Yet another local official has announced his intention to withdraw from the San Diego Pride festival over comments made by its headline act,
Kehlani
.
San Diego County Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder Jordan Marks
announced this week that he has withdrawn his office from the County of San Diego’s delegation participation in
San Diego Pride’s
weekend activities due to safety concerns for members of the Jewish community.
He also has called on the County of San Diego to withdraw from participating.
“As a Jewish leader and a community member who lost his uncle to a Palestinian bus bombing in Jerusalem during the Second Intifada, I cannot support or feel safe attending any event where the headliner calls for a violent Intifada Revolution,” Marks said in a statement.
“As an ally and advocate for our LGBTQ+ community I will be supporting other community events that don’t put our community at risk of physical danger.
“I applaud the Jewish community leaders for standing strong for a safe and inclusive San Diego and offering alternative JPride events that celebrate the strong allyship we have with the LGBTQ+ community.”
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Marks joins
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria
, San Diego County Human Relations Commissioner and LGBTQ leader
Nicole Murray-Ramirez
, and multiple advocacy groups to urge Pride leadership to change the headline performer, Kehlani.
The singer has been accused of promoting antisemitic rhetoric on social media.
A statement from the ARCC office said, “Kehlani’s hateful messages, including calls to eradicate Zionism and for an Intifada Revolution, are not only dehumanizing, but they can also lead to real-world violence against Jews.”
