Link to sign open letter - Allies welcome too!

An Open Letter to Inclusive Career Fair and Pink Fest Organisers

Annex A: Original Email sent to Pink Fest and ICF (11 May 2025)

Annex B: Response from Pink Fest and ICF (16 May 2025)

Annex C: Our response to Pink Fest and ICF (16 May 2025)

Link to sign open letter - Allies welcome too!

An Open Letter to Inclusive Career Fair and Pink Fest Organisers

Summary:

On 11 May 2025, a group of concerned queer individuals/collectives/allies wrote an email (Annex A) to Inclusive Careers Fair (ICF) and Pink Fest organisers raising our concerns that Wells Fargo is a sponsor of ICF this year. Wells Fargo is complicit in Israel’s genocide against Palestinians because they invest in an Israeli arms manufacturer (Elbit Systems), and failed to respond to calls from UN Experts to end arms transfers in June 2024.

To summarise, our first email (11 May) had 4 main demands:

For Pink Fest and ICF to stop any future financial dealings with Wells Fargo
Not platform Wells Fargo in any panel/workshop/talk during ICF
Reconsider platforming other participating companies in any panel/workshop/talk during ICF
Issue a public statement of accountability

All of which were declined by ICF & Pink Fest in a response sent on 16 May (Annex B).

Additionally, what particularly alarmed us about their response was how ICF and Pink Fest delineated between “their cause” (queer issues) and “our cause” (the genocide), which we believe is unconstructive, especially coming from organisations that are perceived to helm the queer movement in Singapore.

We then followed up with 2 queries in an email (Annex C) sent on the same day (16 May), seeking clarifications on what steps Pink Fest / ICF are taking to review their principles for corporate allyship and also if they were willing to post an open statement on their stance on the genocide.

They have not yet responded since our reply of 16 May.

We continue to work together towards an attempt to have Pink Fest / ICF be more clear about their stance on the ongoing genocide happening in Gaza, and their commitment towards making their sponsor vetting process more transparent and intersectional.

Globally, pride has always been about the firm belief that everyone deserves equality and social justice — it doesn’t sit right with us to further our own social justice at the expense of communities that we perceive as being “unrelated” to our queer causes. In Singapore, the pride movement has also long called for and relied upon the support of allies for its progress. To now refuse allyship with another community (especially one under a genocide) is not only selfish, but goes against the very call-to-action we’ve been making towards allies.

We understand the difficult position that ICF faces, and acknowledge the value that ICF brings to queer and marginalised communities. However, we cannot understate the severity of genocide, and the incongruence of accepting complicity while claiming to stand for social justice and equality. We hope that this can open up a healthy dialogue about how Singapore's pride movement can evolve to consider the impact its decisions can have on other social issues in Singapore and across the world.

Add your or your collective's name to the letter here if you would like to be in solidarity with our open letter. Allies are more than welcome.

“No queer liberation can be achieved with settler-colonization, and no queer solidarity can be fostered if it stands blind to the racialised, capitalist, fascist, and imperial structures that dominate us.

We call on queer and feminist activists and groups around the world to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people in their resistance to displacement, land theft, and ethnic cleansing…” - Queers in Palestine

Open Letter:

31 May 2025

Dear Organisers of Pink Fest and Organisers of Inclusive Career Fair,

Over the past few years, we have been watching in anger and horror as Israel continues to commit genocide in Gaza, brutally murdering over what Gaza's health ministry has confirmed to be over 50,000 people as of April 2025.

This number continues to be on the rise - in addition to daily bombings, kidnappings, Israel still has no plans to allow any aid into Gaza.

As mentioned in our earlier email, we note that one of the main sponsors for ICF 2025 is Wells Fargo, a company that was part of a $500 million loan deal with a consortium of lenders into Elbit Systems Ltd, the Israeli weapons manufacturer. Elbit Systems is Israel’s largest weapons manufacturer; they profit from the genocide in Gaza, and are one of the primary suppliers of weapons (e.g. bombs) and surveillance systems to the Israeli military which are being used extensively in terrorising Gaza and other Palestinian territories.

In June 2024, UN Experts critically urged companies, including Wells Fargo, to end arms transfers to Israel immediately or risk responsibility for the genocide. Wells Fargo has not responded to the call, and as a result are complicit in the genocide.

