Rainbow?

A friend of mine brought this up during a meeting last year.

You took away our rainbow. I used to love rainbows because I see it as a miracle, a beauty, something to appreciate. I used to collect rainbow stuff such as shirts, socks, and pencils. Ever since GLBT took it and degraded it in a way, I no longer appreciate rainbows. Every time I see a rainbow, I think of GLBT. Whenever people see me with rainbow kind stuff, they think I'm a lesbian. I'm not. I'm straight. Now, I hate rainbows. Even if it's nature-made... I still hate it.

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When she said that, someone else in the meeting who is an advocator for GLBT and a lesbian herself humbly agreed and too wishes that rainbows never became part of the GLBT pride.

I agree with this in a way... not to insult or degrade anyone. I used to like rainbow stuff when I was younger. I would collect holographic images because they were silver with rainbow outlines of various objects. I even had rainbow suspenders cuz I liked Mork from Mork & Mindy (a 80's television show). Now, they make fun of Mork and say he was a gay alien.

What's your opinion on this?

I know what you mean. I love the to wear bright colours in Summer and there's a lot of really out-going gear represnting the rainbow and whenevr i wear it, i laways get jokes and weird comments, but it's so Beautiful and natual. So we have 2 choices...
a)Wear it and don't care
b)don't wear it

I choose to wear what the hell i want to wear.

I used to think the rainbow stickers and patches I collected years ago were awesome and beautiful and when I came to understand that GLBT use it to represent themselves... Don't they have enough (no insult intended) symbols, such as the pink triangle, the color purple, etc? Unfortuately the 'innocence' of the rainbow is somehow lost... and that's ok, just not as appreciated as much for just its colorfulness (rather now it's about GLBT)

Rainbow coloured items have never bothered me in regards of being labelled as a lesbian. I would just go on my own business and enjoy wearing rainbow coloured clothes or collect rainbow stuff, and so forth.

WaterRats13 said:

Rainbow coloured items have never bothered me in regards of being labelled as a lesbian. I would just go on my own business and enjoy wearing rainbow coloured clothes or collect rainbow stuff, and so forth.

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That's probably cuz you're in another country. If you were here in America, then that's a different story.

This got similar to one I heard from my friend that a straight guy who loves the bears so much. He created the screen name and email address with a word - bear on it. Some guys mistook him as hairy, gay man. This guy had no choice but force to remove “bear.” He thinks it is unfair.

Kool Aid Acid said:

This got similar to one I heard from my friend that a straight guy who loves the bears so much. He created the screen name and email address with a word - bear on it. Some guys mistook him as hairy, gay man. This guy had no choice but force to remove “bear.” He thinks it is unfair.

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Same here... one of my old good friend in high school loves pink, so one day he decide to dye his goatee pink which look cool and far out... but some students called him fag so he got furious and end up shaved his goatee off... The conclusion, our class objected about that issue insulting people so we got the principal's permission to ask all high school students to audience to discuss that insulting's not right and can end up something wrong just like to my old friend. They end up apologized to this guy but still, people should think twice about it before mistook someone for something no matter what they like...

vampy guess what she still wore rainbow in usa and still doesn't bother her, its not abt where u are from and where u are at the location isn't the issue here, as for the rainbow my sister collects rainbow and says screw the poeple who thinks shes a lesbain cuz she and she alone knows who she is and not what others thinks! we don't need to to the people who discriminates saying its unfair the simple thing u can do is if u want to collect rainbows go for it no one is stopping u, and as for them saying we're stealing it let them think it cuz we have a reason behind the rainbow and its symbol, BUT, its not JUST for the GBLT in my opioion its for everyone and to let them be themselves don't need to listen to other poeple who berates the straight poeple for buying a rainbow sticker or flags, they could do it for thier kids and not feel ashamed abt it, cuz there is NOTHING to be ashamed abt it....

koolaidacid, the guy that was mistook for a hairy gay guy shouldn't have to be forced to remove his SN and his e mail address, if he loves bears then by all means KEEP it don't listen to the other poeple and if they mistook it its all on them and not on the guy......... they should have just HUSHED cuz many of the sns are discreet enuff to hide if thier a GBLT or if thier stright and loves something thats a singificant to the gays and lesbains LET them LOVE it cuz its still free world and no one is stopping them from loving thier fave things! simple said but would it be heeded?

exactly PDP! i agree! insulting doesn't solve plms let them love thier fave things for themselves not be ridculed or put down poeple who don't understand it are the poeple who aren't educated!

javapride said:

vampy guess what she still wore rainbow in usa and still doesn't bother her, its not abt where u are from and where u are at the location isn't the issue here, as for the rainbow my sister collects rainbow and says screw the poeple who thinks shes a lesbain cuz she and she alone knows who she is and not what others thinks! we don't need to to the people who discriminates saying its unfair the simple thing u can do is if u want to collect rainbows go for it no one is stopping u, and as for them saying we're stealing it let them think it cuz we have a reason behind the rainbow and its symbol, BUT, its not JUST for the GBLT in my opioion its for everyone and to let them be themselves don't need to listen to other poeple who berates the straight poeple for buying a rainbow sticker or flags, they could do it for thier kids and not feel ashamed abt it, cuz there is NOTHING to be ashamed abt it....

