What do you think about the rainbow flag?

. the rainbow flag Is much more than you are reducing it to - so fuck off.

I also find this comment interesting:

The rainbow flag does not represent straight people so I feel it is incredibly arrogant of straight people to come on here and moan about it not centring their feelings.

Oddly enough, some of us women feel exactly the same way about some men who refuse to countenance the flying of a flag, or a billboard or a T-shirt bearing the factual statement that a woman is an adult human female. Yet somehow, those men are able to get the billboard and the flags removed. The T-shirts they can do nothing about other than physically assaulting the women who wear them to get them removed.

Tell you what, Wotcha, I'll support Posie's "women - adult human female" lanyard - how do you think that'll go down? You think all the doctors will be wearing them? Harrop? Will he support a lanyard for women?

I would really just like my existing legal rights to single sex spaces including medical wards to be respected. Is there a lanyard for ‘we obey the law of the land and won’t override your existing rights on the basis of Stonewall’s dishonest lobbying’ ?

The Pride flag symbolises values which are unlikely to be sympathetic to a religious POV

OK, you mean like being gay/trans?
Can see that might not be compatible with your religion.
Still not clear how when you see a rainbow lanyard that means they're likely to push hormonal contraception on you?

The Pride flag symbolises values which are unlikely to be sympathetic to a religious POV. That matters and not just for Catholics.

So what the Rainbow symbolism, via flags, badges, lanyards etc says to me is that it's a political message that is absolutely anti-women.

My feelings too.

Because I don't have as much money as Stonewall or Mermaids, Wotcha.

so perhaps they can have a flag and lanyard worn by NHS workers too

Why not, go campaign for one?

The rainbow flag generally means they have been trained by the likes of Stonewall who seek to remove safeguarding and present a false version of the law that rides roughshod over the rights of others.

I'm inclined to agree Aesop. The Rainbow flag represents Stonewall's values and, given that Stonewall actively campaigned to have the Single Sex Exceptions removed from the Equality Act 2010, those values are without doubt anti-women.

So what the Rainbow symbolism, via flags, badges, lanyards etc says to me is that it's a political message that is absolutely anti-women.

Despite the narrative that trans people are the oppressed people ever - I happen to disagree - I think the disabled, elderly and the very poor are probably the most disadvantaged in society, and are much failed by the welfare state - so perhaps they can have a flag and lanyard worn by NHS workers too? I mean, it's not so corporately attractive to Starbucks or Barclays, or whoever, but they are also, like biological women, are a protected characteristic, so maybe the NHS can wear 3 or 4 lanyards?

When I see the rainbow flag together with public displays of pup play fetishes, and no one condemning the association between the two, I assume the rainbow flag represents a lack of understanding of the safeguarding of children, and their right not to be exposed to sexualised adult material.

centreing the rights of elderly and children in places like schools and hospitals is bonkers?

No, nobody's said that at all. Of course centring rights of elderly and children is important too.
Just that it's bonkers to think that by a rainbow flag flying at places like that means elderly and children's rights are automatically affected or deemed not as important.
(Well, that's my take on it anyway, not speaking for anyone else)

The rainbow flag doesn't magically take away caring for other vulnerable groups

The rainbow flag generally means they have been trained by the likes of Stonewall who seek to remove safeguarding and present a false version of the law that rides roughshod over the rights of others.

I still like the flag (mostly because I love rainbows xD) but I don't liek what it stands for anymore so I choose to see it as just another awesome stripey pattern on material :)

centreing the rights of elderly and children in places like schools and hospitals is bonkers?

No they were cross that flying the rainbow flag indicates that the organisation does not centre vulnerable groups like children and the elderly.
OK, but just because they're flying a rainbow flag, why does that mean that they suddenly don't centre or bother about children and the elderly?
Is there even a flag for the elderly and a flag for children too?
The rainbow flag doesn't magically take away caring for other vulnerable groups, you know.
It's not like "we support LGBT so anyone else can all bog off"
The support will still be there for all, rainbow flag or not.

No they were cross that flying the rainbow flag indicates that the organisation does not centre vulnerable groups like children and the elderly.

Yep. Still bonkers!

And besides the fact that many lesbian and bisexual women have agreed, on the whole, with the OP - the LGBT movement - hugely influenced by the T is now threatening the rights of all women - threatens the very definition of women - so all women have a say now, and have a right to say males cannot be women. We have sex based rights written into legislation that is being threatened by the re-writing of the GRA. We have a say too.

As I said before, straight males i.e. the current group of transwomen, are front and centre of what the rainbow flag currently represents, so I don’t see why other straight people can’t comment on it [shrug].

My personal favourite is the poster who was cross the rainbow flag didn't centre children and the elderly

Talking about misquoting! No they were cross that flying the rainbow flag indicates that the organisation does not centre vulnerable groups like children and the elderly.

I suspect Sappho may define lesbian differently to many FWR women. Which may explain why they have a different take on rainbows.

No, they're not. Many many lesbians and bisexuals are on here

No doubt there is, but there's definitely been several posters saying they're straight and one even rainbow can go fuck itself, and other saying they're straight and the rainbow doesn't represent them (erm.... no s**t Sherlock as the saying goes?)

What Aesopfable said up thread. Not a lesbian and slightly confused about how this thread has gone - I had to double check that it was still the thread about the flag and I hadn't accidentally clicked through to another thread. I saw a rainbow badge on sale in the Scout shop a few months ago and I forced myself to buy one because I do want to celebrate diversity and promote it to the kids and it's hideous that a symbol of positivity and love has changed its meaning for me to something sinister, and I wanted to stamp my feelings down - but I've never worn it.

And a lot of posts are full of lies, misquotes and misrepresentations

These were actually said though, as anyone actually reading the thread can see?

My personal favourite is the poster who was cross the rainbow flag didn't centre children and the elderly
Still wondering where the elderly and children come under the flag, I thought maybe there should be another colour or part, one for the elderly gay people and another for gay children so they're all centred better?
Closely followed by the recent poster claiming her GP wearing a rainbow lanyard = GP likely to push the contraceptive pill on her
Not entirely sure how a doctor wearing a rainbow lanyard means that either, I hope they come back and clarify as it's not very clear