The rainbow Pride flag is ubiquitous, and a symbol which is recognised across the globe, including in countries where it is displayed with enormous risk owing to human rights atrocities against LGBTQ+ people. From when I was bullied at school Even as recently as February, seeing the rainbow Pride flag in Brussels made me realise I’d stumbled by happy accident into the vicinity of the LGBTQ+ neighbourhood by following the restaurant recommendation of a friend. Myself and several others have criticised this not only the move itself and its messaging but also the clumsy and insecure apology ‘we are sorry if it caused offence’.įor me, for more than half of my lifetime as an openly gay man, seeing the rainbow Pride flag or its colours has made me feel welcome, safe and amongst my tribe (LGBTQ+ people and allies). While I’m not claiming that this was the intention of the team behind it, they have effectively reduced a bus which was designed to celebrate and show support for LGBTQ+ people to just a multi-coloured commodity. A few weeks ago on a run, I was so shocked to see this banner that I stopped and took a photo of it and posted my frustration, unease and confusion to social media Īnd more recently Plymouth City Bus bragged about “rebranding” their Pride bus to show support for NHS workers. However, as a consequence of this many organisations have seen fit to either sell rainbow Pride flags as “thank you NHS flags” or just treat the design as clipart for their own marketing and messaging. Just to be clear, I do not - nor do I know a single LGBTQ+ person who is uncomfortable about that gesture. This seems to have gathered new meaning and morphed into a message of support for key workers and NHS staff.
SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW GAY PRIDE WINDOWS
NHS rainbow badges were first launched by Evelina London Children’s Hospital in an award-winning scheme.įollowing the COVID19 pandemic in the UK, children and families have begun painting rainbows on pieces of paper and displaying them in their windows as symbols as hope – which is a touching and completely understandable movement. This included a revolutionary scheme in UK to roll out rainbow NHS badges to foster inclusivity into healthcare (which historically has on occasion had a problematic relationship with health providers and anti-LGBTQ+ stigma, for more on that and the scheme please read this great blog).
![somewhere over the rainbow gay pride somewhere over the rainbow gay pride](http://data.whicdn.com/images/59873638/original.jpg)
Since 1979, this six-striped version of the Pride flag has been a popular and iconic symbol for LGBTQ+ and its distinctive colours have been adapted into clothing, signs, sidewalks, steps, tattoos and badges either as a signifier of an LGBTQ+ person or an ally. However, at the time there was a scarcity of the hot pink fabric which led to a seven-striped version (without the hot pink) and then latterly in 1979, the Turquoise was removed to create an even number, as the flag was going to be used to flank the Pride march route – resulting in the iconic, ubiquitous six-stripe flag based on Baker’s design The Rainbow Pride flag as of 1979 The LGBTQ+ community too has embraced the rainbow as our symbol, ever since it was incorporated into a flag by the pioneering openly gay activist, Gilbert Baker in the 1970s.īaker’s initial design contained eight stripes and intended to have specific meanings The initial colours of Baker’s pride flagĪnd the characteristics of the LGBTQ+ people they were designed to represent. Whether the Abrahamic references to Noah’s covenant with God, or the many other non-Christian religions and mythologies - Bifrost bridge to the Gods anyone? Repeatedly stories emerge of rainbows representing peace and hope in the face of adversity, respite after conflict.
![somewhere over the rainbow gay pride somewhere over the rainbow gay pride](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/86/a4/13/86a4132c6f76bbd7a49f7a9902589102.jpg)
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![somewhere over the rainbow gay pride somewhere over the rainbow gay pride](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ca/30/3e/ca303e28f4435433b9ecc90727d0d3b4.jpg)
Rainbows, they mean different things to different people, and for thousands of years have been celebrated as a sign of hope overcoming adversity – light breaking through the clouds after a storm.