I have chosen the key-word pinkwashing.
DEFINITION: I think it means the use of queer aesthetics or the appearance of LGBTQ acceptance to either promote a product or company or to distract from the harmful practices of that entity.
PURPOSE: I intend to create an op-ed. An example of this format is Sarah Schulman’s 2011 op-ed on pinkwashing in the New York Times, and some of the generic conventions of this format are a clear argument and call-to-action as well as informal/accessible language.
CONTENT: I intend to talk about my key-word in relation to “rainbow capitalism,” the corporatization of Pride, and the use of pinkwashing by the Israeli government as a method of diverting attention away from human rights abuses in Palestine.
COURSE THEMATIC: I think that my key concept intersects/overlaps with class in these ways: it has different meanings in different discourse communities, relates to how our identities shape our view of the world, and to combat pinkwashing requires a “close-reading” of sorts of whether the actions of an entity matches their words.
SOURCES: I have decided to use the following five sources, because they provide perspectives on pinkwashing both at home and abroad, and are a mix of more informal commentary on pinkwashing as well as reputable academic discourse.
- Schulman, Sarah. 2011. “Opinion | ‘Pinkwashing’ and Israel’s Use of Gays as a Messaging Tool.” The New York Times, November 23, 2011. https://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/23/opinion/pinkwashing-and-israels-use-of-gays-as-a-messaging-tool.html.
- Shafie, Ghadir. 2018. “Pinkwashing: Israel’s International Strategy and Internal Agenda.” Kohljournal.press. December 16, 2018. https://kohljournal.press/pinkwashing-israels-international-strategy.
- Puar, Jasbir K. 2007. Terrorist Assemblages: Homonationalism in Queer Times. Durham: Duke University Press. https://read.dukeupress.edu/books/book/1247/Terrorist-AssemblagesHomonationalism-in-Queer.
- Maya, Mikdashi. 2011. “Gay Rights as Human Rights: Pinkwashing Homonationalism.” Jadaliyya – جدلية. December 16, 2011. https://www.jadaliyya.com/Details/24855/Gay-Rights-as-Human-Rights-Pinkwashing-Homonationalism.
- Kumar, Naveen. 2019. “The Double-Edged Sword of Corporate, Commercialized Pride.” Them. June 28, 2019. https://www.them.us/story/corporate-pride.