Rainbows everywhere 🌈

What's happened to their own identity and purpose?

And also what's happened to the rainbow's identity?

Rainbow guides etc. You can't use or draw a rainbow now without people thinking you're making a statement. On a city tour last year our guide had a long stick with a rainbow on top - others had sunflowers etc, the usual guide identifying prop. Rainbows can't just be rainbows any more.

It's pride month...

Then why don’t disability charity’s band together and create a Disability Awareness month? I’m sure it would get the same level of corporate support. Pride became big because the various LGBT organisations made it happen. LGBT people aren’t stopping any other group from having an awareness week. If you don’t want to take part fine, but don’t begrudge them for their celebrations.

It reminds me of a woman at work complaining about the fuss made over St David’s Day one year. She said a fuss wasn’t made about St George’s Day. I reminded her that the banners, cakes and other decorations, company blogs etc were created by some of the Welsh people in the org and that she was free to put the effort in and do the same on St George’s Day. She did nothing.

It's virtue signalling bullshit for the gravy train that is EDI

Pride month that'll be it. Fair enough.

Unless they've all been infiltrated by the Woodcraft Folk. That was their flag way back.

Oh don't get me started on mental first aiders Jesus some of people I wouldn't talk to under any circumstances, some I reckon have applied so they get gossip.

I'm with you I'd prefer first who didn't care to do nothing as pretending you care draws people in.

The question why whole institutions need to do it? - what is it exactly they want to achieve on behalf of the mentioned sexual communities? - because by any means look totally bonkers

Agree OP - a load of virtue signalling crap just so that other virtue signalling idiots who say "i support gay rights", (and assume that everyone who doesn't plaster themselves in rainbows is therefore homophobic), can further add to their right on street cred by saying how marvellous it is that HSBC or some other global corp has seen the light. Really are we that stupid??

I know what I believe and how I behave and I don't have to shop at logo-sporting XYZ Ltd to prove it

They are using the rainbow as advertising, taking a symbol that should mean something and using it to virtue signal. So while I’m very supportive of LGBT rights and acceptance I’m deeply distrustful of the intentions of businesses.

I was going to add something similar to this to my post, actually. Our company have trained 100 MHFA and promote MH awareness week (and all the MH days) - it really ticked the box for being a positive, mental health employer. But the reality is that policies are still badly written, managers haven’t been appropriately trained in supporting their staff and the sickness policy isn’t support enough. And only 20 or so employees have even used the MHFA.

Doing easy tick box exercises doesn’t address real issues or bring about change. I find virtue signalling worse than just doing nothing actually.

@senua thanks for your concern. My students are fine thank you very much.

The problem with the company's doing this is they don't actually care, it's just a box ticking exercise which they will do with whichever month it is.

I worked somewhere where they banged on about mental health and had all this despite they were grinding the staff down into mental health crisises I know this as I was first to go off but not the last.

Fair enough company's do it if you believe but otherwise it's just bollocks.

YABU it is for pride month and showing support to a community is not a bad thing.

https://nypost.com/2023/05/23/target-partners-with-satanist-brand-for-pride-collection/

The USA is quite a Christian country so they are not going to be keen on a group or shop saying that they are aligned to being pro Satan. The vice designer for TARGET iwho employed the Satanic designer is involved in sex education in USA schools too, what a weird combination of interests.

Parents in Florida don't like their children being taught anti science about biology and conspiracy theories about their parents being Nazis for refusing to sterilise Autistic children.

I think those who don't like the law in Florida are sensible to move, they don't require visas to do so.

YANU - I'd feel the same about my company. I'm all for institutions supporting admirable causes however I think there should be a line drawn so that it doesn't cross over as a statement that that's what the institution is about.
I'll admit though, I'm pretty black and white with things like this. I don't, for example think BBC presenters or sportsperson should wear poppies or the Police should wear the 'thin blue line' badges. Its not that I disagree with the cause but I wouldn't be allowed to embroider a nice Amnesty Internation logo or NSPCC onto my uniform.

I remember reading something a few years back about Manchester pride being sponsored by BAE systems who design and build fighter jets 🤣

The whole pride thing is completely alien to me and don't really get it at all.

One of my gay friends posted this the other day and to be honest I get his cynicism.

In Uganda. gay people can be executed

Rainbows over here yet they won't deal with countries like Afghanistan or China, it's the same with the environment.

The existence of trans people isn't homophobic.

In parts of the USA, Pride events have been cancelled due to the increased risk towards the LGBT community. Ron De Santis has increased hate towards the LGBT community and people are fleeing Florida for safe states.

Companies are being targeted such as Target and Kohls because they support Pride. They are being boycotted.

In Uganda. gay people can be executed. In many countries, being LGBT can end up with a lengthy jail sentence.

This is why Pride exists. To show people that LGBT people won't be cowed.

Out of curiosity, did you teach them about same SEX attraction, or the homophobic notion of same GENDER attraction?

Florida is irrelevant, it’s in another country, we don’t make the laws there, no matter how many flags we fly.

I hearted something on vinted and instead of going red it was a rainbow 🙄 what does that really achieve for anyone. I don't understand why we have a full month dedicated to sexual preferences- but generally it didn't used to bother me. I don't like it when companies get involved in virtue signalling as others have said

It should be a given but it isn't.

YANBU, its ridiculous. I can't understand the need to advertise that you support gay people, shouldn't that be a given in this day and age? What's ridiculous is it becomes an assumption that by not displaying a particular logo then you are not supporting a community of people, and can lead to external pressures, even bullying. Companies that use child labour, don't support fair trade, don't have equal gender pay, don't employ wheelchair users seem to tick an equality box by a rainbow on a website. Wrecks my head.

On another point, I don't like that this is the logo that LBTQ+ have chosen, I hate that a picture of rainbow by a child or whatever has become a socially loaded image. Why couldn't they just make up a logo?