With June’s annual pride parades cancelled due to lockdown restrictions, and many young LGBTQ+ people in uncomfortable or dangerous situations whilst stuck at home with homophobic family members, the need for a sense of pride is all the more essential.
Pretending that the rainbow represents the NHS, to the exclusion of everything else, is damaging Heaven forbid we remember you can be gay and a medic. Doing so also treats the NHS and the LGBTQ+ community as two separate entities. However, this does not need to be a zero-sum game, and pretending that the rainbow represents the NHS, to the exclusion of everything else, is damaging. The rainbow displays seen everywhere this summer have been a lovely way for people to show their appreciation and support for those who provide us with essential healthcare. So much can be conveyed through its simplicity. It is in moments such as these, that the pride symbol is invaluable. They are not ones for being overtly affectionate, but the symbol allowed them to show their love and support without the need for words. The next time my uncle, aunt, and family came round, they brought with them a cheesecake, one which they had made a rainbow out of sweets. Last Easter I came out as gay to my extended family. Easier to forget, though, are its array of subtler uses.
Many people know that the pride symbol can be a crucial indicator of whether a public place is a safe area to be openly out in or not. It is too essential, both for those who are part of the LGBTQ+ community, and anyone else who is an ally. The rainbow should not stop being the symbol for gay pride unless it has an adequate replacement. We cannot eradicate pride until we have eradicated shame We cannot eradicate pride until we have eradicated shame. However, we are not there yet, and you cannot leapfrog crucial steps in the process of progress.
A world in which we no longer make copious assumptions about each other, and in which we are free to live a life that is authentic to ourselves, rather than constrained and diminished by societal pressure. I agree that the ideal future would be one in which people do not need labels. Sadly, I feel this feeds into the narrative of people questioning why pride is needed and the idea that gay people already have equality, and so creating LBGTQ+ only events simply serves to create more divisions. Or worse still, are willfully erasing its position as the symbol for pride. I do not think there is anything intrinsically wrong with the rainbow being used throughout this pandemic, however, it appears as if we have all suffered from collective amnesia. However, the symbol of LGBTQ+ pride has been the rainbow flag since 1978. Rain and sunshine predate the existence of human beings. I am not claiming that gay people invented the rainbow. As demonstrated by Paul Hollywood’s comments, the use of the rainbow to represent the NHS has overtaken its prior symbolism for gay pride in such a comprehensive way, that it is hard to imagine the pride flag ever holding the same weight again. This, however, has not come without its side-effects. Rainbow displays have added colour to our darkest days and have helped to create a sense of camaraderie when we needed it most. Rainbows have been used throughout the pandemic as a symbol of hope and gratitude for the NHS. When discussing his choice, he said ‘I think the rainbow colours for me, although it originated over in the States, I think it represents the NHS.’ I believe that many viewers will have agreed with Hollywood’s comment. This week on The Great British Bake Off Paul Hollywood set rainbow bagels as the technical challenge.