Rainbow Poppy Draws Criticism
November 13, 2018Doncaster Pride posted an image of a rainbow poppy to commemorate the contributions of LGBT+ soldiers for Remembrance Day, the post has since been removed following intense internet backlash, the Doncaster Free Press reports.
The post soon went viral, with many criticising the addition of the gay pride colours.
“Why not just leave the poppy symbol alone and respect it! It doesn’t need to have rainbows on it to include the LGBT community!” wrote Jimmy Cording.
“It's not a day for politics or political statements - it's a day when the nation gives thanks and remembers those who made the ultimate sacrifice to keep tyranny at bay and should not be hijacked by minority groups to gain publicity. Reprehensible!” John Barley said.
“On what level is Remembrance Day about sexuality? Absolutely no need whatsoever. The fallen gave their lives for all. To use this for someone's own agenda is distasteful in the extreme. If that makes me sound homophobic, then so be it,” posted Tim Neill.
Not everyone was against the rainbow addition, some commenters even supported it.
“As long as they remember who cares. Never forget what Alan Turing did for this country and the shocking way the government treated him,” Stephen Hermida pointed out.
“There are poppies of all different colours to represent different things. There would have been plenty of lgbtq+ members in the armed forces even though they would have been hiding themselves. This is a lovely way to show respect to all soldiers whilst showing respect to their own community,” added Laura Davidson.
The image originates from LGBT+ poet Trudy Howson in 2016, she wrote: “The rainbow poppy is a campaign I’m running to bring attention to the brave soldiers who died for our country during WWI at a time when their sexuality was still criminalised.”
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