Why armchair allies should stop waving the rainbow flag on Facebook

[quote]Politicians were guilty, too. President Obama’s Facebook and Twitter pages displayed “Love Wins” messages on the day of the Supreme Court ruling, even though the president was against same-sex marriage until a few years ago (at least publicly). And Hillary Clinton’s Facebook page was awash in rainbow-themed regalia on Friday, her 2016 presidential campaign “H” logo overlain with the pride rainbow. Left unsaid on her Facebook page was the fact that she actively advocated against same-sex marriage until two years ago.

Also, it looks like facebook were using the displaying of rainbow flags to spy on the 26 million people who did so:

tl;dr

Ice bucket challenge.

You cannot control how people interpret or spread a message.

Rainbow shit has hit the masses. y

Give me a rainbow-flag waving ally over an enemy anyday. Better that someone supports gay rights late and/or half-assed than not at all.

Let's keep our attention on the real problems: homophobia, discrimination, bullying, violence etc. We have bigger fish to fry than rainbow flags on Facebook, hon.

Um, why, exactly should we be upset that millions of people are supporting a decision that is very controversial in many places, and some of our elected officials are trying to defy? Do you think this battle is completely over?

This is making a problem where there isn't one. The real problem is homophobia.

[quote]Let's keep our attention on the real problems: homophobia, discrimination, bullying, violence etc.

...and homelessness, harassment, suicide. That was the main point of the article. As covered in the first two paragraphs I quoted. There is a problem in the fact that to a majority of these "allies" the passing of gay marriage is the be-all and end-all of gay rights. [italic]Love has won![/italic] But there's still a great deal of homophobia enshrined in the law. And these are laws which will affect far more gay people than those who want to get married. It's nice that 26 million people can feel that they are part of social history by putting a digital rainbow flag on their FB profiles, though. I'm glad for them; but it's not political or social activism.

[quote]tl;dr

Was it the words that were too long, dear? Or the four small paragraphs?

[quote]The real problem is homophobia.

But LOVE HAS WON! *waves rainbow flag*

You can't expect 26 million people who aren't gay all to be Larry Kramers. Accept their support graciously. And keep up the fight.

[quote]Was it the words that were too long, dear? Or the four small paragraphs?

The article is dumb. End of story.

More BS from the Sisters of the Perpetually Offended.

Thanks, R1. Interesting.

Oh please tell the author to shut the fuck up.

As if the only people allowed to celebrate gay marriage are the one who advocated it from the beginning. Most gays wouldn't even fit in that category.

We won this battle by enlisting our straight allies. Let them celebrate too.

I can't imagine what my youth would have been like with this level of support from the mainstream.

I don't think that the majority of the people on FB who changed their profile pic are claiming to be "agents of change," but rather supporters of it.

History will remember the real fighters. In the present, why disparage the passive supporters?

I have a lovely Rainbow Connection with Kermit.

And, BTW, fellas, I'm considered a top contender for the lead role in the Lifetime Movie " Call Me Caitlyn!"

Some people can't just enjoy it when something good happens. Debbie Downers.

Let's break this down.

A 26-year old claims that he's upset that so many, including the White House, display the rainbow flag because they didn't "participate" in the movement for equality. He particularly complains about President Obama for being against same-sex marriage "until" a few years ago. And yet he has no argument for how the President's support for same-sex marriage turned the black vote around within months, how he, leading the Executive, refused to defend DOMA, and supported marriage equality as it went to the Supreme Court.

He assumes that all sorts of straight people had "nothing to do" with our movement, though he has no idea what they did in supporting gay people to their friends, changing opinions, donating to causes, etc. Nor does he seem to grasp that JOINING a movement at a time when a segment of the country bitterly hates us means that the movement is not over, so all help should be welcomed.

The way he describes how as a child in NYC he identified with the rainbow flag knowing it would be a symbol of his future pain as a gay man (invoking all those who were imprisoned and tortured... not him, of course) shows that diva to be a self-centered prick.

The author of this sounds exhausting.

I saw the rainbows on FB as a celebration. Yes, there is more to be done, but this decision was huge. I'm glad to see so many people stand up and celebrate with us, despite how much a rainbow profile is going to piss off their conservative friends/family.

Hell, I didn't change my Facebook profile until I saw that my two sons had already done it within 6 hours of the SCOTUS ruling.

Oops. To clarify, it's not that I wouldn't have changed it anyway. We were out celebrating early in the afternoon and I just hadn't done it yet.

It makes me smile to read that the majority of DLers aren't negative nancies like the author of this piece and the OP. I would imagine that the large number of "armchair allies" will also aid in effecting change in the areas which still need work such as job protection.

You got your precious marriage rights. Stop whining. We're sick of your demands.

Op is quite right. Unless somebody has lived and died for the cause from day one of the struggle for recognition and equality, they have no right to co-opt the rainbow flag to enhance their image as "enlightened".

The author is just fearful that gays and straight allies believe that we have overcome and that marriage equality was the end all be all. He appears to think that gays and straight allies are choosing to ignore the less warm and fuzzy aspects of lgbt discrimination. I don't necessarily think he is trying to be negative or unappreciative I think he just wants to remind people that there still work to be done and don't start feeling content.

I preferred it when people could just be honest about not liking us instead of being forced to pretend to be an ally.

Everything is so fake and corporate now.

Many passive supporters were also praising DMX this weekend, not even bothering to mention that he rapped about shooting gay people up in several songs. That apparently just wasn't very important to these "advocates".

Cardi B also told someone to "suck a dick" this past week as an attempt to insult someone . Because being gay is still apparently something to be ashamed of.

Isn't this era supposed to be about having honest conversations? Why can we have them about everything else except homophobia?

When are we finally going to admit that a lot of straight people are comfortable to a certain extent with homophobia?

Cardi B