Rainbow/Queer Flags/Bumper Stickers--Yes/No?

[Soon]

Stemming from Princess Belle's thread, do you make it VISIBLY obvious within your community/neighborhood that you are part of the LGBTQ community?

[The_Lady_Snow]

I do in Ohio.....

I have not here in Florida, it's kinda scary here.

[dixie]

I live in a very small town where even the Klan still runs rampant. I don't give a fuck. My car has a small rainbow bar under the license plate and a large rainbow ribbon on the back. My truck had TONS of rainbow and femme pride stickers all over the back window and tailgate. I am ME and I am proud of who I am. If someone has a problem with it, I will deal with it when the problem arises. *shrug*
:LGBTQFlag::leatherflag:

[Corkey]

We have a very faded B-F sticker, and not too many folks up here actually know what it is. If we had a rainbow flag I'd like to fly it.

[Isadora]

I had one in MN and a bunch of college age Iowa students tried to run me off the interstate.

Stupid boys. Can we say CELL PHONE? I took down their plates. The HP caught them down the road with white paint from my car on their bumper. I knew, trained and worked with every cop in southern MN. And more important than knowing me, they liked me.

Don't fuck with the witch. I have four stickers on my car:
two leather flags, one Pagan Wheel of the Year, an Oakland Raiders one and
rainbow words that say This is beyond Gay.

[Diva]

My rainbow bar has faded.....and I need a new one.....

I'm not afraid to put one on the Mom~Mobile AT ALL. Oh PLEASE try to run me off the road....PLEASE! I would SOOOOOOO love to get my inner rage off on some idiotic frat brats!

:eyebat:

[ravfem]

i admit i'm a bumper sticker ho. LOVE them!

When i first figured out i was gay, i made my own sticker for my back window. Later i found the gay store and spent almost $50 the first trip on bumper stickers alone.

Then i discovered Northern Sun (http://www.northernsun.com/n/s/home/stickers.html) and thought i'd died & gone to heaven! Unfortunately, one of my favorite ones ("Don't assume I share your prejudices") is one that fades pretty quickly, so i tend to stock up on them.

http://www.northernsun.com/images/imagelarge/Don't-Assume-Prejudices-Bumper-Sticker-(5435).jpg

One that i can't find anymore ~ "A world of wanted children would make a world of difference".

When Bush was president, i had this one:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v456/socialpest/FPres.jpg


Some i've had or do have:
"Christianity is a cult with more members"
"If ignorance is bliss why aren't more people happy?"
"How will I know i misbehaved if she doesn't punish me?"
"Speak your mind even if your voice shakes"
"That's ok, I wasn't using my civil rights anyway"

With the car i drive now, i only put them on the windows (i live with an auto body repair/painter person who is soooooo down on bumper stickers because of the damage to the paint) so i have to rotate them more often. i always have at least one queer, one peace sign and one leather/kink sticker.

my car has been spit on (while i was sitting in it!) and had plenty of dings from other car doors being slammed into mine. It's all good. :nixon:

Did i mention i kinda sorta like stickers?

:hippie:

[Gemme]

I have a small rainbow pin on the inside visor of my car, as well as a little doohickey on my key chain and a rainbow colored tassle hanging from my rearview mirror (although it's very faded since I've had it since high school).

There's nothing on the outside of the car though. I don't feel it's necessary.

[cane]

Don't have a car, just a beautiful scooter and there's no room for any bumper stickers on my baby.

And besides that, I'm a walking pride flag all by myself.

[Soon]

I did something shameful.

I would sometimes drive to the closest major city that had a large queer community (multiple times) with my rainbow sticker on (it was one where you can just peel it off) and took it off when I drove back home to my smaller town.

I work for a Catholic School Board. (which is actually PUBLICLY funded due complicated reasons). I still burn with redness that I actually reached back and peeled it off before I hit my city--my apt. was very close to my school at the time.

There's more shame than that but I wanted to share that feeling of peeling off the sticker--when I had my first queer relationship--so NO ONE would KNOW that I had a female lover.

Thanks for sharing your stories of rainbow/queer stickers or visible signs of being part of the LGBTQI community. :)

[princessbelle]

I bought a rainbow license plate today. Haven't put in on yet. A little afraid to. But I want to.... Just gotta consider everything before i do. Jeeze this really pisses me off that i even have to THINK about it....

so F'in unfair...but it is what it is.

[Rockinonahigh]

When I had the big huge suv It lookes like the main advertisement for gay pride...Once I was goign to Ft Worth for a horse show at the john justin aren a and some hot shot cowboy thought he was going to bull shit me so he made a driveing pass at my suv..All I did was peel backwards at 50mpr burning rubber..faced him head on...then as this happened at night..fliped on all the lights on the suv.Now folks im talking this thing lights up like a christmas tree on steroids....I dared him to take another run at me...all I saw was his tail lights as he left the complex.The next day I saw his truck with a ft.worth police car behind it fixing to impound it.Now that I have this fancy cadi I havent any stickers at all on it at all,after all when I get in or out of it there isnt any doubt im a big ole butch queer.

[christie]

I did something shameful.

