Caitlyn Jenner under fire for attending Israel Pride Parade and ‘pinkwashing’ amid war

Former Olympian Caitlyn Jenner has been accused ‘pinkwashing’ Israeli crimes against Palestinians by visiting the Tel Aviv Pride Parade and the site of the 7 October 2023 attack.

The transgender celebrity and gold medalist was invited as a guest of honour at Tel Aviv’s annual LGBTQ Pride Parade where she said, "the second biggest pride event in the world is in Tel Aviv…Israeli people are open-minded, friendly, they’re great for the LGBTQ community and nobody knows this". 

She added that by being there, she hopes to "change people’s minds about what Israel is really about". 

The comments garnered some scorn, with many pointing towards videos and information showing Israeli war crimes committed against Palestinians. 

"Resilient people of Israel," one user sarcastically wrote on X, linking to a video showing Israeli teenagers chanting "may your village burn" as they march through the Armenian quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. 

"We’re staying tuned. You either haven’t been tuned in or you approve of things like this," another wrote, highlighting a photo of a gaunt-looking Palestinian child amid Israel’s ongoing blockade on Gaza. 

Jenner met with Sharren Kaskel, the deputy minister of foreign affairs, who confirmed that they had toured areas affected by the 7 October Hamas-led attack.

Others accused Jenner of being insensitive by supporting Israel while it bombards Gaza, killing over 61,700 Palestinians since 2023. 

"…Read the room. You are an insult to transgender advocates if you support the mass slaughter of children. Shame," one person wrote on X. 

'Pinkwashing'

This comes as more rights group highlight the ‘pinkwashing’ of Israeli crimes – a term used to describe how gay and transgender rights have been co-opted by Israel to divert attention from its crimes committed against Palestinians. 

The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement says that it is an "Israeli government propaganda strategy that cynically exploits LGBTQIA+ rights to project a progressive image while concealing Israel’s occupation and apartheid policies oppressing Palestinians". 

Last year, a campaign called No Pride in Genocide launched to show how LGBTQ people are being used to justify violence against Palestinians. 

An organiser of the campaign, Malka Roth, told reporters: "Israel has positioned itself as being this beacon of democracy and gay rights and gay liberation," despite the fact that the Israeli army surveils homosexual Palestinians to blackmail them into becoming informants. 

Jenner has further been a divisive and controversial figure, having endorsed US President Donald Trump in the 2024 elections while he vowed to roll back protections for the transgender community. 

Leading rights groups have denounced Israel’s war on Gaza, with Amnesty International stating that Israel’s crimes amount to genocide. Severe bombardment has displaced the majority of the population, levelled entire neighbourhoods in the enclave and plunged the Strip into a deep humanitarian crisis.