<finger hovering over censor button because you said something I don’t personally agree with>
It’s a bit off topic, but that’s not true from my experience. The moderators, in particular @AlanDoe are reading and acknowledging flags and taking action when necessary. A few probably slip through the cracks though, which is to be expected.
Edit: just saw @Revels comment essentially saying the same thing.
So, anyway, back to queer colours.
How is that supposed to make me feel, when my flag is changed by another group of people because of how they feel? Am I now biphobic, transphobic for feeling excluded because I am something different to bi or trans? Is it my fault some trans people feel excluded? Is it their fault? Have I been getting LGBTQ+ wrong all these years? Is it that I’m privileged because I didn’t even know?
Why must something be changed it when recognisably and clearly represents a whole community worldwide. How many thousands of people on Kickstarter get to decide on behalf of the BILLION or so people on this planet who align with the rainbow flag? Can I get a couple of dozen people together in my local community centre and change it back? What’s the quorum on offence these days?
It’s ludicrous for a subset of people to organise some Kickstarter campaign (I’ve never even heard of Kickstarter!) and effectively queershame proud bearers of a flag which does represent the whole LGBTQ+ world by imposing other colours onto it.
No wonder people get confused about what is taken as offence on any particular day of the week!
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It’s like the statement “we want to invite people of colour to the table” (i can’t recall who said it, it was recent), though it may sound positive it still reinforces the concept that you are excluded and exceptions are to be made for you.
By adding extra colours to represent other groups are you still not making the statement “you are different and should be treated different, but it’s ok because we ‘recognise you’ … but you’re still different, because you have to be singled out”.
I’ve always taken the Pride flag to represent a diverse community. Because of that, the image is a most powerful one. Tweaking it would simply weaken it’s importance.
I don’t begin to understand the myriad challenges and barriers which many in the community continually face, but I do recognise the Pride movement’s emblem for the success that it’s become.
I’m straight with no cred here, nor any wish to offend, but worthless though my comments probably are - I’ll say it anyway “please leave the flag as it is - and be proud of it”. (I’ll get my coat …
)
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I agree with what you have mentioned here. However, I feel that, regardless of the logo’s perceived impracticality in reference to the colour scheme, this is, from what I know, what has been decided on by the community. And so I feel that it should be used.
For me, it is that simple.
Many have responded to my thread and I’m quite surprised actually as I didn’t really expect much talk as I don’t tend to comment on forums much.
I respect other opinions, (although I may disagree with some of them) but this is where I stand and I have nothing much more to say on the matter.
Thank you to everyone who has voiced their opinions on this topic respectfully
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Sorry was there some global vote that passed me by?
It was ‘decided‘ by a tiny tiny fraction of ‘the community’ to make themselves feel better about very real issues rather than actually taking any meaningful action.
Racism and Transphobia are not in any way improved by adding a few stripes to a flag that was already inclusive by design and has represented billions of people for so long.
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Oh dear. I’ve been flagged again, even after a moderator reviewed what I wrote after the first flagging, and deemed it acceptable enough to remain published, and visible.
Anyone else might feel that repeated flagging is queerphobic, such is the desire to see a such a perfectly acceptable personal opinion on an ugly and unnecessary design silenced. But not me.
I ask again. Would the person who flagged me care to explain why they did that?
And would a moderator please come back and remove the flag, again?
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I don’t think issues are suddenly fixed by stripes on a flag, but representation is surely hugely important?
Whether it’s actors on a tv show, or characters in a book, or perhaps stripes on a flag - it all helps to make you feel more welcome and respected and ‘normal’ etc etc.
I don’t think there can be any problem with trying to show solidarity/more inclusion, even if that doesn’t fix everything and I don’t think anyone would suggest it had.
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Yeah totally agree with all of that tbh.
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I don’t want to parrot too much what several others have posted above but - the OG flag is designed to include EVERYONE. That’s why it’s a rainbow. If you start adding representation for specific groups to it you are now excluding anyone who is not represented by their own specific stripe.
I’m black. I’ve been abused for my skin more by others in the LGBTQ community than by any other subsection of society (by the way - I’m a season ticket holder for a Premier League football club so yeah, in my experience the LGBTQ community is more racist than the football one go figure). I don’t need a stripe on the flag - that flag has represented me all my life. What I need is my community to actually be less racist and this isn’t helping at all. All this has done is exclude others and I don’t want anyone else going through that.
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I’ve been watching a few youtube videos on the topic - on both sides of support from LGBT+ members, including white, trans and POC.
It’s interesting because there does seem to be a strong divide within the community about the flag.
Some points I’ve seen on either side:
Against:
- I didn’t get a ‘voice’ to vote for this flag, so it doesn’t represent me.
- It further “others” already marginalised groups (see also: the multitude of flags that exist for various genders, sexualities, and tribes - and this flag only representing a small aspect of those).
- Challenges of inclusion ought be solved by changing what the movement (and flag) stands for, not adding things to a flag.
For:
- It’s helps highlight the challenges faces by two of the most marginalised groups within the community.
- Complaining about the flag, won’t do anything to help people in the community (kind of a for)
- While the original Pride flag was intended to cover all the LGBT community, it’s not doing it’s purpose any more.
Either way, I think both sides are in support of the message: action has to be taken to remove racism and transphobia from the community [and society at large]
So my hot take, much like my views on the BLM and possible Logo update: Make more logos. But also do more internally to promote, drive, push for equality and diversity.
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It’s to represent the origins of Pride in the black queer community
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Decided by whom?
Some guy who started a kickstarter campaign I think?
While we’re redesigning flags, can someone have a word with the Queen or whoever is in charge, and get her to add a representation of Wales to the Union Jack? We’ve been missing for over 400 years.
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And there was also Phillidelphia pride, which had a previous version with the addition of Black/Brown stripe, before this version with the chevron
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Edit to add: Probably shouldn’t be derailling this thread with other flags, but I just love flags OK
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Something something subjugated countries don’t get to appear in flags.
Jokes aside though, that flag looks great and needs to be implemented.
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