Pride is supposed to be a celebration – A celebration of dignity. A celebration of identity. A celebration of belonging.

For decades, LGBTQ activists fought to create spaces where people would not be judged by stereotypes, excluded because of who they are, or forced to hide essential parts of themselves in order to gain acceptance.

Which is why the events surrounding Rome Pride this year raise an uncomfortable question:

When did inclusion become conditional?

Recent reports revealed that Rome Pride organizers excluded a Jewish LGBTQ organization from participating because the group would not embrace the organizers’ characterization of Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide. Whether one agrees or disagrees with Israeli policy is beside the point. The issue is that participation in an event dedicated to inclusion reportedly became contingent upon accepting a specific political position.

In other words, belonging came with conditions.

History has a peculiar sense of irony.

Nearly two thousand years ago, Rome attempted to weaken the Jewish connection to their ancestral homeland (and they’ve done a hell of a job). Following Jewish revolts against the Roman Empire, Judea was renamed Syria Palaestina, a move widely understood by historians as an effort to diminish Jewish national identity and connection to the land.

Today, Rome once again finds itself at the center of a controversy involving the exclusion of Jews.

This time, however, the exclusion does not come from emperors or legions. It comes from a movement that claims inclusion as one of its highest virtues.

Supporters of the decision will undoubtedly argue that this was not about Jews. It was about Israel.

That distinction sounds reasonable until one asks a simple........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)