Once again, we put forward our grave concerns as members of the LGBTQ+ community and its allies, as we do not believe there is any pride in genocide. We strongly believe that we should not allow companies that are complicit in genocide to engage in pinkwashing as an attempt for them to change public perception. Many LGBTQ+ Singaporeans (and worldwide) stand with Palestine and against genocide. We must recognise oppression and the shared humanity of all people. It hurts our hearts that an inclusive event is not only platforming, but also directly funded by a genocide-enabling company.

We invite Pink Fest and ICF to act by their advocated principles of safety and inclusivity by disengaging with corporate entities complicit in genocide and causing greater harm to the already underrepresented and disenfranchised.

We strongly urge Pink Fest and ICF to, where possible:

Immediately cease any financial dealings with Wells Fargo;
Not platform Wells Fargo in any of the workshops, panels or discussion in ICF;
Reconsider the platforming of current participating companies (non-sponsors) who are also directly complicit, especially in panels/talks/discussions during ICF, such as:

Macquarie (Source) (Source)
Comcast NBCUniversal (Source) (Source)
Google (Source) (Source) (Source)
Oracle (Source) (Source)
Airbnb (Source)

Issue a public statement of accountability as there are many of us in the queer/ally community who share the same concerns after learning about this;
Outline a clear commitment to reviewing sponsorship vetting processes for any future ICF and Pink Fest events.

While we appreciate the efforts from the organising committee to create an inclusive and safe environment for LGBTQ+ folks in Singapore, in the same vein, we must also make efforts to show solidarity in a dire time of genocide and political strife. There is no oppression as extreme as the intentional mass killing of innocent people, and we urge both the ICF and the Pink Fest committee to consider the implications of associating with companies complicit in such atrocities.

Signatories

(If you would like to sign, please sign here and your name/organisation will be added here manually)

Groups:

The Bi+ Collective Singapore
Monday of Palestine Solidarity
Beyond the Hijab
No Readgrets Bookclub
End FGC Singapore
Heckin’ Unicorn
Rainbow Families
Students for Palestine Singapore
BDS Singapore
Crys Knick Knacks
Rontoursthelioncity
The Other Book Club SG
For The Children SG
Singapore K-pop Multistan Association
LONGKANGBRAIN
straycatslotmachine
GEGAR
lacuna_
Wake Up Singapore
0rbit
Anarchists4Palestine [Berlin]
QUASA
dink collective
NUSG

Individuals:

