Please don't put a rainbow in your window!

[RuffleCrow]

For the past few years the rainbow has sadly becomea symbol of silencing, sexual stereotyping and oppression for a lot of women and those in the LGB community. If you're thinking of putting one up, please think about how that may make women feel - many of whom have already experienced death threats and lost their friends and jobs thanks to those who wield the rainbow flag as a weapon.

I just saw two on my walk just now and it made me feel like shit. Not the intended effect I'm sure. Please consider something else: the sun coming out from a cloud, or a simple landscape. Thanks.

We've already explained it, it's not about transphobia, it's about rejecting gender completely. Of course it's possible for someone to be transphobic AND gender critical, but by definition, being gender critical doesn't mean being transphobic.

I've never seen the term outside MN, so I don't actually know whether it's a specifically MN term, but it seems synonymous with being transphobic. It's a polite way of saying I'm transphobic I think.

Red and yellow and pink and green ...
Purple and orange and bluuueeee
I can sing a rainbow 🌈
So can you .....

No idea why my previous comment was deleted as I thought in response to your OP it was pretty measured!

🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈

@RuffleCrow do you think being a mother gives you some kind of sanctified status which means it’s unhelpful to children for people to tell you you’re being ridiculous? How does that work? Does the well-being of children rely on everyone agreeing with you all the time?

Also I never claimed to be helping children but actually you’ve just reminded me that I haven’t put a rainbow in my window yet so I’m just going to do that right now. Thanks!

i had a rainbow tattoo done several years ago as i support LGBT and recently one of my ds has come out as gay.
op i'm another who doesn't undertand you either.

I find real rainbows fascinating. I remember my dad patiently explaining to us kids why there was the shadow above the bow, and why you sometimes got double ones - and why the order of colours is reversed, and how moonbows work.

They remind me of my dad.

Well rejecting gender completely is pure bunkum. As is transphobia, but there's a reason I avoid the loolahs on the Feminism board!

iheartislesofwight That's really lovely. What a supportive Mum you must be to him!! He's free to just be.

Okay, so you believe in gender as is your right. I was just explaining what it is, as per your request.

I've always thought that gender critical was self explanatory.

And you think you're 'helping' children by being unnecessarily rude to someone's mother do you

Do you think you’re helping children by being unnecessarily paranoid and focusing on your own agenda?

these nasty posts are proving it's not really intended as a symbol of 'hope' as far as they're concerned

Who's "they?" In the context of this thread? Do you mean the posters disagreeing with you? As they're (well I am anyway!) saying that the rainbow is certainly a symbol of hope, it's a symbol children and adults see and makes them smile.
Or do you mean they as in trans people? You're not very clear.

It's rapidly becoming a symbol of bullying and general unpleasantness on this thread
You have a hell of a lot of people disagreeing with you, but the majority are just saying their opinion and that's still allowed on here. (Obvs any personal attacks aren't )

I've been a mum long enough to have noticed a sudden change in emphasis a few years back.

And I've been a mum long enough (33 years) to remember that rainbows were on every cuddly toy and bit of baby equipment back when mine were small. Remember the Care Bears anyone?!

Oh just shhhhhhhhhhh, honestly.

I'm sorry petal that you are offended by children painting rainbows, perhaps you could stay inside and avoid such things.

Get over yourself. It isnt all about you.
The country is on the verge of lockdown and all you can do is whinge and whine about how you feel. Noone owns a rainbow. GROW UP FFS!!!!!!!

My daughter did a rainbow picture on her last day of Reception last week. At the bottom of it her teacher has written “We have put a rainbow in our window at this difficult time. This is to remind people that every storm is followed by a rainbow”.

Made me bloody cry! I’ll blame that on the pregnancy hormones . I think it’s a lovely, (and very innocent) idea.

Really? In my mind a rainbow has been adopted by a lot of people in support of homosexuality, certanily in Italy and arcobaleno is a symbol of support

Wtf is wrong with you OP. Since when has the rainbow been a ‘ symbol of silencing, sexual stereotyping and oppression for a lot of women and those in the LGB community’, it is THE symbol of the LGBT community but it’s also just a natural phenomenon and a commonly used thing. No one is using rainbows to oppress women... Normal women wouldn’t be upset about seeing a rainbow some kid has drawn in a window. Get a grip

I have no problem with disagreement @fuckoffcorona but the scadenfreude you and others are expressing at the prospect of putting up a symbol that you know at least one mother out there has said she finds distressing and unsettling is actually quite disturbing. It's quite clear from your post that you're not doing it as a symbol of 'hope' at all. I'm glad posters are showing their true colours though. No pun intended.

They remind me of my dad

Thats so lovely its funny what little things you remember as an adult from your childhood.

Hopefully the OP sees now that rainbows mean so much more than just her singular belief.

Surely OP if you get rid of the rainbows by your own admission you are letting those people who you think have monopolised them, win.

Why not join in and make them a symbol of somethings better and brighter instead of spoiling something which is bringing so many joy??

'Normal women' eh @Curiositykilledthecat113 - can you hold your Misogyny Handbook a little higher for the posters in the back? I'm not sure they can quite see.

I can't do this anymore, what's wrong with just being a good person ? I think I'm going with the advice from my p7 teacher, forty years ago. Its not important who or what you are as long as you're kind and mindful of others. I mean rainbows oppressive, really ? There seems to be a leak in that bag of marbles. If you don't deny sexuality variations, you can't deny gender variations. It's biology that we just haven't quite found out how it works yet. And rainbows have nothing to do with it.

Jesus fucking Christ. Children are enjoying something in a time that must be so confusing for them,

Fuck off with your snow flake tendencies. If you really have a problem attack the other adults sticking a fucking rainbow everywhere, demanding everyone prioritises them. It is those people you have an issue with. So take your fight to them rather than trying to steal small children’s joy.

You can’t trademark a naturally occurring refraction of light.

If one god thing could come out of this situation is people get their priorities right and stop coming up with this sort of shit.

It's kind of funny that the GC feminists are constantly saying "mumsnet protects our freedom of speech, we're just telling it like it is, if you think we're breaking rules, report the post", etc. but as soon as someone says you're stupid for getting upset about kids painting rainbows, you're up in arms about "bullying" and "nastiness".

Yep have just checked wikipedia, the Rainbow flag symbol of Gay Pride is a sign of solidarity and support for LGBt, how does that become a symbol of silencing, sexual stereotyping and opression of women? Please explain