I would sometimes drive to the closest major city that had a large queer community (multiple times) with my rainbow sticker on (it was one where you can just peel it off) and took it off when I drove back home to my smaller town.

I work for a Catholic School Board. (which is actually PUBLICLY funded due complicated reasons). I still burn with redness that I actually reached back and peeled it off before I hit my city--my apt. was very close to my school at the time.

There's more shame than that but I wanted to share that feeling of peeling off the sticker--when I had my first queer relationship--so NO ONE would KNOW that I had a female lover.

Thanks for sharing your stories of rainbow/queer stickers or visible signs of being part of the LGBTQI community. :)

HSIN -

Please don't look at your actions as something to be ashamed of - heaven knows we carry enough of that crap.

I think we have all, at one time or another, had to compromise or live with some type of secrecy in order to survive. We have folks such as myself who tried, however successfully or unsuccessfully, to live the het life planned/expected of us. We have male ID'd butches who don skirts or other feminine attire to conform to workplace expectations and I don't believe these things should be judged. At the end of the day, we do what we have to do, at the time. Until the world catches up, I don't see some of the personal compromises going away.

Ain't no room for shame in your game!

... end derail

[SassyLeo]

About 10-12 years ago, I had this sticker on my 1986 VW Golf:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4038/4317652127_d8066d9016_z.jpg

I hadn't "come out" yet, but my parents are queer and I had been involved in alot of activism with my father. Several people at my job asked why I had it. I was sort of teased about it (not in an obnoxious way, but I just grew tired of the "winks"), so I removed it from my car.

I had a small rainbow cling at one point on car I had about 5 years ago, but it faded...and I never replaced it.

I live in in Portland, OR. And before that, Santa Cruz, CA. Both are VERY liberal and SUPER queer. Recently we had a couple of gay bashings (men) and it has made people more cautious about displays of queerness, however rainbow flags are still everywhere.

I think, for me, because my community is so queer and we are so intermingled amongst straight folks (neighborhoods, work, etc)... it just isn't a big deal to make sure it is "known".

[Random]

Nope..

I haven't found one that screamed.. *OWN ME*

I used to have a rainbow MOM on the old car, but that just doesn't speak to me any more..

On the jeep I have my austin cherry bomb sticker and the louieville hellcats..

grin.. I wish I had my favorite bumper sticker.. It was clear and straight to the point... I never ever got tail gated..

It said

MUTANT... keep back 300 feet...

[betenoire]

I did something shameful.

I would sometimes drive to the closest major city that had a large queer community (multiple times) with my rainbow sticker on (it was one where you can just peel it off) and took it off when I drove back home to my smaller town.

I work for a Catholic School Board. (which is actually PUBLICLY funded due complicated reasons). I still burn with redness that I actually reached back and peeled it off before I hit my city--my apt. was very close to my school at the time.

There's more shame than that but I wanted to share that feeling of peeling off the sticker--when I had my first queer relationship--so NO ONE would KNOW that I had a female lover.

Thanks for sharing your stories of rainbow/queer stickers or visible signs of being part of the LGBTQI community. :)

Seriously, I get that I can't make you feel unashamed but I really want you to know that I "get it" and that I don't think you need to feel shame.

I am a -huge- believer in self-preservation. I mean, you need to have your job to survive and not being harassed is one of the big keys to making the ONE THIRD of your week that is spent actually at work bearable. You deserve that. I deserve that. Everyone deserves that.

Sure, in an ideal world everybody can be totally open all the time AND be free from harassment. But we DO NOT LIVE in a perfect world. Not by a long shot.

My bestfag's boyfriend of (lawdy....12 years I think at least?) teaches at a Catholic highschool. So he compartmentalises. And I think that's fair and I think that's smart.

Ditto with me. Now that I live in a smaller and more conservative town I really put the feelers out at work before I said anything. TO THIS DAY there are coworkers of mine who do not know - because I have observed them to be assholes who would be cruel to me. The people at work who have become more than just coworkers know about Nick. My boss knows about Nick. The assholes do not need to know.

And while I do know that if they were to be cruel to me that my boss and the organisation that I work for would have my back - I would rather just not go there. That's bullshit that I do not need to deal with when all I really want in the whole world is to do my job and go home.

I do not consider myself closeted. I just don't talk about my personal life while I'm at work - ever. But then...I never really have even when I worked for an ASO (AIDS Service Organisation - lol) and the vast majority of my coworkers were Queer. My job is not where I go to get my social needs met. That's what bars, my family, and the internets are for. ;)

I -do- give a verbal smackdown to the asshole coworkers when they say shitty things about the LGBTIQ community. Just like I give them the verbal smackdown when they are racist or classist.

In the meantime....two years ago I contacted the higher-ups and demanded that they hold mandatory training about oppression and sensitivity and about Shit That Decent People Do Not Say. Most people got something out of it, even I did. And the people who didn't get something out of it - well. I already knew that they were assholes.

[The_Lady_Snow]

I did something shameful.

I would sometimes drive to the closest major city that had a large queer community (multiple times) with my rainbow sticker on (it was one where you can just peel it off) and took it off when I drove back home to my smaller town.

