Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Feminism: chat

Original poster

NHS rainbow badge scheme

177 replies

WarriorN · 04/10/2021 11:23

Just seen this:

As pointed out, where are the badges for people with learning disabilities?

Inclusion excluding people with real needs.

NHS rainbow badge scheme
NHS rainbow badge scheme
OP posts:
PhoboPhobia · 05/10/2021 08:11

@AnyFucker

The whole ethos of the NHS is that people are treated the same irrespective of everything and anything

I am not at work to make a political statement and show my allegiance with one specific group

Fuck that shit and shame on the those who think it is a good idea to waste scant resources on this shit

I am going to steal this so I can be ready if/when my NHS employer starts with this shit. I may have to miss off the last paragraph but you’re absolutely right.
NHSWoes · 05/10/2021 08:12

@AnyFucker

I work in the NHS and I got an email the other week with a sign off name then she/her

Oh, how I laughed. And puked.

It's cropping up everywhere Sad
andyoldlabour · 05/10/2021 08:20

Whoever has authorised this is breaking the law. If a driver failed to stop at one of these rainbow crossings and hit someone, then his defence that he did not know it was a crossing would be upheld. The victim would get nothing.

Road markings

  1. Subject to the following provisions of this Part of this Schedule-

(a)within the limits of a Zebra crossing the carriageway shall be marked with a series of alternate black and white stripes;
(b)the Zebra controlled areas shall be marked with give-way lines, a line of studs and zig-zag lines,
of the size and type, and generally in the manner, shown in the diagram at the end of this Part of this Schedule.

Northernlurker · 05/10/2021 08:21

My trust is encouraging pronouns on emails to help people 'feel comfortable'? I wasn't aware being a woman made people uncomfortable Hmm but alas they will have to remain so as I'm not doing that.

Nachthex · 05/10/2021 08:29

I would add that rainbow lanyards can even be dangerous.

I recently started a course in a college where there are young people with SEN. It was impressed upon us older students that we must always wear our student ID badges (on college lanyards saying 'student') and not bring other people into the building. Clearly this is safeguarding for vulnerable young people. College staff wear different coloured lanyards with 'staff' on them. You can see instantly who's who.

ID badges can easily flip around so you can't see them and I've realised how important it is for the lanyard to be specific to the job as it is visually an important signifier.

Anyone could get a rainbow lanyard and attach an ID badge to it & it would make access to vulnerable people easier.

I groan when I see the rainbow. Or 'fucking rainbow' as I now call it.

Kosmoceratops · 05/10/2021 08:37

Freedom of Onfor ation Request?

How much public money is being spent on this? Where is it coming from? Where is the cost benefit analysis? Where else could the money have been spent?

Who is getting paid the money?

JulesRimetStillGleaming · 05/10/2021 08:41

@Artichokeleaves

Please don't blame LGB people for all this nonsense - as an L person frankly I find someone wearing a rainbow badge a clear sign that they support homophobic views that I should be 'inclusive' with my body of male sexed people, and that they will resist my access to single sex space or professionals if I need it. It's a signal I find alarming and excluding/alienating.

I find it really worrying that as everyone gets to the point over being very, very Over All This that LGB people are going to be seen as having been involved in getting to this point. Trust me, I've been called all the names and had all the threats as an L person; the inclusion bit isn't about homosexuality, it's about obedience to gender ideology.

This.

Dismayed B person here who used to embrace the rainbow badges and even asked for it to come to Wales. Now I see rainbows and feel conflicted, but mostly wince. Please don't think we're all the same.

JoborPlay · 05/10/2021 08:43

@Nachthex

I would add that rainbow lanyards can even be dangerous.

I recently started a course in a college where there are young people with SEN. It was impressed upon us older students that we must always wear our student ID badges (on college lanyards saying 'student') and not bring other people into the building. Clearly this is safeguarding for vulnerable young people. College staff wear different coloured lanyards with 'staff' on them. You can see instantly who's who.

ID badges can easily flip around so you can't see them and I've realised how important it is for the lanyard to be specific to the job as it is visually an important signifier.

Anyone could get a rainbow lanyard and attach an ID badge to it & it would make access to vulnerable people easier.

I groan when I see the rainbow. Or 'fucking rainbow' as I now call it.

Except in the NHS this doesn't hold up because there's no standard lanyard. Getting one with NHS on is like hen's teeth, most are black but lots of us were told to just buy our own.
KittenKong · 05/10/2021 08:45

I remember my first visit to Amsterdam and seeing rainbow flags flying from peoples windows and bars - knowing that I’d feel comfortable and welcome there. It would be safe and probably fun.

Now I mutter ‘effing xxxx rainbow flag’ or ‘effing xxxx rainbow yfronts’. My family are used to it now.

NecessaryScene · 05/10/2021 08:45

within the limits of a Zebra crossing the carriageway shall be marked with a series of alternate black and white stripes

I'm with you in spirit, but in that spirit I'm going to counter-pedant - aren't most of these crossings actually light-controlled Pelican/Toucan crossings, which wouldn't normally have road markings?

And I suspect some of them aren't on public highways, in which case even the standard marking wouldn't have legal effect?

NecessaryScene · 05/10/2021 08:49

Except in the NHS this doesn't hold up because there's no standard lanyard.

But I think the point being made was that the rainbow itself becomes the visual ID clue that people look for, not the badge. A neutral (or no standard) lanyard would not have that effect.

I hit a version of that myself the other day - looking at the protester who was shouting "witch! witch!" outside Holyrood. I interpreted their lanyard - a distinct green with yellow flowers - as signifying they were part of the Green Party, but it was actually some sort of "invisible disability" lanyard. The lanyard itself is functioning as ID, distracting from the badge. (In that case the badge wasn't visible in photos, but the lanyard was).

