NHS rainbow badges

[YesIWorkForTheNHS]

As per (shiny new) user name, I work for the NHS. They're bringing in rainbow badges and lanyards at my trust (Google NHS rainbow badges if you want).

Anyone want to help me disentagle / articulate what I think about this?

On the one hand, I want to be inclusive (in the sense that I want everyone to have equal access to healthcare, and remove barriers - real or perceived - to people accessing what we offer). But biological sex matters, particularly in healthcare, and I think we should be held to high standards wrt equality of access for everyone (including women and girls) whether or not we are wearing stripy accessories.

I'm ignoring it for now. But I've had plenty of people tell me how great it is. I have friends at work who know what I believe wrt sex and gender, but I'm not sure I want to have an all-out discussion about my decision not to signal "my tribe" with a badge. The rainbow does not (any longer) represent my beliefs.

justanothernomaj

But how does the rainbow symbol affect those who are very socially conservative?

If there is a problem of people discriminating in the health service, that has to be addressed. Institutional alliance to a particular POV doesn't solve that, it only changes who is perceived as the problem patient.

I actually find myself, as a same sex attracted woman, quite nervous around people wearing rainbow lanyards now, because of the damage done by the recent bullying stupidity. I actually feel more inhibited than I do if someone isn't wearing one, because yes, I understand they are meant to signal an understanding ear, but they are a political statement too, and not one that is especially friendly to lesbians who get a bit uppity.

As the parent of a child with learning disabilities, a group of people who are suffering adverse discrimination within the health service to the extent that life expectancy is impacted, I’m afraid I find the suggestion that spending money on lanyards to make everybody feel nice should be a priority really quite appalling.

But we all know that people with LDs are the people no one cares about. Not glamorous or glittery enough

Goosefoot
Good question. I think that my warm and professional manner has to be the main sign to all the people I meet that I take them seriously as a human being as I can't announce all my right-on credentials to everyone or I'd be there all day.

I'm not sure about framing it as "problem patients" when it's actually under-served patients. And it's actually, as I'm sure we agree, problem staff.

The rainbow lanyard is an attempt to address discrimination alongside training and clear messages of what is not acceptable. I guess ultimately I see it as a kind of "transitional justice" idea while we move towards the kind of system and staff attitudes we need to get to eventually. It's not perfect but still worth doing.

I absolutely take the point that the symbolism of the rainbow is compromised by the, at best unhelpful and at worst dangerous, trans umbrella idea.

LloydBraun

Impossible to disagree about the horrible reality of discrimination against people with learning disabilities. And I do think the lanyards has got out of hand.

Yes. It’s lovely to go into hospital and see someone wearing a lanyard that tells you they think you’re great. Slightly more important, though, to be treated by someone who actually believes your life is important and worth preserving.
Some problems are more pressing than others, it seems to me.

Yes. For what it's worth, I also spend time impressing on colleagues the unacceptability of the impact on life expectancy of diagnostic overshadowing for people with learning disabilities and long-term mental health difficulties. We have a way to go and need to be addressing all these things at the same time.

Instead of appropriating another organisations symbol they could solve objections by creating their own symbol for inclusiveness which symbolises equal care for all. Although money probably could be better spent.

I think it's less the NHS appropriating than another excellent example of policy capture and clever selling of an idea that hasn't been properly questioned or thought through.

It looks and sounds like a lovely idea. The basis of the idea is great - who doesn't want equality and inclusion for LGBT+ people?

Except the organisations delivering the training and selling this idea and materials have some quiet clauses that are 'problematic' shall we say, which many of those carrying it on may not agree with, may conflict with their own beliefs, or they may be entirely innocent of the whole picture they are representing and agenda they are therefore supporting. There's ethics to that which need to be considered, along with how their service users may perceive this.

There's also the long term professional belief that politics and organisational affiliation has no place in public services for obvious reasons.

Wow what a lot of hate and anger on here towards a well meaning campaign that was developed to try and help. No wonder research shows LGBT people are reticent in their approach to healthcare and have high levels of mental health issues.
Would it be better to do nothing about issues facing this community? Surely a step in the right direction for all minorities who face discrimination

The rainbow lanyards show a great step forward, that people are being trained to understand not all women are straight.

Can't HCPs be trained to understand that without being given lanyards that have been co-opted by the penis-havers who claim to be lesbians?

A rainbow lanyard would make me wary of asking for a woman to do my smear in case the wearer defined "woman" in a way that includes penis-havers.

Everybody wave to Prick News! I’m not going to link but they’ve written an article about this thread.