I work for a Catholic School Board. (which is actually PUBLICLY funded due complicated reasons). I still burn with redness that I actually reached back and peeled it off before I hit my city--my apt. was very close to my school at the time.

There's more shame than that but I wanted to share that feeling of peeling off the sticker--when I had my first queer relationship--so NO ONE would KNOW that I had a female lover.

Thanks for sharing your stories of rainbow/queer stickers or visible signs of being part of the LGBTQI community. :)


Thank you for sharing this with us, it has to be hard to open up and trust no one will judge you. I have not had to *hide* who I am in ages, I mean ages and I find myself in that predicament now.

I always ask Grant if it's cool to touch him, and hold his hand here. It's not like where I live and I have had to do a lot of readjusting. Potty said it best, self preservation comes first for me, though it is hard I know here it's down right dangerous, I can't tell you how many times G has come home from work after having some dick nugget throw a full can of beer at his head.

We have not had any violence towards us when together, we get the looks and well me being vocal I always say something. I don't know how it's going to be when it's a group of guys out queer bashing, cause here it happens.

I feel lost here sometimes, so your need to peel that sticker off was smart because sometimes, in some situations it's all about just making it through the next day.

[AtLast]

I did something shameful.

I would sometimes drive to the closest major city that had a large queer community (multiple times) with my rainbow sticker on (it was one where you can just peel it off) and took it off when I drove back home to my smaller town.

I work for a Catholic School Board. (which is actually PUBLICLY funded due complicated reasons). I still burn with redness that I actually reached back and peeled it off before I hit my city--my apt. was very close to my school at the time.

There's more shame than that but I wanted to share that feeling of peeling off the sticker--when I had my first queer relationship--so NO ONE would KNOW that I had a female lover.

Thanks for sharing your stories of rainbow/queer stickers or visible signs of being part of the LGBTQI community. :)

Nothing shameful here at all. Looks like surviving to me.

I no longer have any stickers on my vechiles at all and I live 25 minutes from San Francisco! The very same night that the butch in Richmond, CA (a couple of miles from my city) was kidknapped and gang raped, then left for dead, I had a piece of a heavy-duty wrench thrown at me while on the freeway. This was after the punks in the car got pissed at me for something on the road (have no idea). They were riding my butt and I had several queer related stickers on my truck. When they pulled beside me, I thought a gun was staring at my face.

Turned out that they had just entered the freeway at the exit near this where this woman was found. They fit the profile of two of the suspects and this occured at the time of the crime. I did call in the license (did not know about the rape at the time) and have been interviewed by the Richmond PD. These young men are intertwined in this crime.

If this happened to me where I live, I sure am not going to judge you or anyone in any negative light! I have learned that there is really no safe zone when it comes to homophobia.

[theoddz]

Well, I'm not a fan of bumper stickers in the first place....never have been. So, no, I don't have any bumper stickers on my truck.

I do have a license plate frame, but that says "Once A Marine, Always a Marine", and I'm not parting with that or even willing to consider replacing it with something else. I'm waaay too proud of that!!

I don't think I would want to advertise myself as being part of the GLBTQ community to just everyone, like a bumper sticker would do. In my own personal situation, gay guys (and that's how I would be perceived, in general) have a *LOT* more problems with physical threats, on the whole, from the young het male homophobe population, and those are the ones who usually pose the most physical threat. With my health issues and titanium knees, I couldn't much defend myself if cornered, and I sure couldn't outrun the danger, either.

So no, for safety reasons, I wouldn't advertise.

Respectfully,
~Theo~ :bouquet:

[betenoire]

Ditto to what the last three posters have said.

Stay Safe. Stay Sane.

[Soft*Silver]

I use to put alot of bumper stickers on my cars when I was more politically active. (I am still active, but not like I use to be.)

I have a very pretty champagne colored buick century with moon roof and leather interiors. I dont want to mess it up by adding bumper sitckers all over it. Back when I had them on my vehicle, I drove an old eddie bauer bronco type SUV. LOVED that car/truck!

My fav sticker was "get a taste of religion...lick a witch"

I didnt put up a gay flag this year because I didnt want to shame the gay community...my gardens and landscaping werent anywhere near finished! Next year I can add a rainbox flag!

my theme in the house is definitely primitive with a horse theme added to it...rainbows dont fit well with it but I would like a few things. I found my sun catchers and discovered the pink triangle one made the trip with me from PA to NY to PA to NH to Ohio...so its going up tomorrow...

but...I am not in OZ. And I have to remember I live by myself, am more fragile body wise than I ever have been and my town's motto is "Campbell....a town of many churches".

Yesterday, some city men came and began the tear down of the abandoned house next door to mine. I am all excited because they are tearing out shrubs and trees for me and they are giving them to me! But, I digress...

as we were talking, they told me theyfound a huge asst of jewelry making supplies in various bins. I expressed interest in them but he said he was giving them to his kids. A serious waste but I understand, and besides, I am getting shrubs and trees. Later that afternoon, he tells me I can have the jewelry supplies and his nose scrunched up...so I asked why he changed his mind...he said the people who lived there were weirdoes...

weirdoes??

yes...and he bent down and pulled off the ground several photos of drag queens showing off their outfits.

oh....heavy sigh....

he said he didnt want his kids playing with anything they might have touched. Who knows what they could catch from them.

