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.

I simply love reading incredibly normal posts on Mumsnet

I am afraid Catching is right, many unions have completely embraced the T and will not defend women fighting for their rights to single sex spaces at work.

I agree. I was just pointing it out as the post encompassed a bunch of sexualities without considering there are people who have no interest in such things at all.

You're so incorrect but you do you.

I don't sit around needing it acknowledged. In fact I agreed I would be one to wear the plain badge/lanyard rather than the rainbow one. I was simply pointing out Asexuals exist too as well as all these other orientations there are people who simply don't care, which is what Asexuals are. Noticed how there's no Asexual pride week/month? We don't generally proclaim it from the rooftops but like to lead quiet lives

@whatishappening123

OMG you are so myopic. Ask young black / brown people how "accepted" they feel in this country at the moment. FGS. We don't get any badges either.

This is a good point. Imagine if people put the England flag on their badges or any other flag for that matter. It might make such demographics feel alienated/rejected.

Or else we can all wear 15 to 20 badges each just so everyone knows exactly what we think about everything. In WORK!!!

If you read my updates you will see that I am taking all this in and adjusting or considering my views

Have you met a tween or a teen recently?
There are massive amounts of children who 100% have more boring things to think about while they work out who they are.

Most see the "T" and all the bullying and drama lama which applies and do a sharp Uturn as they could not be bothered with the whole meMeME while trying to sort out their own lives

If the person is in their friend group its like that drunk friend who was funny and fun to hang out with but now every night out ends up with drunk attempt to pick a fight with a lamppost and you spending ages trying to find a taxi who will risk pukey back seat. It just becomes way too much work.

And neither sex want to end up sharing changing rooms or sporting awards

I’m going to make an entire dress out of different coloured name badges to wear for work.

@whatishappening123

No, you are constantly arguing back and calling anyone who challenges you on your views "histrionic".

A culture of respect and equal treatment is much more important than token badges. The rainbow has become so politicised that many organisations are backing away from using it which could well have the effect you are concerned about even though the people your service users are dealing with won't have changed.

Unfortunately you seemed to have concluded that your colleagues who have chosen not to wear a rainbow badge are anti LGBT rather than they have chosen not to participate in performative allyship. Some of your service users may reach the same conclusion because they have been told that anything less than obvious visual or vocal support means they are hated which is not true. Making an enforced badge the symbol of someone you can trust has always struck me as being a bit cruel.

Comparing trans people to annoying drunks is a bit weird tbh

(Also teenagers simply love drama)

If terfs really cared about teenage girls they'd be campaigning against communal changing in schools - I didn't want to change in front of anyone, and this was pre-smartphones

But one of the biggest unions in the country was run by a terf (PCS, Mark Serwotka). It's just not true at all.

We’ll decide our own priorities, thanks, @Catssuddenlyappear- I am fine in genuinely single sex facilities. What I don’t want is creepy men (regardless of claimed gender identity) invading them, like most women and girls.

He’s a man, dear, not a radical feminist. He isn’t the keeper of his wife and she isn’t his keeper either.

I was being facetious. I do just get on with it. I just didn't like the poster mentioned all the sexualities they could think of without considering there are people who exist who aren't interested in any of that.

Again, let it be seen that genderists don’t have any arguments as to why men are women on their say so, just insults and bluster.

Currently being taken to court for discriminating against GC belief.

What your company and staff have done is created an illusion of a safe place.

You and your organisation did not go with no matter what your issue is we will do our very best to provide support and a solution which meet your personal needs.

A girl should not have to pretend that she is ok with a boy saying he is a girl when she sees and understands that he is a boy.

When your organisation set that ^ culture as your benchmark.

You are saying to the girl that you will lie to her faces and expect her to believe you and trust you.

The boy also knows that you are lying.

Most children can understand that telling lies means the other person is not a trust worthy individual so your safe space aim fails.

Worse the child who is extra vulnerable to minipulation is being taught by the adult that that it is socially acceptable to be minipulated in that way and a normal thing for adults to do so you put them in a position of further harm.

That was a lot of posts for someone who doesn’t need it to be made about them.

Institutional capture is why you have a male doctor in the NHS under oath claim not to understand the concept of biological sex, and say that he is a “biological woman” and his NHS employers pander to him and chuck over 300k public money down the drain (to date, before appeals and eventual damages because they are very much in the wrong). Institutional capture is why a group of nurses this month are taking their Trust to court because they wouldn’t put up with a man allegedly bullying them via his “trans” identity and the Trust pandering to him to the extent that against one of their wishes he was going to be allowed in during her gynae surgery.

Yes. They all will be.

This.