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.

My rule of thumb is that the more letters there are in the acronym, the more likely it is to be anti-lesbian. Or rather anti the Wrong Kind of Lesbian who believes in sex rather than gender.

There are many, many atheist teachers who choose to work at faith schools.

Using women’s spaces wasn’t in the OP. I was replying to someone up thread who said LGBT isn’t a protected characteristic which is wrong. Then to multiple other people who said T isn’t a protected characteristic which is also wrong. Equality Act 2010.

Highly unlikely your company has said Red is if you don’t agree with it, more like tYou have a choice to have a rainbow or have red.

at my work I alternate between rainbow and black (only 2 choices we have and we have to wear one)

The claim was that it was a protected characteristic. It is not. All people are protected by the PC of sexual orientation. Not all people claiming to be “transgender” are protected under “gender reassignment”. They are two discrete characteristics and there are conflicts of interest. Read @EmpressaurusKittyposts.

That just feels wrong to me. How can you tell children things you just don’t believe?

No-one bats an eyelid when a crucifix is banned because it may upset some people but it's hardly surprising though.

Wild that this upsets you.

No, you are wrong. The protected characteristics are sexual orientation and gender reassignment.

I agree with you. I feel we should be politically neutral at work. I remember the whole 'take a knee'. I disagree with racial injustice and police brutality but I do not believe in invoking politics at work. What happens when the political pendulum swings the other way?

I don't know, but a lot of people seem to be telling children they can choose whether to be a boy or a girl.

Why do they need a rainbow in the first place it’s all about labels people who are straight don’t have a set colour the whole lgbqt is just a statement people should not have to highlight what they are so it should be neutral always. Why does it upset you it should be more about the vulnerable people you are dealing with not highlighting what sexual preferences they have.

Surely the rainbow is soooo last century as far as virtue signalling goes. Shouldn't you all be wearing the colours of the Palestinian flag now

They probably use cautious phrasing when mentioning such topics. "(X) Religious group believe..."

Agree with neutral being the default. There is a heterosexual flag. It is black and white striped.

And neither can they demand you have to pretend to think their religion is real.

Men are free to think they’re women.

They just can’t force the rest of us to play along.

Personally I see value in religious beliefs (to a degree), without having faith.

I taught Wuthering Heights as grad student. I think it's an awful book personally, but I get that others see value in it and I'm able to communicate that students. Does t seem much different.

Yes but “being LGBT” isn’t a protected characteristic, and being transgender isn’t a sexual orientation. There isn’t any additional protections for being lesbian, gay, or bi as all sexualities (including heterosexuality) are covered by the sexual orientation protected characteristics.

Gender reassignment is a separate protected characteristic.

So no, there is no LGBT protected characteristic.

Yeh I do too, she’s probably omitted to say that the company’s branding is red and that the red badge is actually neutral.

No, I probably wouldn't if it was me. Id imagine it would make things a bit messy in reality. If I was supporting it, I would probably include it somewhere beside my company logo or stick it on the window or something. And yes, LGBT+'s fight does need to be within reason I guess. To live their own life in the way they want while accepting others beliefs on it

I think the op implied in a later post that that was how it was communicated off the record. I can believe that, but I think it’s creating a hostile environment.

Hell would freeze over before I wore some stonewall enforced anti woman badge. By wearing that badge you are signalling to many women you will put a man’s need before hers. If she was raped and wanted to be examined by and talk to a woman and a man wanted to identify as a woman to examine and talk to the rape victim you would support the man. If a vulnerable young girl wanted to get changed in a female changing room and a boy who identified as a girl wanted to strip naked next to her you would shame the girl and support the boy.

The message behind that badge is brain washing kids who feel different to take drugs and ultimately to have irreversible surgery.

Give me one of the people wearing the red badge

I’m sure you don’t realise what that rainbow badge says to many people but it’s not a “safe space” for an ever increasing number of people.

Such divisive badges, one which promotes an ideology should not be worn in the workplace. A person in a position of trust should not be allowed to display their philosophical beliefs live this to young people they can easily influence.it is exclusionary. Every person you are working with should feel you’re a safe space

The red isn't anti, is it?! I wouldn't want to wear the rainbow lanyard in case people think I am gay, as it's against my religion. Don't forget many people take jobs just for the money. Not everyone is behind the cause of an organisation/charity. I actually think staff wearing the red lanyards are being discriminated against, for choosing not to wear the rainbow ones. Leave them alone, if they want to wear them then they will. It doesn't mean they hate LGBQT+

Lmao rattled.

Incidentally, thinking trans people have a right to exist without being harassed by a bunch of bigoted horrors (whose children probably secretly hate them) isn't being an 'activist' - it's just respecting people's rights

If OPs colleagues don't respect their service users they should have show some integrity and leave.

They won't though, because they like punching down too much

No one here thinks anyone 'doesn't have a right to exist'.

They just don't think men can become women.

Now, can you drop all the silly hyperbole and have a reasonable discussion?