Well now...

I started blurting out facts about HIV transmission and Hep transmission and how drag queens are not necessarily gay and that there was a difference between drag queens and female impersonators (and he broke in and said "yeah well there were two of them living here together!") and how they are the least violent of neighbors in neighborhoods and that once someone starts competing, its like any other beauty pageant, alot of money could be made and that alot of them donated to my HIV housing units I ran and helped put on fund raisers for the HIV camp for kids and they actualy said "awwww....that was nice of them!"...

so I made the weirdoes into nice guys....

but that tells me the city I live in is more rainbow phobic than I am used to.

So since I am older, more frail and live alone, I will put up the gay flag but not burn a wedding dress in my front yard....

[Sparkle]

I live in the type of place where one's liberal-ness is de rigueur.
My car has a rainbow sticker cross the back window. I am one among many.
My city is brimming with Queers, or Queer-Allies.

It is *shocking* if we (collective we) see a car or home with obvious right wing stickers/banners/flags; or a person of that persuasion.

I live in a liberal-bubble & I like it.

I can (sometimes) have a whole day where I am oblivious to the injustice & discrimination that is common place in our country.

That benefit helps to get me through the miserable winter. :P

[girl_dee]

Well in one way I am not a flag waver.. Straight folks don't wave straight people flags so I don't feel a need to.. I feel the more we fit in mainstream the more accepted we will be..

In another way I loved having my lil rainbow stripe on the back of my 3rd light to bring visibility to QUEERS!!!!!

Discreet but visible.. yeah thats me!

[Nat]

I did something shameful.

I would sometimes drive to the closest major city that had a large queer community (multiple times) with my rainbow sticker on (it was one where you can just peel it off) and took it off when I drove back home to my smaller town.

I work for a Catholic School Board. (which is actually PUBLICLY funded due complicated reasons). I still burn with redness that I actually reached back and peeled it off before I hit my city--my apt. was very close to my school at the time.

There's more shame than that but I wanted to share that feeling of peeling off the sticker--when I had my first queer relationship--so NO ONE would KNOW that I had a female lover.

Thanks for sharing your stories of rainbow/queer stickers or visible signs of being part of the LGBTQI community. :)

I had a shame-peeling-off-rainbow-sticker moment too once. It's a long story, but that feeling really actually instructed me more than anything else about how I wanted to live my life.

[torchiegirl]

if ya like em, stick em, fly em, tie em!

[Nat]

currently I do have the hrc equal sign sticker on my van, but I'm not in love with it. I have had a few lovely "femme" stickers over the years. maybe it's time for a new one. :)

I live in a very strong military town in texas, and I often think about making a sticker that says, "I support ALL our troops" with the "all" being in pride colors. However, I do have a slight fear of getting myself kilt.

I do think it's helpful for others who are more closeted to know they aren't alone.

[Julie]

My first bumper sticker was in 1979 and said DYKE. I was pulled over (with my very butch girlfriend) and was asked by the cop what it meant. Bad place to be pulled over. I said, it stands for Dancing Youth Know Everything. He said, WOW that is great, my daughter is a dancer. I said... (cocky 17 year old I was) as he was letting me go and telling me to have a nice day (no ticket). I said, I am sorry, I lied - It really means, DYKE as in women loving women. He turned bright red and I said, thank you, have a nice day, officer.

I have a new (for me) car now and do not have anything on it. I have an ANGRY LESBIAN sticker I think I will put on.

Like others, I have lived in small towns, even with a large KKK presence. I have always been out and have always confronted the nastiness through kindness. Perhaps why I do the work I do. I love when I am called a nasty dirty name, it gives me the chance to dialog and perhaps educate someone.

[ComparedToWhom]

A few years ago while at a GLBTQQIA meeting I listened to a young person relate an experience where she was in near-crisis internally while coming out, feeling very alone, etc., and one day she happened to see a rainbow flag flying from a house near her school. She said she never knew who lived in the house the entire time she was in school but she somehow felt safer knowing someone who would understand her was nearby. I left the meeting, found the biggest rainbow flag I could on-line, and have had it waving off the front of the house ever since. I've met so many folks because of that flag.:LGBTQFlag:

I added a single sticker to every vehicle I own, including the two-wheeled ones. I have traveled just about every road in the US and Canada (seriously) and have NEVER had a single issue. Well, that's if you don't count the plethora of times I've passed a vehicle on my bike only to have the same vehicle speed back up and nearly run me off the road as all the same-sex occupants energetically waved, saluted, honked, thumbs-up, etc. :cheer:

CTW

[Laerkin]

Living in Virginia, not far from Fort Belvoir, Quantico, and Dahlgren, there have certainly been a number of hate crimes over the years.

During the Presidential election, two Marines assaulted a woman for simply having an Obama sticker on her car.

I had one on my car at the time and it certainly made me a little more aware of the target I had on my bumper in an area that is highly conservative and religious.

After a minor fender bender where I lost my rear bumper (and thus, my stickers), I recently decided to just throw caution to the wind and make a statement, haters be damned.

