A message to DPD

[LivelyFinch]

Just deliver my parcel, I don't need every icon on your App festooned with a trans/rainbow flag. Just do what you are paid to do and don't shuff your political crap down my throat.

Rant over.

I'm sorry you had to acknowledge that gay people exist?

Next time keep your eyes closed when you open your post, if that proves too difficult then just grow up and don't get bothered by things which have absolutely no active influence on your life.

We’ll flags don’t acknowledge gay people exist - treating gay people the same as anyone else does and that doesn’t get helped by flags

i mean that flag doesn’t acknowledge women exist, disabled people exist, Jews exist , it’s sooo exclusionary

@greencartbluecartRight! My Dd recently noticed a LGBQT friendly flag when supermarket shopping and was really confused why it was there because why wouldn’t it be friendly? And why don’t they put Black and Brown people friendly or All Religion Friendly.

My LGB DC hate pride month. Surely they are welcome/included all the time, not just for one month per year.

As an LGB person, you're saying I don't exist because I disagree with the rainbow flag and all it's been corrupted to represent?
Wow that's really homophobic. Erasure of LGB people is never acceptable.

Rainbow stickers don't stop hate crimes. They do not increase acceptance.

In fact they make things worse as people think ah a rainbow, I don't need to worry about making actual structural change to society.

Just like thinking you did your recycling therefore you don't need to worry about you r car (true story, this actually happens, its a cognitive bias)

That isn't the discussion though is it?

If you put flags up for one sector of society only, then you are effectively demeaning / reducing other sectors. We shouldn't need to be promoting different groups - simply treating all the same.

To have icons and logos and flags changing for 'pride month' (and usually nothing actually concrete being done for any minorities) is surely performative support designed to make the company look good, not actually change anything for the sector of society being 'supported'.

For those who already treat everybody equally as an individual, despite race / sex / ethnicity / etc. then these flags are annoying - they come across as patronising and hypocritical - do xyz even though we don't / look at us, how with it we are / etc.

Why is it suddenly considered acceptable to complain about Pride Month? It had been going for years.
Do you also whine about Black History Month. Mental Health Awareness Week, Dementia Awareness etc etc ?
We have a history of celebrating people who have had to/are struggling for equality or support and I’d say that’s something to be proud of.

If you think the Pride/Progress flags express that 'gay people exist', you haven't been following events very closely!

There was a time when lesbians and gays were campaigning for rights they didn't have, and I don't remember seeing many rainbow flags around when it would actually have been a display of support.

Then the T somehow got bolted on to LGB, 'Pride', Stonewall, inclusion and diversity etc came to be about transpeople rather than lesbian and gay people.
Lesbians in particular are harassed in the new LGBT environment, because we wouldn't accept that men can be lesbians.
Pride these days is busily excluding groups and people they don't approve of.
The Pride/Progress flags now represent something very negative to many LGB people.

Businesses should do a bit more research before using something that would have been supportive to lesbian and gay people if they had displayed Rainbow flags in the past when it was brave to do so.
Now the Rainbow flag, or the Progress flag, and 'Pride' are so common they have lost their edge, and have negative connotations of exclusion for many lesbian and gay people.

Businesses are alienating the people they think they are supporting.

edited to ask - What is the Dementia Awareness flag? when is the parade?

I was in town yesterday and I didn't see Pride anywhere. One shop, Hobbycraft I think, had a rainbow, just one, from their stock by the door. It seemed either coincidence or possibly a staff member had hung it?

Waitrose had a massive progress flag vomited over a window that faced onto the main road last year. Nothing yesterday, although perhaps it's too early.

My sprog was watching F1 racing at the weekend. The cars, the drivers decked out with sponsors on every possible spot of their clothing and bodywork, so corporate, reminded me of nothing more than Pride.

Because it's performative nonsense that doesn't have any positive affect on the world and demonstrably makes it a bit worse?

Also the other ones you mentioned aren't a month, they are nowhere near as big and we aren't all forced to participate?

Demonstrably?
You can actually demonstrate how a businesss displaying a pride flag makes things worse?

yes. This thread.

@TangenitalContrivences what? All this thread has shown is people complaining. No actual evidence of any harm done by someone including the ride flag on their website/app whatever.

Frankly I am starting to complain about them all. It's become a cottage industry.
https://charitydigital.org.uk/topics/awareness-days-you-should-know-about-in-2025-11637

The way companies and schools ignored World Introvert Day is a disgrace, bigots. Introverts are people too.
www.daysoftheyear.com/days/world-introvert-day/

I agree. If it was as simple as treating everyone the same then there's no need for these months, unfortunately homophobia is still very much a problem. Celebrating one group doesn't take away from another.

This thread is literally causing harm to the cause of fairness and equality to gay people. Literally, right here.

It's not that the thread itself is wrong, or the OP, I agree with the OP.

But forcing rainbows onto everything does nothing, backfires and then we have conversations like this which we would be if we just focussed on treating gay people equally - instead of rainbows.

That depends very much on the group.

Does this even make sense to you?

Well clearly, yes.

Let me try and make it simpler for you.

The harm is people questioning the entire thing (pride month) via this thread.

The cause is performative rainbows on everything, which also does not have a positive (making the lives of gay people better) , to counter act the negative (peoplee being fed up with being force fed rainbows)

Homophobia is still, sadly, a problem that needs to be countered.

I don't think that 'progress pride' flags and pride marches are having much, if any, positive impact on that issue, though.

They're brightly coloured parades for hen parties, puppy fetishists, and people who want a bit of a spicy day out. Plus a bit of a rainbow washing opp for corporations.

Could not agree more.

Actual homophobia is still out there. Not one rainbow will ever change that.

It would be possible and perhaps useful for some research to see what the effects of Pride month actually are.

Maybe it gives a sense of solidarity to LGB people. Maybe it helps some corporations and organisations feel they are supporting LGB people.

What about the unintended consequences? Brand damage, compassion fatigue, pinkwashing.

And is it actually having an effect on homophobia? Is that reduced, unaffected, or even increased by Pride merch, rainbow flags and marches?

I have a rainbow in my bedroom window.
Its not for pride i just like it when the sun gleam in.

Rainbows are lovely. Pride rainbows now give me a kneejerk reaction of dismay. I see women being abused by people decked in rainbows. It makes me sad. Also reminds of C&A. I miss that shop. That also makes me sad.