Pride Gear/Rainbow Flags etc...

Fair point, it just gets confusing sometimes because usually the first thing I think of is the LGBT community when I see rainbow stuff.

 

Yes, I have to say it did take me a little bit to get used to the rainbow theme. Heck, I'm still not used to it. I wouldn't wear anything rainbow (except maybe a bracelet just to see how it's like).

But, honestly, if we changed the color combination from rainbow to... say.... blue and silver, will the thoughts on the colors change? I don't think so. The new color scheme will eventually be seen as queer, and the homophobic thoughts about rainbows will shift to the blue and silver color scheme. Nothing will change.

It's kind of the same as color purple. There is literally nothing "unmanly" about the color purple, but people view it as a "gay" color.

 

I really don't understand 'colour', I get symbolism, but I don't get how that's applied to people and genders. I think the colour of a rainbow is good because it incorporates all colours, but LGBT* doesn't incorporate all people ... so I think the symbolism is a bit misleading there.

---------- Post added 4th Nov 2015 at 12:22 PM ----------

I don't think it's shoving sexuality into people's faces, unless that's what you're actually doing. I.e. wearing a rainbow bracelet and bringing it really close to people's faces and saying ''look at this''. [which I really doubt people actually do this].

 

I cheer on the inside, especially if I see someone wearing a pride badge or bracelet

 

This made me laugh but I do kind of agree. I mean, I can be flamboyant at times but... Yeeah I do kind of wish we had a different symbol at times. I do not wear rainbow color'd things as it does not suit me at all.

 

i kind of like the rainbow thing but it seems to be too main stream these days. people are buying it JUST because of the rainbow. i prefer the double venus symbol to show i'm part of the community, i want others to know they aren't alone.

 

Honestly? It makes me feel uncomfortable even though it shouldn't. It makes me feel exposed for some reason. Like people will know I'm trans.

 

Indifferent.

 

I'm actually surprised to get support on this one. Figured you folks would rip me apart for saying that lol

Ideally, I don't think there should be a symbol at all. A lot of people seem to consider the gay rights movement as a modern parallel to the black civil rights movement of fifty years ago. This assumption is a problem, because it isn't the same situation. Gay people don't need to be a community like ethnic groups are. The goal is to gain equality and normalcy. That will not happen if we partition ourselves as a unique faction of society, complete with our own flag and the like (be it a rainbow or whatever). Originally I posted because I simply didn't like the rainbow image. Like I said, i think it's stereotypical, degrading, and feminine. Now yall are drawing at a deeper point though, which is that the rainbow flag exemplifies how we are separating ourselves as different rather than normalizing homosexuality a regular thing undeserving of positive or negative distinction.

 

The only thing that bothers me about your post is that you're implying that being feminine is a bad thing. The LGBT+ community doesn't consist of only men, but there are also men that are outwardly flamboyant that don't mind the title.

What's important is that you're secured about your own masculinity enough to where the rainbow doesn't bother you. It's actually quite flattering when someone says "omg, but you don't act like you're gay." It makes me feel like I'm unique or something, haha.

 

Somehow the girl at my school who has a rainbow book cover and was called gay before she had one has not gotten kicked out yet.
I guess it does not 'prove' anything here.

 

Lol no coffee shops, bars or anything else around here. can't say I've even seen anyone else wearing Pride gear in this town, and certainly never displayed in a window or in a shop.
I made myself pride bracelets and an anklet and bought myself a pride ring and apart from a few days when I was pissed off I wear them happily.
To affirm to myself who I am.

 

I knew somebody would respond with this. "BUT ITS OKAY TO BE FEMININE!"

Never said it wasn't!!! But not everyone in the gay community is feminine, so why should they have an overtly feminine symbol forced on them?

The whole "secured with your masculinity" argument is bullshit. People use that for everything... wearing pink shirts, doing girly activities etc. Guess what? I'm secure with my masculinity too, but it just so happens I genuinely don't like bright colors and rainbows. So I'm not gonna wear them. I don't think there's anything wrong with that, and people like me don't deserve to be called ignorant or have our manhood challenged for being honest about ourselves.

 

I apologize for misunderstanding you. Your first post made it sound like anyone who wears a rainbow has no "self respect", or that they're somehow "humiliating" themselves by wearing it due to the femininity of the symbol. It got my gears grinding.

In any case, I do agree with not wanting to wear the rainbow stuff. I tend to like darker, more masculine colors myself. I wouldn't ever go around wearing rainbow colors - it just doesn't represent me as a person.

 

No need to apologize bro, good discussion. I will end it with a quote...

"Ah I'd love to wear a rainbow every day.
And tell the world that everything's okay.
But I'll try to carry off a little darkness on my back.
Till things are brighter, I'm the man in black."

10 points to Gryffindor for anyone who recognizes that... Without the help of the Google machine

 

I personally don't like how the rainbow is the symbol associated with LGBT, so I often find myself wondering if people know that's the LGBT symbol (and are not just using it because they think rainbows are pretty) or if they are truly openly showing support for it. A rainbow flag is pretty clear that it's an LGBT symbol, so I don't question a flag. Rainbows bracelets, pins, buttons, clothes, etc. can be many things besides LGBT. But back on topic, when I see an actual LGBT rainbow symbol, especially a flag, I get pretty excited and immediately feel the need to tell somebody.

In my AP Bio class, there was a video and I noticed a rainbow flag being flown over a store in the background of the video. (video completely unrelated to LGBT). I really felt the need to point that out, but I didn't because that would be weird. I seem immediately get excited whenever I notice anything LGBT related... especially if it's someone showing support for it.

 

I always feel a strong sense of camaraderie when I see people who have HRC stickers on their car or rainbow bracelets. Whenever I go to the city here that has a large gay population, I always feel safe and I know I can be myself there with no worries. There are rainbow flags everywhere. After my first date with my girlfriend (we started dating when I was still in the closet), she took me there to ease my mind about worries that people will judge us together. After I got comfortable there, I started getting comfortable being out everywhere. I think it's a good thing.

 

I might take a picture of myself in the driveway some time.