasgow’s Pride say are “allies”. 

Local groups have now questioned the decision to partner with these organisations, given their records within business - and warned of attempts at pinkwashing. 

Campaign group No Pride In Genocide Glasgow told TFN: "As a broad coalition of LGBTQ+ Glaswegians who are enraged by the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people, we believe that Glasgow's Pride should reflect the values of our community. Although they claim to work with partner organisations that support their 'core values' and 'align with the LGBTQIA+ community', they do not allow for community input into the decision-making around their sponsor and partnership policies. 

“This becomes all the more evident when looking at their partner list, which includes both Merck and JP Morgan Chase who are undeniably complicit in profiteering from genocide. 

“JP Morgan Chase hold significant investment in Israel's biggest weapons firm, Elbit Systems, and a Merck CEO has publicly declared reliance on revenue stemming from Israeli innovation. 

“To accept partnership with such companies, as well as allowing the participation and platforming of other similarly complicit companies such as Barclays and BAE systems as Glasgow's Pride has in the past, is shameful considering the unspeakable crimes being committed in Gaza and the West Bank.

“To allow these companies to participate in our community celebrations, to mask their complicity in war crimes with their supposed support of queer people, is to facilitate pinkwashing — the very thing which Glasgow's Pride has publicly claimed to oppose.

“We are joining groups across the UK in heeding the call of queer Palestinians and urging our city's Pride to stop the hypocrisy, to refuse association with corporations tied to Israeli violence, and to engage in a democratic and community-led process to build a celebration of queerness which we can truly be proud of."

Concerns were also raised about the involvement of fossil fuel companies and financiers in the Glasgow’s Pride event, set to take place this weekend. 

A spokesperson for Fossil Free Pride told TFN: “'It is incredibly disappointing to see Glasgow Pride accepting sponsorship from JPMorganChase, the number one financier of fossil fuels, who contributed over $430 billion USD to the climate-wrecking industry between 2016 and 2023. 

“SSE, Scotland's biggest polluter, should never have slipped through even the most basic of climate commitments. 

“Over 30 Prides across the UK have ruled out sponsorship from fossil fuel companies and their financial backers, and it's time for Glasgow Pride to do the same. 

“With LGBTQIA+ people across the globe disproportionately impacted by the climate crisis, refusing pinkwashing opportunities to big polluters is an essential act of queer solidarity.

“It is also vital that Glasgow Pride carefully evaluate all partnerships, from sponsors to parade participants, in relation to complicity in the ongoing genocide in Palestine - and make proactive commitments to refuse all those on the Boycott, Divest and Sanctions list.”

Glasgow's Pride was approached for comment by TFN.