What do you think about the rainbow flag?

BovaryX Eh? The comparison with the rainbow flag and the Nazi flag is in the OP. And yes that is incredibly offensive.

'Shuddering' at the sight of a flag that symbolises gay pride, gay equality and peace is absolutely homophobic.

I'm the same as many here. Used to love seeing it, even though I'm straight, I have gay and lesbian friends and it made me happy to think the world was an easier, more welcoming place for them.

Now it's practically a fear reaction. It's been hijacked by people who hate me because I won't say that a man is a woman.

This thread is horribly homophobic.
Sapphos
Nope. It isn't. Back that baseless accusation up with examples. Tossing around baseless insults is tedious. By the way? I find your completely redundant reference to the Nazi flag incredibly offensive Learn some history before tossing out fallacious and irrelevant comparisons.

I'm with you OP.

I'm also bisexual and until about four years ago i loved to see the rainbow flag flying. It made me feel accepted.

Not. Any. More.

I'm sorry to say but I now assume any organisation flying the flag has a strong undercurrent of misogyny at best and a culture of 'inclusion' towards violent and sexual criminals at worst.

It also makes me shudder. LGB people need our own flag.

This thread is horribly homophobic.

FYI op and others the trans flag is completely different to the rainbow flag. Google it.

The rainbow flag primarily represents gay pride.

Shows how willing people are to throw lesbians and bisexual women under a bus .

As a lesbian the rainbow flag is very important to me and my community.

Does anyone else get a shudder when they see a rainbow flag outside a venue? Harry the Owl compared it to a Nazi flag and I'm inclined to agree.

Seriously WTF? A symbol of gay pride and gay equality is comparable to a Nazi flag.

I think it has become synonymous with #no debate, cancel culture, compelled speech and regressive sex stereotypes. It has become synonymous with a sustained attack on freedom of speech. It has become synonymous with zealotry and authoritarianism. If its proponents can't see why this is a problem? So be it. It is unsurprising that the LGB component have split from this intolerant lobby group.

Oh goddess, the one with the trans colours literally barging in? Symbolism much. Oh and adding black & brown because apparently the LGB rainbow is whites only
Well, not seen that one. Agree about the 'barging in' comment. The pink and light blue for trans is just so stereotyped anyway.

And I'll admit the black and brown confused me because I'm more used to seeing brown and black as in the bear pride stuff..........A quick google ends up with far too many flags, which is frankly totally missing the point, surely! The idea of a rainbow flag was all colours. Except now some colours are more equal than others. And the pup pride version of the leather pride colours is frankly worrying. At least with leather pride it was generally acknowledged that a young man in leather chaps and a jock-strap:

a) Might get cold!
b) Was not intended to be suitable for children.

Whereas pup-pride seems to have no such restraint (no leash jokes please!).

Nope, once the T got added to the LGB, that was a step too far, there actually isn't common ground between them, and now that the rainbow has become everything and anything apart from boring (i.e. those without blue hair or interesting genders) heterosexuals.............

It usually signifies rainbow washing now. In the way companies or dodgy individuals used to sponsor sporting events to ‘sports wash’ themselves with respectability, now they slap the rainbow on and ‘rainbow wash’ themselves with that instead. Bonus - it’s free and doesn’t cost money like buying a football team does.

I do think it’s self excluding and authoritarian. Like the absence means you’re homophobic...

And then the MRA/TRA stuff and honestly - it’s tainted

”It's the TRA flag now. Avoid at all costs.
It is sad though, considering that it used to be a signal that this was a 'safe space', it now means baseball bats, 'I punch terfs' t-shirts, and misogyny.“

Spot on, @Catting.

Actual Rainbows not not rainbowey enough. Visible spectrum is exclusionary of infras, ultras, x-rays, y-rays and z-rays.

etc

Oh goddess, the one with the trans colours literally barging in? Symbolism much. Oh and adding black & brown because apparently the LGB rainbow is whites only

Exactly!!

I'm nominally straight (I'm attracted very strongly to some women but have never had a relationship or sexual encounter with another woman and unlikely to now, therefore I feel a bit uncomfortable saying 'hell yes, I'm bisexual!' It feels a bit like sexuality tourism for me to say that.) but for as long as I could remember I'd been a supporter of gay and lesbian rights. I used to love seeing rainbow flags hanging from pubs, clubs, student buildings... It gave me hope, made me feel that things were moving in the right direction, and made me happy.

Now they're everywhere and signify nothing. Just wokey corporate virtue-signalling, and promotion of TRA agendas. If anything, I find the badges, lanyards and corporate decals even worse. I saw someone wearing a rainbow NHS badge on the news last night. Why? WHY?? Who is that going to help? Who did he think he was representing?

Now I understand that Pride has been hijacked by the militant trans lobby, I would never spend money on anything that had a rainbow on it, or the Pride colours, it’s a right turn off. I’m also very dubious when I see it anywhere near children as it’s indoctrination.

FAR WORSE, however, is that horrid redesign with the little triangle.
Oh goddess, the one with the trans colours literally barging in? Symbolism much. Oh and adding black & brown because apparently the LGB rainbow is whites only

I love rainbows, I love colour, I have bright coloured tattoos and clothing and hair. Including a tattoo of a rainbow which has personal/family symbolism to me, nothing to do with sexuality. As a young bisexual out and about, trying out different personas & finding ‘myself’, the rainbow flag in pubs and clubs as a student meant everyone welcome, no judgement, you’re safe to be yourself here, you’ll find others like you. Now it means to me - stay away women, your boundaries will not be respected, no other beliefs will be accepted here and women’s safety will be sacrificed on the alter of genderfeelz. It feels sinister, oppressive and coercive. It’s heartbreaking.

