The steering group said the new badges should not be distributed for “purely aesthetic purposes” and it was agreed that staff would have to make a pledge before they got one. They would have to agree to “use inclusive language and respect identity”, “be a friendly, listening ally who staff and service users can safely approach”, and “be aware of, and responsive to, issues faced by LGBTQ+ people accessing care”.
As commenters below the article pointed out, that could lead to a sinister division as people without a badge would have either failed the test to get a badge or not bothered or refused to take it, and labelled not LGBT friendly.
Peter Tatchellll_, the gay rights campaigner, said that the LGBT community had been “robbed” and called on the health service to create its own symbol. “To adopt the same six-colour LGBTQ rainbow flag for the NHS looks like blatant cultural appropriation,” he said.^
NHS Scotland pride badges, which started being issued last month, feature black, brown, pink, light blue and white stripes to represent trans people and people of colour.