Rainbow badges at work - upset

[whatishappening123]

I work in a sector with vulnerable young people. A few years ago, we made the decision as a company to wear as part of our uniform, a name tag with the rainbow on as part of pledging our support to LGBT+
We have all received new name badges and for the first time ever- an option has been provided to have a red coloured one instead of the rainbow if staff 'do not agree with LGBT+'
I have raised this with HR and union and been told that staff are now allowed to choose and that is their right.
I feel really upset by this - colleagues I have known for years are now deciding against the rainbow badge.
We work with the most vulnerable- who are often LGBT. Some of our service users have asked staff directly why they are not using them- and they have lied saying " They'd run out , or the pin on the rainbow ones are crap, some staff are hiding the red ones.
It's not a majority by any means - it's probably about 11 staff in a staff of 60.
I just feel really really upset by it, but I can't quite put my finger on why.
I also don't understand how people can be 'against' LGBT
It's a protected characteristic.

A name badge should just have your name. Badges showing allegiance with a cause should be chosen, and not part of a uniform. Otherwise they have no meaning.

Can’t they just have badges with your names on without all the virtue signalling? surely for your clients knowing who you are is as important, and for some more important, than wearing a rainbow , which as you have discovered doesn’t mean anything at all to a lot of people.

This was always going to go wrong, as no-one should've been compelled to wear one initially.

It's also highly unlikely the red badge
signifies- I do not support LGBT. I'm guessing it's just an alternative for all the different people im between or who stand nowhere on the matter.

Personally, I disagree with ANY affiliation lanyard/badge. If flags are now considered divisive then so are these.
I remember when they came out, it was 'voluntary' but now if you want a regular non affiliated one, you're a bigot.
But, of course, it's totally voluntary still.

This.
Mum of a gay young adult who wouldn't give a shit about a rainbow badge or lanyard and would probably choose a plain one themselves as they prefer plain. Wear it if you want to or don't. Choosing a red or plain badge doesn't equal anti LGBTQ.

Feel free to report

Long term poster- All true unfortunately

ALso it was truly said that if you weren't happy to support LGBT anymore, you could choose the red one

We work with the most vulnerable- who are often LGBT. Some of our service users have asked staff directly why they are not using them

I'd want a neutral option - so that young people LGBT+ or GC or whatever beliefs young people could feel happy to approach me in my workplace which is providing a service for them as vunerable young people.

However I'd happy state that it's a neutral option so I can provide the service to all vunerable people what ever their beliefs and my work contract probably requires - so surpised anyone would be lying about it TBH.

Yes it is

Why not just have a name badge with nothing else on it, apart from possible job ranking, this was how it had been done for decades before the rainbow/pronoun tantrum brigade took hold.

Yip. I’d take that one as I don’t support the T.

How can you be 'anti-lgbt' in the workplace without breaching the law?

Not wishing to wear a flag relating to people who are not heterosexual is not the same as being 'anti' any other sexualities?

Surely there are plenty of people who might not think that such things are relevant to the workplace if you treat everyone with the same respect.

Why should someone have to wear a badge declaring an allegiance to a cause?

I can’t believe people were made to wear an allyship badge in the workplace. I’d have sued them.

No it isn't. There are 9 protected characteristics and LGBT is not one of them. The EA 2010 says you cannot be discriminated against because of your sexual orientation.

When you say everyone agreed to wear rainbows originally do you mean there was a free, fair and anonymous vote of everyone who works there or was it a top down wear it or you’re a bigot #bekind decision?

hmm lots to think about here - I think the neutrality thing is a good point and maybe we shouldn't ever have had the rainbow ones

Hmm dunno . Doesn't feel right to me though

I assume not all your service users are lgbtq, what Badges or lanyards do you wear for say your disabled clients?

Frankly, I think it's ridiculous to have any symbol or whatever on a name badge. Totally performative, unnecessary and (as we see here) divisive.

You'd think hard-pressed health and social care organisations would have better things to spend money on.

Oh God - I wish we as a society would quit with this infantile badge-wearing.

I knew this would happen! For eg, I love animals (don’t eat meat) but would never wear a badge declaring my views. Why not? Because I assume everyone likes them. I’d rather we took a positive view of our fellow citizens and assumed they hold humane values rather than force people to declare it by wearing a badge.

I would not wear a badge for any cause however much I believe in it. It’s childish and mildly bullying.

So just to double check, whats the exact wording thats used to describe people using the badge? How is it described? Have they actually written down the exact words 'do not agree with LGBT+'?

Neutral should always have been the standard. Equal treatment should be a given.

Like others, I don't think this is anti. I think it's just the standard badge which is the only alternative to choosing to wear the rainbow one.

A few years ago, we had (technically optional) temporary rainbow lanyards at school to wear for pride month. I didn't want to wear one as I don't like what Pride or Stonewall do/stand for at times but I ended up feeling like I had to wear one or else I would feel like I looked specifically anti LGBT. So I can see why the red badge feels like an 'anti' badge but I'm sure it's not designed to be.

It is borderline bullying.

Its entirely possible to support the LGB part of the movement but the T part is possibly where the problem comes from where the trans community is asking you to accept something that is scientifically infactual.

This is almost as bad as our workplace requiring us to put our pronouns in our email signatures.

No, i'm not a he/Him, a she/her or a they/them... i'm a Me / Me

Christ. LGBT is not a protected characteristic. Gender reassignment is a PC. So is sexual orientation. But not ‘LGBT’.

I’m amazed that you have all been made to wear LGBT badges. Are all your clients LGBT? How do you think those who are not feel about the badges?

i think your company has made a sensible decision, after making a bad one.

political virtue signalling has no place at work. A name badge should be a name badge, not a place where you add your religion, sexual orientation, or any groups or causes you support.