My license plate is now personalized and advertises to the world that yes, the owner is in fact a queer.

And I added a rainbow sticker (six little kitties) to my rear windshield.

The only time I've had anyone pause is when a few coworkers saw it (straight, conservative ones). But nothing untoward was said.

Like CTW, I mostly get other folks within the community speeding up or slowing down to take a peek at who's in the car and I smile and wave. I'm sure my "out"ness offends some of the people around here, but I think Virginia could use a little more queer.

On a side note, I do feel more pressure to drive respectfully. When I'm out on the country roads or in small town VA, I feel this odd responsibility to not drive like an asshole lest it gives some redneck one more excuse to hate gays. Is that weird?

[EnderD_503]

Well in one way I am not a flag waver.. Straight folks don't wave straight people flags so I don't feel a need to.. I feel the more we fit in mainstream the more accepted we will be..


Partially agree, partially disagree. I don't feel the need to put up a flag/sticker/patch/whatever, either.

I do like that stores/services put them up when they are geared toward the lgbt community or are trained/more aware in dealing with lgbt individuals than the average store.

I disagree on the comment of fitting into the mainstream, though. I've never fit into the mainstream when it comes to just about anything, and for me not putting up a flag has nothing to do with trying to be more mainstream or more accepted, but just that I see no point in it/no desire to do so for myself.

[AtLast]

OK, wondering if we have a bit of difference going on between Butches and Femmes with this (including all gender variations, thereof)? Talking overall, I see a few posts to the contrary, but a trend, too. Seems like (and for obvious reasons), butches may not be inclined to sticker our bumpers!

[scootebaby]

i have an HRC sticker on my front windshield above my sunpass--altho it is somewhat faded....i have never put stickers on my bumpers bc they are hard to get off. on my old car i had a thin rainbow stripe across top of rear window...i have never had any issues with my stickers or with the fact that i am butch....yeah i may get a double take or called sir,but i must be one of the luckiest bitches in the world bc i have never really dealt with much hate regarding my sexuality.

[AtLast]

i have an HRC sticker on my front windshield above my sunpass--altho it is somewhat faded....i have never put stickers on my bumpers bc they are hard to get off. on my old car i had a thin rainbow stripe across top of rear window...i have never had any issues with my stickers or with the fact that i am butch....yeah i may get a double take or called sir,but i must be one of the luckiest bitches in the world bc i have never really dealt with much hate regarding my sexuality.

Yup... lucky. And I am glad this is your experince.

[skeeter_01]

i fly my bumper stickers loud and proud...i've been very lucky though...no one has ever bothered me...
skeet

[rainintothesea]

I do have several stickers on my car... always been a bumper sticker person, I have to admit! Gay-wise, I have the HRC equals sign sticker, one that says "I <3 <3 - I support gay marriage" and a rainbow flag sticker, also. Oh, and it's not specifically gay-related, but I also have one of the old rainbow Apple logo stickers on there, too. The rest of my stickers are political. I think I've gotten more flak from the political stickers than anything else, really... but I have had people spit on my car, take pictures of it and once, someone drew an obscene picture on one of my windows with soap. Charming, right? But it just further cements my personal resolve not to be intimidated into changing the way I express myself.

[AtLast]

Yikes! I recently was threatened physically (and verbally) as a butch woman in a public dog park .... so, hell, bumper stickers were just not involved!

Who knows! There is just a lot of hate out there and although, it is sad, we do need to pay attention to our surroundings. I live in what some would call a queer mecca. Yeah, right! There are always pockets of hatred and people that will do violence.

[sylvie]

i don't drive, therefore no stickers on my car..
and i live in an apartment, therefore no flag on my home..

i do have rainbow items around my home.. i also wear a pride necklace and/or bracelet often.. so if people come into my home, they would see the things i have, as well as my 17 year old son's room (he's openly gay)..

i was gay bashed some years ago, here in my neighbourhood, and these gals tormented me for some time after, cops were involved, it was messy til they finally left me alone.. it's never stopped me from being proud of who i am, however.. i don't have the bumper stickers & visible flags to show the public, but i show my pride in who i am♥

[Scorp]

Nope, I'm actually private and don't advertise...

Unfortunately people pass judgement right away. I usually like for people to get to know me and my personality first. I will then eventually tell them about myself.

[Starbuck]

...Like others, I have lived in small towns, even with a large KKK presence. I have always been out and have always confronted the nastiness through kindness. Perhaps why I do the work I do. I love when I am called a nasty dirty name, it gives me the chance to dialog and perhaps educate someone.


I too am a hot head, how do you find it possible to confront it with kindness??

[Starbuck]

I'm interested, Laerkin, what does your personalized tag say??

[Soon]

I'm interested, Laerkin, what does your personalized tag say??

Living in Virginia, not far from Fort Belvoir, Quantico, and Dahlgren, there have certainly been a number of hate crimes over the years.

During the Presidential election, two Marines assaulted a woman for simply having an Obama sticker on her car.

I had one on my car at the time and it certainly made me a little more aware of the target I had on my bumper in an area that is highly conservative and religious.