Cassius
Megan M
Nabilah
Zulhendra Irwan
Devni Wijayaratne
Raven Ng
Ng Yi-Sheng
Dia Hakim Khaeri
bani haykal
Elijah Tay
Charlene Ho
Rachel Pang Comics
Jeremiah Pereira
Lune Loh
Tasha Enright
Natasha Hassan
Alanis
Nur Sabrina
Diana
Lim Enhui
Heidi Y.
Nurul Afiqah
Lauryn Leow
Shilpa Vijayasrinivasan
Yen
Eun
Zaid Y M
Low Koon Yen
Lucas Huang
Sha H.
Nur Aiman
Thirishaa Selvaraj
Kenny Liew
Yee Kai
Kaisha Jose Phoenix
Teo Yu Siang
Cassandra T.
Niko
Bri N.
Angelina
Georgie
Johari Ahmad
Hazirah W
Syafizan
Amirah Mokhlis
ava h
Kish
ZM. Sim
Thaddeus K
Reetaza Chatterjee
Syahmi H
Megan L.
Gareth
ian
Tabitha Koh
Lawrence C
Odette Yiu
Rayna Kway
KH Yeo
En Sha H
samu
Elaisha Manao
Youngseo Park
Bat Z
Lyndon
Sarah
Megan T
Reilly
Li Fangqing
Calla Lim
Will
Shu
Rachel
Vivien Tan
Fikri A
Sarah Lee
Fiona
Jess Lim
Joshua
Drake Law
Emma
Sage
Geraldine ang
S. Hana Yasmin
Samantha S.
Michele Loke
Anusri
Marcia Ong
Isabelle Singarayar
Jacinta
Rae
Haziq Hairoman
Chew Wei Li
george ang
Zul
natalie
Jocelyn
Ash
Phua JY
Jill
Hannah Goh
Deko
arnav
Red
Claudia Lui
Alexis Wyse
Megan T
Wafi
Ken
Tan J Y
Shibukawa Tomomi
Ab
Yu Xuan
wei
Connor
Trix
Elijah Wong
Faza
Mieke Song
Aidan H
Rachel
Halle Tan
Shazani Nartino
Cody L.
Jared Ong
bones
Rinu Rose
Nyssa Rawther
Jo Q
Alex
Zaihan Kariyani
Ron Tan
shubashini
Rachel Forday
Yasmin S
Keanu
Camille
Nor Atiqah
N Nor.
Vila
Yanti Razak
Sarah
Tavia Zhang
Zah
Joey H
Afiq
Ashia Kobayashi
Wanling
Elizabeth Lim
Abigail
Claire Gettle
Si-Min Chong
Rachel
Adrianni Prante
Ivy Li
Juliana Chan
Ryan
Adi
Prap
Muhammad Ridzal Bin Abdul Hamid
Chuah
Samyuktha Suresh
Ryan Y
Anthea Tan
Reisha Lee
Yeo Jing Ying
Rene Ann Wong
Raffie
Syu
Peter L
CYX
Francesca Harriman
Taira
Hui Hui
DM
Dee
Nadhrah Ramizah
John Paul Kwan
Hutsakorn Nartboonyokrit
RN
Ace
chloe
Kelana
Tong
Hai Han Lie
EZ Kay
Shasha
Chua Enqi
Enfys
Natasha
dee
Marian Carmel
Luke Levy
valerie eng
Derek Wong
Xuan
Swan
Maria
Nursyafiqah Safri
Amy Yulissa
Cat Chong
Ida
Magdalene Ho
Zwe
Kai
Chai Ai Min
Angel Tan
Ng Yong Sheng, Nathanael
Law Jia-Hao
Nana Z
Wen Yi Low
Wendy
Amit Pritam
Thaddeus J Loh
Alfy
Jing Tong Teo
R
Francisco C.
Andrea H
Matthew MacReady
Jay
celeste
Sharanya
Hamizah
Natalia Ho
Ikaa
Gao Ding
Rachel ng
Michael Lai
Alisha Elizabeth Cherian
Joan
Daniel Peters
Christie C
Sin Hao
Jeanne Pequeux
Franchesca Gail T. Oledan
Varsha
Budy Hartono Foo Bin Abdul Rahman
Amira Azmi
Sonia
Will
Matas Sabaliauskas
Zan Logan
Faif
Josephine S
Candy
Liu Pei Shan
natto
Aarthi
Francesca Harriman
Purinita Kaur
Alice Tsai
Kay
FC Idris
Willow
Shawn Ang
Deb
Nur AFH M H$n
Cameron
Tanya Koshy
Yi Ling
Scarlett Letterman
Glenn T
Krish Sabnani
JC
Garima
Rui
Wx
Keval Singh
Xin Tan
H Tan
Jean
Genevieve
Sabrina
Cameron Tan
Thu Y
Kandice
Tan Jin Kien
Susila
Bhavani Bala
Jun
Jules
Anastasiia Tikhonova
James Ali
Alex J
Shua
Jia Min
Aeriqah
Anna Lim
Aditi Shiva
Hidayah
A L
James Simeon Tiu
Aspen
Kang Aderyn
Kui
Ver'draasa
Rachel
Nur Haziqah
C H. H
Levi M
Michelle Tay
Zinho De Costa
Ingrid Y.
Ethan R
Dox
Abby Kang
Calico
Jason S Ganesan
Andree H W
Cherin Tan
Simone Ann
Gaia Choo
Xuanlin Tham
Grace Z.
Judas
Shaun
Toh Jia Ni
Sabrina
Amanda Yeo
ZC
JZ
Owen Sapp
peejay
Raelein
Genesis
Amos Chew
Nico
Champa Ha
ST
Benedicta Foo
Hannah Fernando
Lisa S.
callum
Audrey G
Mischa Regu
Mina Choo
Mus
Tessa
Fion Lim
Aiko Seko
Jo Q
Nguyen TT Lam
Sori
Nicole Ng
Nicole O.
Cheah Lehan
Wong Swee Cheong
Ili Jamil
Natalie
ST
Wen Jing
November Soh
Carissa C
Divya Thirupathy
Jack Tay Leong Quan
Jingqi
Gem
Ezzo Lee
Xinyi
June
Rosa
CS
Samantha
Ana Liu
Matthew Eng
Katie Tan
Kirstin Y
LX
Cass Lee
Fahrul N.
JARREN L
Celine Lim
Nadia M
Ika Shazzani
Vier
Aisyah Habriyah
Cherry T
Via
irie a.
kansh
Avery L
Wan Ming Xian
Brooklyn Persephone Tan
Jack Xi
Zachi AW
Faith Leong
DT
Harissa Q
Teng Kie Zin (Scott)
CW
Bernice. Y
Zan Logan
Mio
Navinn Singh
Megan T
Nat A.
Emmy Charissa Cincin
Cheyanne
Nikita
N.J
Evangeline
Song-hi Ong
Akiko Ono
Jason
Aerin Lai
Mah Xiao Yu
Gayatri
Nurul Asyiqin
Winsome W
Shahrazad
amirra wardah
Reena
Nari Nasir
Lynnly Ng-Olsen
Terri
Sophie Tan Li Rong
Gloria
Yang K.W
Khaizuran Rashid
Isabel D
CS Loh
Atiq Ilyas Lukman
EN Chow
Demona Bev
Emily Liu
J
Stefanie
jay
Annapoorna Arulkumaran
Ariel Tan
Fatin
Cher Yeo
G Y
Marie Fly
T. C. Dinh
Sarah Ruslan
Desiree S
Nina Chabra
Lainie Y
Azam
Helmi Y
Luna
Jac
Soph Ong
Naomi Lourdesamy
Nuzhatul Iman
Joleen L
Bhuvan Daniel
Ain Binte J
Amal Luqman
Pei Si Wong (PS Wong Art)
frederica bimmel
Shameer Muhammed
Rowan Leow
Jiang Yiling
Beverley C
Emma Rose
Brenda Tan
ash c
Nik
Faiqah Redzuan
Lavania
Salahuddin Haque
chan wen xin
Sean L.
Sam Heng
Danica
Yeo Yi Fei
Roon Willow
Eunise Ng
julia
Crystal Low
Inez B

