What do you think about the rainbow flag?

[DJLippy]

Does anyone else get a shudder when they see a rainbow flag outside a venue? Harry the Owl compared it to a Nazi flag and I'm inclined to agree.

I'm Bisexual so I should be thrilled to find all these inclusive spaces but I just feel a stab of anxiety and make a mental note to steer well clear. It's a real physiological reaction not something I can control.

A few years ago I used to love seeing the pride flag outside bars. I guess back then it actually meant something. Now I feel like it's actually a sign of exclusion - that anyone who doesn't believe that twaw is not safe there.

Also it does kind of imply that all the other venues are a threat to the LGBTQI++ people. I actually get a lot less grief being with a woman in a normie bar than I would in a gay bar. What's more its often just random cafes and shops which as far as I am aware have no gay history. Just feels like a cheap virtue signal by straight woke folk.

I'd be interested in hearing from people who are same sex attracted. Do you feel that the flag which used to represent your community been appropriated by male supremacists? Do you self exclude from spaces which fly the rainbow flag?

I knew the Pink News story would bring people who have never even read Mumsnet over here, to "put us right"

Antifacist - I really wish it wasn't true - but why has Selina Todd been granted security guards in her workplace, because of credible threats against her? These threats are real. Women that refuse to believe in this new form of transgender ideology are threatened, and no-platformed, and are reported to their employers - by people who who have the rainbow flag all over their social media accounts.

This is what the flag means to me now - not freedom, but threats to women. What once symbolised freedom and inclusivity now symbolises an intolerance to the very definition and rights of women.

women are getting threats of rape and violence by people waving that flag.

Quite hard to wave a flag on Twitter.

Are you quite sure you're not getting the rainbow flag mixed up with the entirely different trans flag?

I wish I was, Sapphos - but these threats come from people with the rainbow flag in their twitter bios too. Whether you like it or not, this flag has been adopted by some people that will threaten women for not accepting trans ideology.

(You "wave a flag" on Twitter by putting in your bio/twitter handle.)

Quite hard to wave a flag on Twitter. Are you quite sure you're not getting the rainbow flag mixed up with the entirely different trans flag

I don't personally use twitter.....but when i've followed links to various twitter accounts the rainbow flag is being used as a part of 'signatures' of people who are posting hateful content -and I mean hateful - not just disagreement. It has become appropriated those who hold totally intolerant and authoritarian positions.

The rainbow flag has become an opportunity to virtue signal. It has lost all meaning.

What I find telling is that all I said was the the rainbow flag made me feel nervous and wary. And, I think with good reason.

First as a result of all the harassment from rainbow warriors (which has been witnessed and document by 3 journalists, including one from a red top) and secondly because as a still very fertile woman, I am sensitive to GPs trying to push hormonal contraception on me. Rightly or wrongly if someone is wearing a rainbow lanyard, I don’t feel that they are going to be sensitive as to my worldview or my chosen method of fertility management.

Also, I would be concerned about someone who believes in the idea that children can change sex, as denoted by the rainbow, treating my children, especially the ones who don’t conform to sex-based stereotypes.

I said nothing about people, just made an offhand comment about how a flag made me feel.

For this I have received 48 hours of non stop abuse telling me what an evil hateful person I am and all that’s wrong with the world. I am ugly, ignorant should get corona virus and die and hopefully my children will loathe me when I grow up.

This is not rational or tolerant behaviour. It’s akin to the angry mob burning a witch or a heretic, because she is perceived to be lacking in love. And all the abuse has done us reinforce my misgivings.

You haven't read the thread ANTIFASCIST

Er, the ACTUAL OP compares to a Nazi flag? Have you read the thread?

I am sensitive to GPs trying to push hormonal contraception on me. Rightly or wrongly if someone is wearing a rainbow lanyard, I don’t feel that they are going to be sensitive as to my worldview or my chosen method of fertility management.

This is interesting. Why would you think that? I have never heard of any connection between supporting the LGBT community and hormonal contraception.

I am relived when I see a GP's rainbow lanyard, it makes it so much easier to answer the 'what do you use for contraception?' type questions.

as a still very fertile woman, I am sensitive to GPs trying to push hormonal contraception on me. Rightly or wrongly if someone is wearing a rainbow lanyard, I don’t feel that they are going to be sensitive as to my worldview or my chosen method of fertility management

OK, little lost as to how you think if someone is wearing a rainbow lanyard, that automatically means they're likely to want to push the pill or whatever method of contraception you don't agree with on you?
How on earth do you jump to that conclusion?

This is interesting. Why would you think that? I have never heard of any connection between supporting the LGBT community and hormonal contraception

Cross posted with Sapphos
I mean.... whut?

Er, the ACTUAL OP compares to a Nazi flag? Have you read the thread? confused

Yes, I've read all of it, and I agree with the majority of answers - that the flag no longer means what to used to mean - ie. most of the responses of the thread in agreement with the OP.

*what it used to mean

A lot of the responses to the OP are completely bonkers.

My personal favourite is the poster who was cross the rainbow flag didn't centre children and the elderly. Closely followed by the recent poster claiming her GP wearing a rainbow lanyard = GP likely to push the contraceptive pill on her.

And a lot of posts are full of lies, misquotes and misrepresentations.

My personal favourite is the post that forgot they’d quoted a flyer word for word a few pages prior then tried to claim it said something different. Closely followed by the claim that MN FWR doesn’t support lesbians.

Yeah, try again Sapphos - read back the first 100 odd posts of this thread - all individual, independent posters, all saying the same thing, that the rainbow flag no longer represents what it once did.

Almost all the negative posts are from straight people. In the nicest possible way the rainbow flag has fuck all to do with them.

No, they're not. Many many lesbians and bisexuals are on here.

The OP is bisexual.

And a lot of posts are full of lies, misquotes and misrepresentations

These were actually said though, as anyone actually reading the thread can see?

My personal favourite is the poster who was cross the rainbow flag didn't centre children and the elderly
Still wondering where the elderly and children come under the flag, I thought maybe there should be another colour or part, one for the elderly gay people and another for gay children so they're all centred better?
Closely followed by the recent poster claiming her GP wearing a rainbow lanyard = GP likely to push the contraceptive pill on her
Not entirely sure how a doctor wearing a rainbow lanyard means that either, I hope they come back and clarify as it's not very clear

What Aesopfable said up thread. Not a lesbian and slightly confused about how this thread has gone - I had to double check that it was still the thread about the flag and I hadn't accidentally clicked through to another thread. I saw a rainbow badge on sale in the Scout shop a few months ago and I forced myself to buy one because I do want to celebrate diversity and promote it to the kids and it's hideous that a symbol of positivity and love has changed its meaning for me to something sinister, and I wanted to stamp my feelings down - but I've never worn it.

No, they're not. Many many lesbians and bisexuals are on here

No doubt there is, but there's definitely been several posters saying they're straight and one even rainbow can go fuck itself, and other saying they're straight and the rainbow doesn't represent them (erm.... no s**t Sherlock as the saying goes?)

I suspect Sappho may define lesbian differently to many FWR women. Which may explain why they have a different take on rainbows.

My personal favourite is the poster who was cross the rainbow flag didn't centre children and the elderly

Talking about misquoting! No they were cross that flying the rainbow flag indicates that the organisation does not centre vulnerable groups like children and the elderly.

As I said before, straight males i.e. the current group of transwomen, are front and centre of what the rainbow flag currently represents, so I don’t see why other straight people can’t comment on it [shrug].