After a minor fender bender where I lost my rear bumper (and thus, my stickers), I recently decided to just throw caution to the wind and make a statement, haters be damned.

My license plate is now personalized and advertises to the world that yes, the owner is in fact a queer.

And I added a rainbow sticker (six little kitties) to my rear windshield.

The only time I've had anyone pause is when a few coworkers saw it (straight, conservative ones). But nothing untoward was said.

Like CTW, I mostly get other folks within the community speeding up or slowing down to take a peek at who's in the car and I smile and wave. I'm sure my "out"ness offends some of the people around here, but I think Virginia could use a little more queer.

On a side note, I do feel more pressure to drive respectfully. When I'm out on the country roads or in small town VA, I feel this odd responsibility to not drive like an asshole lest it gives some redneck one more excuse to hate gays. Is that weird?


Here is where she answered!!

It seems you missed her response!

[HoneyedChrysanthemum]

i make it obvious that i am part of the LBGQT community! i always have a rainbow flag in my window. the last remark i got on that,however, was "ma'am, you sure do have a purty flag in yore window!" LoL when i drove, i always had a LBGQT emblem on my car. i even have the human rights emblem on my cane, along with the words, "butch, femme, queer" albeit they are prob so small that no-one can see them! i take pride in being part of this community and have always tried to subvert the dominant paradign!
pres :moonstars:

[Julien]

I am happy to say I have a rainbow sticker on my car. I live in a less than progressive southern city. So I don't see the rainbow sticker or any LGBT identifications out there. I am told they exist, but they must be far and few between. I am concerned about what would happen if a less than accepting individual made the connection of Pride Flag with LGBT, but I figured that in general they wouldn't know what it meant. When I lived in Milwaukee there were stickers and flags everywhere. Even the city flew the flag during the summer. What a site.:LGBTQFlag:

[morningstar55]

for years i have had some sort of rainbow sticker on my car... and now truck..
a small flag hangs from my passenger side visor and a sguiggle on my driver window.
i have never ever had any attacks of any kind made about them.

[Soon]

Apologies, Starbuck--I see now what you were asking in regards to Laerkin's personalized tags!

Thanks for responding to this thread everyone--I forgot about it!

:)

[bigbutchmistie]

I have a rainbow peace sign on my back window with a license plate holder that has a rainbow strip... I have been run off the road, shot at.. I will never stop being me because some idiot cant handle it... :)

[asphaltcowboi]

i dont put bumper stickers on just because... but i do have a sticker on the back of my helment. never been harrassed.. maybe im lucky.. but i have been harassed for my T shirt that says "my other ride is your mother" but i think anyone would!

http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu137/ASPHALTCOWBOI/jollyRogerSmall.gif

[Tommi]

OK, wondering if we have a bit of difference going on between Butches and Femmes with this (including all gender variations, thereof)? Talking overall, I see a few posts to the contrary, but a trend, too. Seems like (and for obvious reasons), butches may not be inclined to sticker our bumpers!
Wait...I do my windows versus my bumpers.

After putting my Pride stickers on my car I felt a sense of Pride. And a sense of community when people pull up and wave and smile.

Back window of my SUV has a row of tall palm trees in Pride colors. Beneath the palm trees is another sticker of people holding hands in Pride colors.

I live in an area where my Ex, who lives a mile away, had the HRC = signs shaved off the trash cans that were put outside for the garbage truck pick-up.

I live in an area where the gay bars were closed and people were bashed and arrested, and Anita Bryant marched in the 70's. Gay's say I live behind the Orange Curtain.

i live in an area where to be gay is not popular, and our Gay Pride events were not held for 7 years. BUT, we are coming back.

This year Orange County Pride held our first Gay Pride event at the Verizon Amphitheater. I was the Face Painter in the Children's Corner. and many adults wanted rainbow flags :LGBTQFlag:

This June I held the first ever LGBT Pride event at work. Gay Pride flags flew inside and outside a very large exposed Federal Building I work in. I had speakers from PFLAGG and Out and Equal. Attendance was huge and mostly straight folks with questions and sincerity about concerns for gay family members. I started a Diversity Committee, because, well, I knew I just did not want to die in silence. I grew up in a town that was silent and violent, and had a father who hated me for being gay. So, guess my time is now.

[Tommi]

i dont put bumper stickers on just because... but i do have a sticker on the back of my helment. never been harrassed.. maybe im lucky.. but i have been harassed for my T shirt that says "my other ride is your mother" but i think anyone would!

http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu137/ASPHALTCOWBOI/jollyRogerSmall.gif

I have similar shirt with great motorcycle on it.

...Says :

My Other Ride is Your Girl. which some one who posted above sent to me.;)

[1PlayfulFemme]

I have always had pride stickers on my cars. Partially, being femme, it helps me to not feel so invisible! The other part, for me at least, is that feeling of community that Tommi was talking about!

I live in a tiny lil town in the south. Like many here, the KKK runs rampant, hate mongers are all around. But they can't have my pride.