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It does bother people to wear rainbow stuff. It's their personal feelings that are at stake. Imagine this happening...

I ignore the rainbow rumors and wear a rainbow shirt. Suddenly, all the gays swarm after me and try hitting on me. They try asking me out. I then tell them that I'm straight. What if they get mad at me for wearing a rainbow shirt and giving them false ideas. They tell their friends about me. I become the most hated person on campus by all gays. Now, a straight person comes up to me. He then sees me wearing that shirt. He decides to tell his friends that I'm a fag. His friend then spreads the word saying that I'm gay. Soon, all the straight guys think I'm gay. The women? They will think I'm gay and think it's cute because a lot of gals like being friends with gays. When that happens, I'll never get a chance to date them because they think I'm gay. As for the lesbians, those are probably the only ones who will end up being my friends.

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Sound stupid? Well, it's already happened to a guy here on campus. He spent 2 years being single. He could never date any women or get any with any women. Now, he's gone... and striving to restore his straight image.

It's a personal thing, especially among the deaf community. I'm sure that it would be a small problem through the hearing community, but with deafs, it's a big problem.

The next question is, why rainbow? Why not stick with purple? Why stick with pink? Why add all the colors? My friend last week just got insulted because he had a old 80's Pink Floydd poster.



No, he's not gay. That was not the only time, he was insulted about it many times in the past. Now, he's just rolled it up and put it away.

As for the woman I mentioned above. She's a strong advocator for GLBT and an advisor for a GLBT organization here. She agreed that the rainbow should not have been taken like that. What's your opinion on that statement?

I found this on the web...

The Rainbow Flag, created in 1978 for San Francisco's Gay Freedom Celebration by Gilbert Baker, depicts not the shape of the rainbow, but its colors in horizontal stripes. The Rainbow Flag has been adopted as the Gay and Lesbian flag. It represents the diversity yet unity of Gays and Lesbians universally.

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Should we sue this guy?

Of course, I meant this in a sarcastic way.

Exactly, it represents the diversity of the community, but personally, I think the rainbow motif is a bit overused by the gay and lesbian community. Rainbow should be the motif of everyone on this planet, because this planet is diverse. I don't use any rainbow stickers or flags, and whatever.

Also, the pink triangle has an ominous past. It reminds us of the gay and lesbian people killed in the concentration camps in Nazi Europe. Maybe some people do not want to be associated with that? I really don't know...

Oddily enough, the city where I live, Provo, is a Mormon stronghold and home to the Brigham Young University, a Mormon university. And what does Provo have on its flag? It has a very modern looking thick black word "Provo" with a rainbow stripe under it. I see it everywhere in this city, and sometimes I do think it is funny. In any case, if this city didn't care about the association of the rainbow stripe to the gay and lesbian community, then you guys shouldn't.

VamPyroX said:

A friend of mine brought this up during a meeting last year.When she said that, someone else in the meeting who is an advocator for GLBT and a lesbian herself humbly agreed and too wishes that rainbows never became part of the GLBT pride.

I agree with this in a way... not to insult or degrade anyone. I used to like rainbow stuff when I was younger. I would collect holographic images because they were silver with rainbow outlines of various objects. I even had rainbow suspenders cuz I liked Mork from Mork & Mindy (a 80's television show). Now, they make fun of Mork and say he was a gay alien.

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Quote:
I ignore the rainbow rumors and wear a rainbow shirt. Suddenly, all the gays swarm after me and try hitting on me. They try asking me out. I then tell them that I'm straight. What if they get mad at me for wearing a rainbow shirt and giving them false ideas. They tell their friends about me. I become the most hated person on campus by all gays. Now, a straight person comes up to me. He then sees me wearing that shirt. He decides to tell his friends that I'm a fag. His friend then spreads the word saying that I'm gay. Soon, all the straight guys think I'm gay. The women? They will think I'm gay and think it's cute because a lot of gals like being friends with gays. When that happens, I'll never get a chance to date them because they think I'm gay. As for the lesbians, those are probably the only ones who will end up being my friends. Quote


Yes, same with me, when I was younger, I used to love rainbow and wore rainbow jumper, socks, etc but now I won't buy it. eg, if you wear a Nun/Priest clothes, people will think your relgious and so forth.

Also, I bought a purple Teletubby for my daughter in 1998, until she found out what it is real meaning, she don't want it anymore she threw it out!!

kuifje75 said:

Also, the pink triangle has an ominous past. It reminds us of the gay and lesbian people killed in the concentration camps in Nazi Europe. Maybe some people do not want to be associated with that? I really don't know...