Would it be better to do nothing about issues facing this community?

You haven't actually read the thread then?

Many of us are this community. Try listening to our views if you care about all this community as opposed to dismissing the ones talking about facts - such as how Stonewall view lesbians, that's easily checkable - as 'anger and hate'.

Homophobia via Stonewall and their agenda is one of the biggest issues homosexual women currently face. Losing same sex hcps is a massive issue. Talking about really ugly facts and how they need to be addressed is not 'hate'. Those ugly facts won't go away if we don't talk about them.

I absolutely take the point that the symbolism of the rainbow is compromised by the, at best unhelpful and at worst dangerous, trans umbrella idea.

Well yes. I loved the rainbow when it was actually pro-lesbian but now it feels homophobic, threatening & hostile to me. Working in Central London during Pride season was bloody awful, I avoided going into shops with the rainbow symbol.

If I was in hospital & faced with it all over the place, I’d be even more stressed.

Everybody wave to Prick News! I’m not going to link but they’ve written an article about this thread

Sorry, should have RTFT.

Empress, "written" an article is maybe a bit of an overstatement?

You’re absolutely right, Yes.

FSO well-meaning it might be, as might many - most, even - of the people taking their employers up on the offer. But to some people the rainbow has become a divisive political symbol, and for that reason I don't want to wear it - whether or not I can truthfully sign up to some more-or-less vague pledge about being inclusive.

I think the NHS heart was in the right place, but taking on any organisation with political interests (no matter how well meaning) will always exclude others who do not hold the same view.

I feel everyone no matter their political beliefs, sexuality, sex, religion or gender and so on deserve the same level of care. A lanyard should not be needed as people should be neutral at work.

For the poster who said about being pregnant and a lesbian, it sounds like an issue with the forms as the nurses/midwife's/doctors etc will be reading off these. Those forms will also discrimate against any pregnant woman no longer with their babies father if it is asking for their partners information rather than the babies biological father. If the NHS has an issue with their staff being jugedmental and their forms not being fit for purpose they should be fixing that so no one has an uncomfortable experience.

I also work for the NHS and have a rainbow lanyard - no one made me wear it, I wanted to. If you don't agree or have reservations then just don't have one.

I am a member of the community and a HCP! Which is why I find this thread so disappointing.I see how difficult it is for patients and as a service user myself all the time.

The lanyards and pins aren’t perfect but a start and often are coupled with education and training.

If you don’t want a wear one then don’t. That’s totally your choice but don’t knock those that do and having their heart in the right place.

Granted the rainbow is overused and commercialized now which personally I don’t agree with but homophobic I think not.

My gay sister and her friends believe it to be so.

Wow what a lot of hate and anger

Where's the hate? The only anger has been mine, when I've talked about how retraumatising smear tests are.

on here towards a well meaning campaign

Intent isn't magic and so-called "progressives" are the first to remind the rest of us of that. You can be as well-meaning as you like, but it's the outcome that matters. And the outcome is lesbians, bisexual women, and victims of sexual violence feeling less able to ask for female HCPs because of the TWAW orthodoxy associated with the rainbow.

No wonder research shows LGBT people are reticent in their approach to healthcare and have high levels of mental health issues.

Research also shows that around a quarter of women routinely skip their smear tests. The researchers failed to ask whether sexual violence history was a motive and so we don't know how many women skip their smear because they are SV victims. We do know that a fifth of sexual sexual abuse victims NEVER attend a smear test. Research shows that SV victims are more prone to suicide, self-harm, and depression. Where are the lanyards and pledges for sexual violence victims? SV victims massively outnumber LGBT people and many LGBT are SV victims as well, so utilitarian ethics ("do the most good for the most people first") suggests that sexual violence training and pledges and lanyards should be a higher priority than LGBT ones.

Would it be better to do nothing about issues facing this community?

Your question is predicated on the untrue assertion that we can better serve LGBT people or women, not both. Lesbians, bisexual women, and transmen are all female and LGBT and would benefit from being able to request a female HCP who was trained to handle sexual violence disclosures in a helpful way.

Surely a step in the right direction for all minorities who face discrimination

As usual "all minorities" excludes cunt-having women who've been raped or molested, because apparently we don't count.

Granted the rainbow is overused and commercialized now which personally I don’t agree with but homophobic I think not.

I’m with Fekko’s gay sister & her friends on this. Stonewall, Pride, the rainbow - as a lesbian, I now view actively avoid all of them because they have shown themselves to me as hostile & homophobic.