Currently, the truck has a rainbow basketball sticker (I have a sticker waiting to go on it that says Hate Is Not A Family Value). The Rav has several rainbows..we're a very gay friendly family *G*

[TIMBERWOLF]

I too have always had some sort of Rainbow on my trucks. I have a wolf howling with a rainbow background on my back window,I also have feathers with rainbow ribbon painted on my cane thanks to Morningstar.
My Lady WT, has rainbow palm trees

TIMBER

[TickledPink]

I have a cute little rainbow dog on my car.

http://www.lavenderlifestyles.co.uk/acatalog/2401small.jpg

[Greyson]

For most of my adult life my cars and trucks have sported rainbow decals of some sort. Up until I partnered with a mom. I struggle with how the child may be shamed, judged and/or shunned by her peers and closed minded adults. For this reason I do not put rainbow decals on my autos. I get the impression that some think Queer people go through life saying, " Hi I am so and so and my entire life and identity is about being Queer. Pleased to meet you."

[EnderD_503]

I get the impression that some think Queer people go through life saying, " Hi I am so and so and my entire life and identity is about being Queer. Pleased to meet you."

This is something I've been thinking a lot about, or maybe always have. I've never really been the "Hi my name is X and btw I'm queer how 'bout you?" type, only really seeing this as one part of my life and identity. But I'm finding that the longer I move through the world and come up against ignorance and resistance toward the lgbt community, the more I find that part of my life and identity comes to the forefront. It's certainly nowhere near being all there is to me, but the more the anger builds up against the ignorance I experience, the more that aspect of me becomes consciously visible.

It makes me think that perhaps many, even though resistant to being one of those you described above, are almost forced into being that way in part out of mounting irritation with the ignorance they encounter in every day life. This is a trait I consciously watch out for more and more, because I don't want to be so angry of a person that I feel the need to shove that rage down the throats of the ignorant, since I do think there are more productive ways of educating...at the same time you just find yourself wanting shatter limited world views.

[Brewcityboi]

I am happy to say I have a rainbow sticker on my car. I live in a less than progressive southern city. So I don't see the rainbow sticker or any LGBT identifications out there. I am told they exist, but they must be far and few between. I am concerned about what would happen if a less than accepting individual made the connection of Pride Flag with LGBT, but I figured that in general they wouldn't know what it meant. When I lived in Milwaukee there were stickers and flags everywhere. Even the city flew the flag during the summer. What a site.:LGBTQFlag:

Milwaukee is a great city. They fly the flags all down 1st and 2nd street, (the fruit loop as they fondly call it) even into parts of downtown all during june. Even the burger bar changes its logo to have a rainbow apostrophe. We're a very open minded city. Every time i've had a rainbow sticker on my car no one has had an issue with it. Every time i see one, i have to look and see who is inside. Most of my friends are gay and they all have their cars plastered with the fabulousness of rainbow stickers. :) Go mil-town!

[lipstixgal]

I have a rainbow peace sign on my back window with a license plate holder that has a rainbow strip... I have been run off the road, shot at.. I will never stop being me because some idiot cant handle it... :)

Seriously?? I don'T have anything on my car but should have a rainbow flag, my rabbi has a rainbow strip on her car and doesn't have any trouble at all not that I know of!!

[Rook]

A few things...

1- Snow, Amor, Chuleria, that just tickled me Pink ...in Ohio, you're all about the Bumper-Stickers, but Florida's scary ??....Damn...lol...That was priceless...

2- I honestly don't care who says what, it's my car...As long as it's not Illegal, fuck-em-all...I understand those who cannot Risk it, jobs, health....Life, in some narrowminded towns...
Believe me, I've been there, done that ....
Which is why I always carry a small box cutter, just in case a few bullies think they can actually overpower, Mace isn't as effective or Painful, and since in the state of Ohio "Hate Crime" Laws don't apply to gay & lesbians per se.....Better to be prepped...No?

Unfortunately, in the Town I currently live in, they {townies & most students} Equate rainbow with "tree-hugging" hippy-pot smokin' Radical Liberal...

My car has 4 stickers...

1- "My Ferret is Smarter than your Honor Student" with a few ferrets on it for emphasis...

2- "You are NOT alone" in white with a Rainbow in the background..

3- "Keep Honking, I'm Deaf" with 2 thumbs up..

4- "Can I vote on YOUR Marriage now? Civil Marriage IS a Civil Right"

[Soon]

Sooooooooo....I finally put up a small rainbow magnet in my classroom....

....vanished/taken/removed/stolen (?) in the third week of school. (after a grade nine night where parents could see it).

The few coworkers I have discussed this with think it is a student--I disagree.

I think someone from Admin. came in and snatched it away when I called in sick one day.

I am just floored and bought fifty dollars of new magnets and will put another and another and another up.

So pissed.

[Tcountry]

I have the blue/gold HRC equality sticker on the back window of my suv.....pretty safe cause most people round here have no clue what it is...lol

[Odarlin]

Yep, I don't think a lot of straight people necessarily connect the rainbow flag stickers with "GAY". Gay is not on the radar thar.

I live in an area where there are so many gay people, rainbow flag stickers are considered kinda passé.

I have one because I remember the thrill of seeing one in less gay areas I have lived and I’m all passé like that.

It is a cute little rainbow heart fer love, baby.