Annex A: Original Email sent to Pink Fest and ICF (11 May 2025)

Copy:

Dear Organisers of Pink Fest and Organisers of Inclusive Career Fair,

We are writing this email to express our ongoing concerns regarding the upcoming Inclusive Career Fair (ICF) happening on 21 June 2025.

We note that one of the main sponsors for ICF 2025 is Wells Fargo, a company that was part of a $500 million loan deal with a consortium of lenders into Elbit Systems Ltd, the Israeli weapons manufacturer. Elbit Systems is Israel’s largest weapons manufacturer; they profit from the genocide in Gaza, and are one of the primary suppliers of weapons (e.g. bombs) and surveillance systems to the Israeli military which are being used extensively in terrorising Gaza and other Palestinian territories.

We put forward our grave concerns as members of the LGBTQ+ community and its allies, as we do not believe there is any pride in genocide. We strongly believe that we should not allow companies that are complicit in genocide to engage in pinkwashing as an attempt to change public perception. Many LGBTQ+ Singaporeans (and worldwide) stand with Palestine and against genocide. We recognise oppression and we recognise the shared humanity of all people. It hurts our hearts that an inclusive event is platforming a genocide-enabling company.

We strongly urge Pink Fest and ICF to, where possible:

Immediately cease any financial dealings with Wells Fargo;
Not platform Wells Fargo in any of the workshops, panels or discussion in ICF;
Reconsider the platforming of current participating companies (non-sponsors) who are also directly complicit, especially in panels/talks/discussions during ICF, such as:

Macquarie (Source)
Comcast NBCUniversal (Source) (Source)
Google (Source) (Source) (Source)

Issue a public statement of accountability as there are many of us in the queer/ally community who share the same concerns after learning about this.

We urge the Pink Fest & ICF organisers to also be transparent about the vetting process of sponsors and participating companies, and to demonstrate this moving forward.

While we appreciate that there are efforts from the organising committee to create an inclusive, safe environment for LGBTQ+ folks in Singapore, in the same vein, we must also make efforts to show solidarity in a dire time of genocide and political strife. There is no oppression as extreme as the intentional mass killing of innocent people, and we urge the Pink Fest committee to consider the implications of associating with companies complicit in such atrocities.

