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.

When you’re at work, as a colleague, why should anyone care. Other than companies dealing with any harassment/discrimiation resulting from anyone’s sexuality or gender and making sure sex based spaces are provided, all this navel gazing about gender and sexuality whilst at work needs to stop. People need to get on with their fucking job, not sit around needing their asexuality or whatever acknowledged. 🤯

I literally linked to an article explaining how asexual people experience discrimination. If you can't be bothered to read it, that's on you 🙏

I'd imagine most asexual people simply want to avoid intrusive questions about their personal lives tbh
(I'm not asexual)

How would people know about your asexuality?
Excuse my ignorance of course but does it make you look more masculine/feminine? Camp? Butch?
Is there anything that could physically identify you as asexual?
Would you be seen in the streets without a partner?
How would your colleagues and onlookers know about your asexuality in order to discriminate against you for it?

I assume you don't know any teenagers...?!

You don’t think there are any children objecting to the idea that girls have to behave and dress in certain ways or only have certain interests? And boys ditto? I was certainly critical of gender when I was a child and told my brother could do things I couldn’t because he was a boy.

That is something lots of people experience regardless of sexuality or gender. I reported it and it was dealt with as harassment. I’ve acknowledged that employers should deal with harassment and discrimination, but some people just want to be particularly ‘seen’ at work because of their sexuality or gender. Most people just don’t care about who you do or don’t have sex with or how you present gender wise at work (other than using sex based spaces), they just want to do their job.

Of course, but that isn't the same as thinking Forstater and Cunningham are deserving of respect

Maybe you shouldn't make assumptions 🙏😔

Naomi Cunningham is a very skilled and successful barrister and Maya Forstater stood up to workplace harassment. Why shouldn’t they be respected? And what has respect for them got to do with being critical of the concept of gender and of how that concept oppresses women?

I would decline to wear such a badge.

I fully support LGB but not the T or other letters getting tagged on to this as I am gender critical. I don't do pronouns either.

I would object to being classed as anti-LGB for declining to wear a badge.

Why does a red badge have to mean that there is no agreement with it. Why can’t red flag just be that you don’t want to wear a rainbow?

You can read whatever you like into my tone.

The fact is that asexuality is not covered by the Equality Act.

Then you shouldn't make such silly statements that children aren't GC and are talking about "more exciting" things. They don't have to be "stanning" people to be talking about it and being concerned. It's a natural assumption to think you can't possibly know any teenagers, since they definitely ARE talking about such matters, despite your howling at the thought!

Nope. Wrong characterisation of my thoughts. Read my updates.

Read my updates

Yep they record a self ID "gender" but now due the publicity around the Fife ET they changed their policy and transfer any fitness to pratice (etc) history over to the new name and new reg number so baby steps.

Crumbs

Did you or did you not go to the union and HR about this?

OP I am glad I am not asked to wear an LGBT+ badge. Going down the T route has ruined a close relative's life and I would hate to think I was encouraging this ideology or even just accepting of it in front of vulnerable impressionable young people.

LGB is fine but I would have to admit I am not an ally of the T or the nebulous "+".

When you don't fully understand what the T means and just accept it because you assume it's all good and by being accepting you are a good person for being so inclusive, you end up supporting a cult that ruins lives.

No exaggeration. My relative was one life ruined and there are many more. I am not "against LGBT+" I am against "T+". Do look into what the T+ entails.

Again, rainbow badges are political. Have been for some time. It is abusive and coercive for any boss to force employees to kowtow to their political posturing. High time this bollocks stopped and it's fabulous these employers are ditching this nonsense.

As for the "asexual" person I skimmed past earlier - literally nobody cares. Nobody. Not at all. Nobody gives a rat's arse that you don't fancy a shag. Your shagless state is of no interest, or importance at all to anybody except you and - maybe - your nearest and dearest.

Everyone exists. Nobody is even remotely suggesting you don't exist.

And this goes for everyone - just get on with your life and stop expecting anyone to give a single shit what you do, don't do, or want to do with your sex organs, unless it directly affects them or you're in some way really close to them.

For the love of God, leave your whole self at home and just get on with your job. The entire universe thanks you for your understanding in this matter.

Very interesting this thread. I had a very simple reaction to it and yes, I was definitely upset by it. I wouldn't say my mind has been changed but I've definitely been given more to think about in the grey areas.

@Ereshkigalangcleg

Not necessarily. Some, maybe, but I'm religious and believe in more gods than most other religious people in this country. (I'm a polytheist who believe that all gods and goddesses exist.) So Christians, and adherents of other monotheist faiths, don't believe in the existence of the vast majority of deities I believe in.

Personally, it's not upsetting to me at all that people either A - don't believe in any deities at all or B - only believe in their particular one and not the others. I totally understand in both examples why people wouldn't believe.

Nobody is going to tell me to wear a badge. Companies can’t impose beliefs, religion, groups you support etc on staff.

Would you be happy if your company required you to wear a badge that declared “Jesus is Lord!” on the basis that it is inclusive of young Christian people who would then know that they were in a ‘safe space’? If you stated you would rather wear a plain badge, do you think it would be reasonable for your colleague to complain to HR about you?