New Petition Calls For The NHS symbol to change from the LGBT+ Pride flag

A new petition calls for the change of the symbols for the NHS from the LGBT+ pride flag. More and more people are displaying rainbows in the U.K. as a sign of support and solidarity for key workers and NHS staff. Some brands have also begun using the six-stripe LGBT+ pride flag and shops are selling it, keeping it as it was created back in the 80’s by LGBT+ activist Gilbert Baker, as ‘Thank You NHS’ flags.

The pride flag was created as a symbol filled with hope to counter ‘Pink Triangles’, a symbol used as a community symbol from Nazi death camps.

Bella McMonagle, a sixteen-year-old girl from Northern Ireland has started a petition calling for a change in the symbol for the NHS.

“I and thousands of other LGBT+ people in this country feel like they are having their history erased – both young and the old members of the community. I thought someone should speak up and do something about it,” she tells ‘Forbes’.

“I know, and my online supporters all agree that we love and respect what the NHS workers are doing for us. We aren't blaming them at all for our flag being ‘rebranded.'

“It's the fact that now there some homophobic people flying the symbol, which we used and we have fought to be able to use, claiming that it isn't our symbol.

“People like us have been attacked for simply even wearing that flag and when you see the very people who have hurled abuse at you flying your flag it just doesn't sit right with a lot of us.

“What the NHS is doing is amazing – they deserve their own symbol, not one that has been stolen from the LGBT+ community,” Bella adds.

“There could be so many replacements for what people could use as the NHS symbol. Maybe a blue flag with the letters NHS on it, a full 7 coloured rainbow flag, a white flag with an actual image of a rainbow on it, a flag with the NHS colours (blue and white).

“Yes we can't take all the rainbow for ourselves we don't own it. But the six colours flag has been synonymous with LGBT+ pride since 1978, and we will fight not to be erased.”

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