"PINKWASH THIS: Resisting the mainstreaming management of queer cultural heritage"

Abstract

As Pride festivals around the world in 2019 celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, the word pinkwashing is on the tip of many tongues. The question of whether or not political parties, business enterprises and authoritative institutions should have an obvious place in the celebrations is frequently discussed, considering Pride, at the start, was a demonstration for the rights of lgbtqia+ people. This study aims to explore how lgbtqia+ people view the riots, and by extension Pride, as part of their cultural heritage, and how it is put in relation to what they consider to be queer culture. Furthermore, it examines attempts to resist a perceived mainstreaming of this culture and the problems brought by doing so, as well as the growing need for separatist queer spaces as a place for organisation and recuperation. The study takes inspiration from discussions on power/knowledge, discourse and agency as a wider framework to examine cultural heritage issues, resistance and space, through empiric material gathered via interviews and participant observation.