AIBU to be so upset my child has to wear rainbow laces to play rugby?

[Rainbowlaceshelp]

Just as the title says.

My child came home today and says they have been given a set of rainbow laces for thier rugby boots for the game at the weekend. To show that they are inclusive.

I'm very very upset and angry that I am now being forced to confront this issue.

I have no objection to showing solidarity for gay and lesbian people. It is precisely for this reason I object to being strong armed into rainbow compliance by Stonewall who grow more homophobic by the day.

What can I do? Should I just get over it, conform and keep quiet? I don't want to make my child appear as though they 'hate the gays' when it's in fact the total opposite.

@Rainbowlaceshelp

Well if just laces then there's no issues with not wearing them then.

They're 12, they're too young to have an opinion on this which isn't coloured by my resistance to allowing them to be used as a political pawn by Stonewall.

Of course 12 isn't too young to have an opinion about it! Talk to your son

My DS is 12. I'd welcome the conversation with him and would support his decision either way.

I think the club should have the discussion that this is optional and no opinion will be made either way.

Your 12 year old doesn’t have an opinion!
Ok then

Yanbu I strongly oppose trans women in female sport and wouldn’t be re threading rugby boots with these.

My daughter shares the same opinion on Stonewall as I do. They don't want to wear them

There isn't a single out gay male rugby player in the UK that I know of.
Can't think off hand about current players but Gareth Thomas and Nigel Owens are very out.

Why do rugby players have to show support for pride, there are numerous other causes that could be supported. Do they have to buy new shoelaces every week for This Week's Cause (that wouldn't be very Eco).

So much ignorance on this thread. It’s quite shocking really.

Political (links to Stonewall) and coercive.

Of course YANBU to object. But of course you'll be labelled a bigot if you don't comply.

Talk to your son, se how they feel about it. Maybe they could show they are making their own choice by just lacing one boot with the rainbow laces.

No I do not think children should be forced into taking part in this. It needs to be optional.

I would go along with it the same as I went along with some small elements of Christian religion in my child’s school.

Pick your battles.

I think the anti gay stance in rugby is worse than stonewall and people don’t link the rainbow to them. If he doesn’t wear them he’ll look “anti gay”.

You’re just going to look homophobic.

Think of them as support for Greenpeace instead.

Yanbu. I’m fed up of Stonewall using schoolchildren to make political statements, they’re weirdly obsessed with children to the extent that it’s become creepy.

Schools are supposed to teach that homosexuality exists, but there’s a big difference between teaching about it, and celebrating/promoting it. We’ve now reached a point where schoolchildren are sometimes pressured into ‘coming out’ when they aren’t even gay, it’s ridiculous. I know three straight teenagers who had sexual gay relationships in their teens that they felt pressured into and later regretted. This is a real thing. In the words of one “I really wish I didn’t have those memories.”

And it isn’t inclusive if everyone has to wear them, and is probably discrimatory against certain religions. This isn’t about being inclusive, it’s very specifically about using schools to make statements in support of Stonewall and I can see why OP finds that distasteful.

@PermanentTemporary

There isn't a single out gay male rugby player in the UK that I know of. Rainbow Laces is a good campaign in itself. The daft sideshow about sex not being relevant in sport will die away in time and males who've transitioned will be accepted in the male teams, as they should be. Talk to your son about that.

Have you been living under a rock? Gareth Thomas the welsh rugby union player has been voted the most influential gay person in the uk and received stonewalls hero of the year award. Loads have come out now.

I wouldn’t like it either op. I’m bi but I wouldn’t like the fact that if my child didn’t wear them then they’d automatically be labelled homophobic

YaBU

Put them on 12 is old enough don't be such a knob about this

You will make him insecure about sexuality if you genuinely think a 12 year old going through puberty shouldn't have all sexual orientations normalised

They aren't making him take a hormone blocker ffs

I thought it was going to be a much bigger deal then what you've written

Can't believe this offends you

Hope he isn't gay for your sake because if he is he probably already knows

HTH

It’s not acceptable for youth organisations to force children to make political statements on their behalf, about any issue, no matter how worthy it might be.

I’m surprised at these responses and that the vote is as split as it is.

If the club wants to show its inclusive, I’m sure there’s other things they can do via their advertising or policies that don’t involve forcing children to wear a label.

If an organisation wants to encourage children to be supportive of the LBTQ+ movement, then they have to educate them on it properly first, and then provide an option of something their students can do to publicly show support if they want to. But I’m not sure its within the remit of a kids rugby club to do any of that.

I've no idea what Stonewall is, but I think you are being unreasonable. The rainbow flag and rainbow colors are just a symbol of gay pride and acceptance. I think it's a nice gesture. Maybe it should be optional, but I would look down on someone who didn't choose to participate.

I think giving the laces out and expecting everyone to wear them is wrong. Just as it would be wrong to expect everyone to wear a poppy or a badge supporting any other cause. There's nothing wrong with an individual deciding to buy and wear these things, and everything wrong with coercion. Regardless of what the cause is.

If you don't want to overtly take a stand on it (and I understand why) maybe 'forget' to switch the laces over?

What is stonewall? I'm going to look it up. Also the transgender and hormone things I have an issue with but not sexuality Jesus wept

I’m a lesbian and now, as pp say, I associate the “Pride rainbow” with anti-lesbian and coercive ideology, and have stopped wearing it or buying stuff with pride rainbows on in recent years. It triggers a feeling of deep unease in me now - definitely the opposite of a safe space or positive associations.

Nonetheless, I’d just let your son wear the laces - it’s really not worth him feeling uncomfortable with his teammates at that age. I wouldn’t make a point about it in that context.

Love how everyone assumes a rugby-playing child is a boy.....

They’re shoe laces. YABU

@FOJN

It's not really the laces or the message they endorse is it? It's that not wearing them would leave him open to accusations of being hateful. It's coercive which means it's possible that even the people who do wear them are not actually inclusive.

Yes, my thoughts exactly