Thank you for reading this. We look forward to hearing from Pink Fest / ICF soon.

Annex B: Response from Pink Fest and ICF (16 May 2025)

Copy:

Thank you for your letter. We acknowledge your cause and the care with which you have raised your concerns, and we appreciate the opportunity to respond.

By way of background, Inclusive Careers Fair (ICF) is a not-for-profit initiative. A Signature Event of Pink Fest, this is a platform created to advance workplace inclusion and belonging for underrepresented individuals - including LGBTQ+ people, persons with disabilities, neurodivergent individuals, racial and ethnic minorities, and women. Our aim is to create tangible opportunities for employment, connection and visibility, and to help level the playing field so that all jobseekers can overcome discrimination and access opportunities.

You might be aware that the current employment landscape is marked by significant pushback against initiatives aimed at promoting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) across sectors. This movement has gained momentum, leading to a re-evaluation - and in some cases, rollback - of DEI programs in companies around the world, including in Singapore. This affects hiring, training, advancement and other basic aspects of employment access for individuals who are often marginalised on the basis of their diverse characteristics.

In Singapore, while the recently passed Workplace Fairness Act prohibits workplace discrimination on grounds such as age, nationality, sex, marital status, pregnancy status, caregiving responsibilities, race, religion, language, disability and mental health conditions, it does not include protection against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

It is in this landscape of corporate caution, continued marginalisation, and increasing economic uncertainty that we are staging this year’s edition of ICF. It is more necessary than ever. We welcome the participation of as many companies as possible to ensure that ICF can meaningfully take place this year.

ICF brings together companies that share our commitment to fostering inclusive workplace culture. This includes inclusive hiring practices, employee engagement initiatives that build belonging, fair workplace policies and value for diverse talent. These are the criteria we use to vet participating companies.

We want to be transparent. We will not be excluding the companies named from participating in ICF. These companies have maintained their steadfast support in a challenging climate, and we value their corporate allyship. However, this does not mean we are indifferent to your concerns. Your cause is important, and so is ours. We believe it is necessary to hold the tension between pragmatic engagement and principled advocacy.

We appreciate the opportunity to reflect on your feedback. Moving forward, we will review our principles for corporate support and allyship.

Thank you again for raising this with us. We are mindful of the reality and responsibility of building an Inclusive Careers Fair in complex times, including this moment when opportunity, solidarity and dialogue can co-exist.

Annex C: Our response to Pink Fest and ICF (16 May 2025)

Copy:

Dear Kathy and Harris,

Thank you for your response.

As many of us are queer individuals ourselves, we also have to navigate multiple interlocking structures of oppression, and we understand firsthand the climate that ICF is operating in. Increasing economic uncertainty is not an abstract concept, but a lived experience for us.

We want to be clear that we are not diminishing the value that ICF creates, or the effort required to pull off events at such scale. However, we are disappointed with your response, and wish to articulate it in hopes of finding common ground.

We understand choosing to adopt a pragmatic approach to advocacy in Singapore; at the same time, there are red lines that cannot, and should not, be crossed in the name of advocacy. We believe that partnering with organisations that are not only complicit in but profiting from genocide, brutalisation and mass murder in the name of queer advocacy crosses a red line. There is no pride in genocide, and thus we do not see how you perceive our causes to differ.

We cannot call for support from the general population and corporations, while at the same time refusing to stand in solidarity with communities that we perceive as being unrelated to our queer causes. Queer Palestinians exist, and their humanity matters. True inclusion requires intersectionality, otherwise our queer movements end up erasing, silencing and alienating those of us who do not hold as much privilege and power as others.

In light of this, and to better understand your perspective, we have a few clarifying questions that we hope you could shed more light on:

How do you plan to review your aforementioned principles for corporate support and allyship in the future? For instance, what are the red lines that you will set when deciding on which companies to or not to engage with?
Would ICF and Pink Fest be open to making a public statement in support of Palestine, or statement of condemnation against the genocide? If ICF and Pink Fest would like support on this, we are happy to help.

We appreciate this opportunity for dialogue, and are interested to learn about the ways in which ICF and Pink Fest approach solidarity across movements. We look forward to hearing from you soon.