I still love rainbows and colour. Just not as a political symbol or opportunistic corporate bandwagon jumping.

It's a bit like the poppy, which went through a dodgy phase when it was being used to justify nuclear weapons and oppose peace campaigners, who responded with their own white poppy and were called names for so doing.

It all changed after Iraq when the Legion saw the need to disocciate themselves from the govt and its policies and emphasise that supporting the old soldiers in no way supported war. Then it became compulsory. The usual papers howled when BBC newsreaders weren't wearing poppies in July, and so wardrobe got on it and stuck one on everyone before they got in front of a camera.

Football joined in and started putting it on shirts, with just two dissenters to date, one Serb and one Irish player who still gets stick for it.

Now football has rainbow laces, with no one dissenting so far.

Hate it for all the above reasons and also because it is so childish.

I just find it exasperating to see it everywhere, like reminders of a cult I don't belong to, but which is slowly encroaching on my life. Actually it's not so much the rainbow flag I feel that way about, more the trans flag.

Generally, I love rainbows. They're beautiful. I used to think the flag was wonderful, though for a long time I did have a gut reaction to it, as it symbolised something 'forbidden' to me when I was figuring out my own same-sex attraction. This is still not really okay in my family, they'd prefer I "keep my options open" to men. Now, I have an emotional response when I see the rainbow flag for different reasons. I figure that I won't be welcome. I see it as a symbol of intimidation. Because I don't want to "keep my options open" to men, however they identify. It's come full circle for me, in a weird way.

FAR WORSE, however, is that horrid redesign with the little triangle. I really don't know who thought that would be visually appealing.

Me too, bisexual, and can't stand the stupid rainbow flag. Especially around Pride time when it's splattered all over every shop in the high street.
It's always irritated me when people bang on endlessly about being gay anyway, as though it's the most relevant thing about them.

The rainbow has become so used, by businesses who don't actually give a shit, just rainbow lanyards, and all the straight folks desperately trying to be 'inclusive'. Which seems to mean a lesbian with her wife being asked, as some sort of check, if we're both female (cos we both look a bit butch!). Whereas in the past, too butch laydees, no need to ask, totally obvious, and we just carried on.

If shown by a 'gay' business, you know straight away you'll probably see a 'no terfs here' sign just below..............

So, back to symbols and signals, Get the L out, and lets get back to women-only, even if it means we have to go back underground.

I agree, used to be positive but now it feels like certain people want to exclude themselves or accuse straight people of not understanding. Or as a straight person going in there they would not be welcomed?.
I didn't like it when I saw the red poppy was also changed to a rainbow poppy. Found it very disrespectful. Can't we just mourn the loss of the people who died and celebrate them being heroes without it being about sexuality?
When my sister come out as gay (apart from my mum) all of us were really supportive and couldn't give a shit as long as she was happy, and from the moment she come out she really shined bright bless her.
But..
She stopped seeing the family for years to surround herself with people 'like her, or understand her ' and in the end I had to say to her that she was discriminating against herself and creating an issue when there wasnt one. Now shes a lot more comfortable with herself

I used to love seeing the rainbow flag. My heart would do a little leap whenever I saw it displayed anywhere. Now I just see it as a warning to stay away.

It’s not that I think I’m going to get grief in anywhere that displays it necessarily, as most people don’t yet know the lesbophobia and misogyny associated with it. It’s just that I don’t know where or when I might get grief, or if I’m going to be bombarded with TWAW woke authoritarianism, and the thought that I might makes me on edge. I also feel uncomfortable and out of place anywhere that subscribes to the whole glittery rainbow ethos.

All I ever wanted as a lesbian was to live my life quietly, attracting no more attention than anyone else. The whole rainbow washing of society makes me feel more conspicuous and singled out than ever.

Thank you for posting this OP. I thought it was just me and my Dad who felt like this! I steer well clear of places that show that flag, I too have an immediate negative reaction. The flag symbolises institutional capture/ignorance in my view. I cannot believe how this agenda is being pushed so hard at the expense of women and children. There is one in our Primary school which makes me rage!

It's the TRA flag now. Avoid at all costs.

It is sad though, considering that it used to be a signal that this was a 'safe space', it now means baseball bats, 'I punch terfs' t-shirts, and misogyny.

It feels authoritarian and I feel threatened and that I won’t be treated fairly. That a select group have appointed themselves as judge, jury and executioner to the rest of us and anyone who is not in the ‘in’ group (transgender) must be subordinate.

If flown/sported by the nhs I worry my desires for same sex staff, single sex wards or myself and my daughters, will be ignored and that our needs and safety will be placed second the feelings and sexual fetishes of men.

If displayed by schools I worry that my child is being indoctrinated by a political lobby group that reinforces gender stereotypes and encourage harmful treatment of children.

If displayed by the police I feel unsafe and wonder how it is that stonewall gets to dictate policing matters

When displayed by Parliament I wonder who is in charge.

Yes it is increasingly like a Nazi swasticker