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.

It's very simple. Nobody should be wearing a label at work to say 'this is who I am'.

The only label should be a name and that's it.

Personally think that a standard name badge should be offered and then if people want to add the rainbow then it’s up to them. No one should have to wear one if they don’t want to.

I personally don’t like the whole coloured rainbow thing and would not want to wear it on my uniform and that’s not because I don’t support them, it’s my personal preference.

I think political symbols should not be part of the workplace.

Trans is not a protected characteristic.

I dont understand this post. ????

And my gay friends don’t feel that Pride reflects their lives or experience. It’s ridiculous grouping people together as a homogeneous ‘clump’ just because of their sexuality.

Gay people are surely people, individuals, first and foremost.

Ya, I do actually. I do think how you feel should always be respected. It mightnt always be able to be accommodated where you are or who you are with or even at that time. Also, how you express it needs to be within reason too but no one should be telling you that you shouldn't or can't feel a certain way

I also don't understand how people can be 'against' LGBT

Have you never met a homophobe before?

The reason you needed to wear rainbow pins in the first place is because of homophobia.

Here in the NHS where I work we are not allowed to express any personal beliefs or thoughts especially political or religious.
Those type of beliefs are only to be expressed in our own time out of work.
Therefore we don't wear any badges that denote support to anyone else or pronouns on emails (although some ignore this).
You can't have one rule and make exceptions for others.
Therefore I wear no badges.
Outside of work I support lesbian and gay people but I don't need to pledge my allegiance to anything in work.I think its wrong anyway, you are always going to offend somebody who will bend your ear for the entire appointment.

Sounds as though all the badges should be plain to avoid any kind of awkwardness or misunderstanding

See I see it as a lot more complicated.

I do support gay rights - however I don’t agree with a lot of the trans ideology - I d not believe their delusion trumps my rights as a woman - but that’s a separate debate.

however, in any event I would not wear this type of badge at work even if I was pro trans - it’s virtue signalling nonsense

I am 100% willing to bet that something has got lost in the telling here. No-one (unless perhaps, you work in Ian Paisley Juniors private office) is giving staff anti-LGBT badges.

So you would be happy with your company having GC badges alongside rainbow ones then?

I hope you tell LBGT+ people that how they express that needs to be within reason too and that it mightn’t always be able to be accommodated where they are and who they are with.

Rainbow pins are homophobic.

I think a name badge should just serve the purpose of being a name badge. No need to politicize it. If you personally want to show support to any group of people via a badge, then just wear a separate badge.
I feel similarly about poppies. Just because someone isn’t wearing a poppy does not mean that they don’t acknowledge the sacrifice made by service men and women, it just means they are not wearing a poppy.

Tell that to the gays

I don’t believe the red one is anti anything.

You know you can not want to active align yourself with something with being anti.

It’s this black and white thinking that is so harmful.

OP you need to open your mind somewhat.

struggling to believe that this is really happening

Do you not realise this is literally happening? Lesbian events are being picketed or forced to cancel because they (rightly) do not want biological men to attend! They are being told they are transphobic because they are not interested in sleeping with transwomen.

eh? the NHS is full of rainbow lanyards.

*I also don't understand how people can be 'against' LGBT

You don’t understand how people can be against vulnerable female prisoners being locked up in cells with violent male rapists? Or against young girls being forced to change in front or men? Or being referred to a ‘bodies with a vagina’ instead of women?

They know already

That's great. I flinch when I see the 'progress' rainbow on anything these days. It's a political symbol to show that the wearer is anti-women, anti-child safeguarding, anti-lesbian and gay.
The original flag for the LGBs has been taken over by the TQ+ and means something very different today.
I'd be wearing the red one.

Yabu. I don't care how people choose to live their lives, never been a fan of the rainbow and would choose the red badge. Not because I'm against it, but because I don't care about anyone's sexuality or gender enough to wear it on my body.

You are probably upset because you want everyone to align with your views and can't cope that some people don't care about it.

This