Did you follow the Flyers and Provorov saga? You saw this player who decided to boycott his team’s pregame for Pride Nights because he didn’t want to wear a rainbow-colored jersey, jerseys then sold at an auction for a charity? You’ve heard that player invoke freedom of religion as a defense and the Flyers organization defend him?
This, ladies and gentlemen, is a textbook case of a “false ally”.
What is a false ally? In the case of LGBTQ+ rights, we are talking about someone who takes pleasure in displaying themselves as an ally of the community to benefit from the benefits of this for their image, but without taking the trouble to change their behaviors which offend this community. In the United States, examples abound of these false allies who rush to drape themselves in the colors of the rainbow as soon as Pride season arrives while continuing to give money to fiercely anti-political politicians. -LGBTQ+ (UPS, Home Depot, FedEx and Pfizer, to name a few).
This kind of hypocrisy undermines the advancement of LGBTQ+ rights by using this community for marketing purposes.
Even here, in Quebec, we can name several examples of these false allies. Think of those companies that claim to be allies, but share transphobic ideas and opinions. To those media companies that claim to be allies, but hire columnists who attack the community on the slightest pretext, whether it’s about gender-neutral toilets or about a drag queen who reads stories to children. To those people who pretend to be allies, but who will select certain parts of the community that they will support.
Hypocrisy
In the case of the Flyers, the hypocrisy is to organize this kind of event (however laudable the intention behind it) by appearing as an ally of the community… while keeping someone on the team who opposes the rights of this community.
Should we have prevented Provorov from speaking out? Of course not. No one should prevent him from expressing his opinion. But it’s ridiculously hypocritical for an organization to claim to be an ally of the LGBTQ+ community and defend Provorov against backlash for his stance.
Provorov has every right to act according to his religious beliefs, but as far as the Flyers are concerned, keeping someone who acts against the values they claim to uphold is a choice that speaks volumes.
After so much struggle and discrimination, the LGBTQ+ community deserves true allies. Not opportunists who present themselves as allies just for the marketing gimmick and the spin-offs it gives them. The LGBTQ+ community deserves attention for its rights and not just its wallet by displaying a sympathetic image. The LGBTQ+ community deserves better than to be used for a simple communications operation.
The rainbow colors of our flags (and others in our community) represent our struggles, our hopes, our aspirations. They must be more than just an opportunity to explore new markets and to clear our conscience without ever questioning our actions.