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Really, its new to me, Red triangle badge from Nazi concentration camps to let everyone know they are Jewish people, but I never heard of pink triangle for lesbian and gay people in WW2. I went to concentration camp museum in Germany twice and know the fact.

RedRum said:

Really, its new to me, Red triangle badge from Nazi concentration camps to let everyone know they are Jewish people, but I never heard of pink triangle for lesbian and gay people in WW2. I went to concentration camp museum in Germany twice and know the fact.

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http://www.pink-triangle.org/

Some Jewish persons tend to gloss over the fact that there were other victims, not just jewish.

In short, anyone who was "unnatural" and that may have included deaf people as well.

RedRum said:

Really, its new to me, Red triangle badge from Nazi concentration camps to let everyone know they are Jewish people, but I never heard of pink triangle for lesbian and gay people in WW2. I went to concentration camp museum in Germany twice and know the fact.

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Red triangles were not used for Jewish people. Rather, the yellow stars were used for them. Red triangles were used for political prisoners.

Go to this link to see the meanings of all the badges used in concentration camps in WWII. There, you will see the pink triangle too.

http://ddickerson.igc.org/dachau-badges.html

Not only Jews were victim of the Holocaust. Many other groups of people perished in the concentration camps, such as homosexuals, Roma-Sintis/Gyspies, political prisoners, religious prisoners, etc...

dhw5320 said:

In short, anyone who was "unnatural" and that may have included deaf people as well.

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Deaf people did not perish in concentration camp because of their disablity. Rather, they underwent forced sterilization to prevent deaf genetics from passing down.

he NAZI Cabinent on July 31, 1933, only a few months after seizing power, ordered compulsory sterilization for blind, deaf, and deformed people as well as individuals suffering from mental disorders. One of the first new laws passed by the NAZIs in 1933 was "The Law for the Prevention of Genetically Deformed Offspring". These laws were not aimed at Jews, but at Aryan children and adults. Instituionalized individuals were the most ready targets, but children still in their parents care were also affected by this order. Here the retarded were special targets. Herreditary Courts were set up all over Germany to considerthe cases of individual reported, often by the family doctor. The NAZIs with the often enthusiastic assistance of German doctors and health-care wokers. Doctors were asked to help identify the carriers of herrditary disorders. NAZI laws gave doctors the right to order compulsory sterilization. Patients files were no longer confidential and could be used against a person in NAZI courts. German health care workers proceeded to sterilize both the phsically disabled and mentally ill in an effort to eliminate heridary deseases. One estimate suggests that by the beginning of World War II in 1939, about 320,000 Germans had been sterilized.

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from: http://histclo.hispeed.com/essay/war/ww2/cou/ger/w2g-eug.html

Deaf people were among those who were killed by the Nazis during the time--some because they were Jews, others because as congenitally deaf people they were considered "defective" and "biologically inferior." Others carried the shame of being sterilized, while some were Nazi sympathizers who did not understand the impact of what was happening to other deaf people around them. Some escaped before the sterilizations and killings began. Others survived the ghettos and concentration camps of Germany, Poland, and Hungary.

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from: http://clerccenter.gallaudet.edu/worldaroundyou/holocaust/holocaust-gt.html

Really?
Pink badge for gay/ lesbians? This is a new to me.
Jewish & polities?

I never heard about this.

As far as I know that jews have 3 different color badge = red, yellow & white. It mean is belongs which camps in different area they were put in.
The jewish policities are strictly forbid during Nazi time...
The jewish married to German also strictly forbid, too...

Yes, of course many deaf jewishs were there, too. We received their stories & their proofs...
but it´s not only deaf but foriegeners too...
One of them were shot to dead because he can´t hear Nazi´s call.

None of Nazi know that they are deaf... They (hearing & deaf) kept quiet... No sign languages without Nazi around...

Are sunflowers recognized as a symbol for lesbians? I ask because I purchased a sunflower magnet for my fridge and my boyfriend insisted it was a lesbian symbol. I pooh poohed the idea and put it up anyway.

I received an interesting answer from different sides between 80 years old deaf lady & others today at Deaf Club.

A lady said that she didn´t know about pink badge for gay/lesbians? but others said yes, it´s true.
I´m surprised because it´s new to me & my husband. We also went to concentration camps in Dachsau, too but we didn´t receive any information over gays/lesbian there. My husband is a German like others didn´t know anything about pink badge.. Interesting !!!

As what I stated before about the 3 different color badge is correct but I receive an information from them today the reason why they have different color badge.

RED = polities hostitiy (hate Hilter etc)
YELLOW = Jewish
WHITE/BLACK = criminals & foriegners, gypies, etc.


Kuiji75, thank you for add the interesting website...


RAINBOW...
Honsetly, it doesn´t bother me really. I like to wear any color clothes during summer time. I don´t care what the people think but ME! I wear what I like....