Lovelyricepudding · 05/10/2021 08:52

[quote ErrolTheDragon]Zebra crossings are precisely specified in legislation. See the sections on 'road markings'. Perhaps you can paint whatever you want on private land but definitely shouldn't be done on a public road.

See the sections on Road Markings.

www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1997/2400/made[/quote]
So presumably cars still have priority and if you step out on a rainbow crossing and get mown down it will be your fault?

endofagain · 05/10/2021 08:52

Conniethesensible
What homophobia?
Don't be ridiculous. I haven't said anything homophobic.

JesusMaryAndJosephAndTheWeeDon · 05/10/2021 08:54

@KittenKong

I recently was walking with my visually impaired sister and we went to cross the road on a stripey crossing (wasn’t a rainbow but was different colours).

Her comment ‘well that’s fucking stupid’. My other sister said - you wouldn’t get a horse over that.

Me Wink

There is a video somewhere of a police horse refusing to walk on a rainbow crossing.
JulesRimetStillGleaming · 05/10/2021 08:57

@NecessaryScene

Except in the NHS this doesn't hold up because there's no standard lanyard.

But I think the point being made was that the rainbow itself becomes the visual ID clue that people look for, not the badge. A neutral (or no standard) lanyard would not have that effect.

I hit a version of that myself the other day - looking at the protester who was shouting "witch! witch!" outside Holyrood. I interpreted their lanyard - a distinct green with yellow flowers - as signifying they were part of the Green Party, but it was actually some sort of "invisible disability" lanyard. The lanyard itself is functioning as ID, distracting from the badge. (In that case the badge wasn't visible in photos, but the lanyard was).

It's a sunflower lanyard for hidden disabilities/ mask exemption right now with Covid. I tend to see it and think autism. It's not just for autistic people but it is promoted as such to us so we get more understanding in supermarkets etc.

JesusMaryAndJosephAndTheWeeDon · 05/10/2021 08:57

Found it

Lovelyricepudding · 05/10/2021 08:58

@JoborPlay

Interesting. I'm NHS and haven't heard anything about a rainbow badge scheme. We have a tonne of rainbow shite everywhere, but it's all pandemic related. Which hacks me off as a coopted symbol. But no political statement. And no pronoun emails either.
Quite. How dare LBGT coopt the rainbow away from the four thousand year old symbol of God's promise to mankind...
Alltheprettyseahorses · 05/10/2021 09:03

If the NHS are doing a scheme which is designed to highlight allyship with a group of specifically marginalised people then shouldn't it be disabled people? You know, people who are genuinely discriminated against, especially those who have learning disabilities who have drastically worse clinical outcomes. Instead, it's something that takes no effort and very little systemic change (if any).

endofagain · 05/10/2021 09:10

@Alltheprettyseahorses

If the NHS are doing a scheme which is designed to highlight allyship with a group of specifically marginalised people then shouldn't it be disabled people? You know, people who are genuinely discriminated against, especially those who have learning disabilities who have drastically worse clinical outcomes. Instead, it's something that takes no effort and very little systemic change (if any).
I agree. The hospital I worked at reduced the number of disabled parking spots and charged full price for them. It just made life more difficult for so many patients.
AwaAnBileYerHeid · 05/10/2021 09:22

@JoborPlay

Interesting. I'm NHS and haven't heard anything about a rainbow badge scheme. We have a tonne of rainbow shite everywhere, but it's all pandemic related. Which hacks me off as a coopted symbol. But no political statement. And no pronoun emails either.
Me neither. I work for NHS Scotland and haven't yet seen it. Hopefully it continues that way.
Nachthex · 05/10/2021 09:48

My point is that that rainbow lanyards can create confusion (amongst other things of course). Is this part of the whole 'queering' process maybe? In my college, I look at the lanyard as it's instant recognition of who is who. I have to get close up to the wearer to see the ID card.

I was clinical staff in the NHS and have a memory of the name of the trust being on the lanyard. Clinical staff and admin etc staff had different coloured ID cards so you could see at a glance if someone was, for instance, doing a clinical task with a patient when they shouldn't have been. Simple safety. This is jettisoned with a 'rainbows for all' policy.

This goes hand in hand with rainbow crossings - who cares about safety when you can virtue signal?

vivariumvivariumsvivaria · 05/10/2021 10:10

Awa oh, it's coming to Scotland - was launched in June
www.thetimes.co.uk/article/health-service-acting-like-stasi-with-pride-pledge-bwpmkhz2g

ErrolTheDragon · 05/10/2021 10:12

@NecessaryScene

within the limits of a Zebra crossing the carriageway shall be marked with a series of alternate black and white stripes

I'm with you in spirit, but in that spirit I'm going to counter-pedant - aren't most of these crossings actually light-controlled Pelican/Toucan crossings, which wouldn't normally have road markings?

And I suspect some of them aren't on public highways, in which case even the standard marking wouldn't have legal effect?

The examples I've seen don't seem to be pelican/toucan. Some of them aren't proper highway zebras (no Belisha beacon or zigzags) but they're clearly supposed to be interpreted as pedestrian priority crossings so it's bloody stupid of the painters not to refer to the legislation and think about it (as health and safety expert upthread mercifully did). The horse one looks to be on a public road. Maybe it's meant to be street art rather than a pedestrian crossing, who knows?
EmbarrassingAdmissions · 05/10/2021 10:13

[quote vivariumvivariumsvivaria]Awa oh, it's coming to Scotland - was launched in June
www.thetimes.co.uk/article/health-service-acting-like-stasi-with-pride-pledge-bwpmkhz2g[/quote]
We had some threads about the scheme then - and the factual errors in the pledge pack. Hmm

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/4269384-NHS-badges?msgid=108183848