A political controversy has erupted in Italy ahead of this year’s Rome Pride after organizers announced that Jewish LGBT organizations would not be allowed to participate in the parade with an official float.
The decision concerns Keshet Italia and Keshet Europe, organizations representing Jewish LGBT people, and centers on their stance regarding the war in Gaza. According to Rome Pride organizers, Keshet Italia failed to “distance itself” from what the organization described as the “ongoing genocide in Gaza.”
In a statement published on social media following a meeting with representatives of the two organizations, Rome Pride declared that “the conditions have not been met for their float to participate in the parade.” The irony of the same organizers stressing that Pride is “an open and free demonstration” was clearly lost on them.
The organizers maintain that Keshet Italia itself bore responsibility for “not having distanced itself and not intending to distance itself from the ongoing genocide in Gaza,” while also criticizing what they called “an unacceptable lexical distinction” in a document published by the group. (It is unclear from reports what that “lexical distinction” might be, but probably a refusal to use the term “genocide.”)
As a result, no float representing Jewish LGBT organizations will take part in the parade. The decision is likely to fuel further debate, particularly because it comes from a movement that publicly defines itself through inclusion and openness while simultaneously drawing a firm political boundary over Gaza.
Keshet Italia published a statement in reaction to their exclusion on social media, highlighting that only Jewish LGBT organizations are “subjected to constant identity and political scrutiny” by Pride Rome to prove they “deserve to be there.” The group stated,
Pride has become an ideological tribunal that expels minorities and has lost its soul. Resistance is the rejection of submitting to a single thought. We inhabit the Republic with our bodies.
The incident seems to fit a clear pattern, as other Jewish groups elsewhere have been forced to skip Pride parades in recent years. Just a year ago, in May 2025, KeshetUK withdrew from the London parade citing fears for their members’ safety. The organization said they are “working to ensure no one is forced to choose between their LGBT and Jewish identity.” Their fear for their safety is not uncalled for. Later in August 2025 Jewish members of the Montreal Pride march were assaulted, verbally abused, and other members of the Pride event threw bottles of urine at them. One woman was arrested in connection to the case.
The Rome case is yet another example of the many contradictions of progressivism, described by Jonathon van Maren in an op-ed last summer. This time identity politics and anti-Israel dogmas clashed, and the latter has been declared the winner.