[Ranger Butch Force]

I have various rainbow items. Flags, stickers, buttons and patches. When I go to Burning Man, I hang one of my rainbow flags on my tent. No one really cares that its there, but its there more as a marker of which tent is mine. So when I come back to camp, drunk, I dont accidentally go in someone elses tent.

The buttons and patches are on my Camelback and hat.

[J. Mason]

Nope not for me.

[Tawse]

I do - not a sticker though, no way. I use a static. But yeah - I love seeing someone "flaggin" so I figure if I do - I'm brightening someones day as well.

I used to wear "in your face" type shirts as well - but not so much on those anymore.

[girl_dee]

I am from the Deep south and flagging is calling attention to yourself in ways you don't really want, however that makes me want to flag even more.

On another thought our community asks for equal rights and to just fit in to society, so flagging seems out of line, like straight folks don't wave the straight flag.. I hope one day it won't even be a thought.......

[Tawse]

I am from the Deep south and flagging is calling attention to yourself in ways you don't really want, however that makes me want to flag even more.

On another thought our community asks for equal rights and to just fit in to society, so flagging seems out of line, like straight folks don't wave the straight flag.. I hope one day it won't even be a thought.......

Yep - I've had gay bashing incidents (one of the reasons I insist on a fast car) but it won't stop me from saying "we exist".

And I would also say Straight people flag everyday. Walk into most offices and you'll see pictures of their wives/husbands/etc. Walk up to the "water cooler" and you hear open talks about their gf/bf/wife/husband. They make it very well known they're straight - but we don't tend to notice because it's "Normal" everyday stuff.

[Write14u]

I love bumper stickers and reading them, but I hate having them on my vehicle. Absolutely hate them. In the past 15 years, I've had exactly one sticker on any of my vehicles, and that was my dive flag. I'd be more inclined to have something hanging inside.

I've now experienced both ends of the spectrum. I've lived in some of the most backward places in the South, places where you'd get your @ss kicked for putting out a flag. Now, I live in a progressive area with a thriving gay community. It's way cool.

ETA: As far as the theory of them, I'm split. I'm a walking gay billboard anyway. I definitely queer up anyone I'm with, so I don't need to scream it with a bumper sticker. However, I enjoy seeing vehicles with flags on the. It does give you that impression of, hey, not alone in this thing.

[Inuus]

I am from the Deep south and flagging is calling attention to yourself in ways you don't really want, however that makes me want to flag even more.

On another thought our community asks for equal rights and to just fit in to society, so flagging seems out of line, like straight folks don't wave the straight flag.. I hope one day it won't even be a thought.......

I can relate to what you posted. Living in Oklahoma you are running the risk of serious conflict if you "flag". I do not deny who I am and in most instances at work especially I am out but to put that "out there" so to speak is asking for harassment and even physical harm to you or your property. I've had it happen to me....so to me it's not always appropriate.

The part of your post that I bolded I agree with 100%. Have said that for years myself.

[clay]

I have lived all over the South...Atlanta,Ga., Fla., and my home state of SC..and I have never, ever had any kind of "retaliation" or harassment, at all, by anyone....with my Pride stickers. I have shared, with discretion, of course, PDA's..and never have I had anyone say anything to me. That is not to say it hasn't happened to others, and could maybe happen to me, but that is my personal choice to show my Pride! I agree with whomever posted about straights "waving" their straight flag..everyday! Kudos! Just my $.02.....carry on

[LaneyDoll]

I don't have anything on my car except for the small Alabama "A" on either back window. (Roll Tide Baby!) They are the same color as the pink personalized tag I have in support of breast cancer and regular mammograms.

My Deep South concerns extend to my children. We live in a super small town where there are a lot of closed minds. Honestly, I do not want my preferences to negatively affect their lives. Tolerance and acceptance have been taught in my home ever since they were babies. I just wish other people taught the same values.

:sparklyheart:

[ArkansasPiscesGrrl]

I have a super faded rainbow strip on my back window, and a pride colored sticker proclaiming "Femme". In the past I have had a leather pride flag too, but I don't have that car anymore.

I also "flag" on ME..... I have a tattoo on my left shoulder, a heart what has rainbow flag stripes on one half of the heart, and leather pride colors on the other. My next tattoo I get (sometime before the end of the year!) will be the pink triangle, bordered by a strong black outline, with an oriental symbol of "women" inside. Can't wait for that one!

(my heart tattoo was one of the things that caught the eye of my last partner. That and my femme bumper sticker. )

I was driving on I-95 a few years ago, and there was a car full of teen boys that came up alongside of me. a few of them had hastily hand drawn signs saying "Fag" and "Queer". I saw them and smiled REALLY big and waved! LOL Not what they expected!

When I first came out, my partner and I lived in a small backwards town, and our house was down the street from a Church of God. My car's rear end was so rusted out, I had to hold it together with all my Pride stickers! The cars coming and going from the church always slowed and the people glared at me. Oh well!

[Rockinonahigh]

On my old suv I had several stickers with rainbows,equality stickers,a pride one..oh and a BF simble I got in dallas.The car im driveing now has nothing on it except a inspection sticker and licence tag...no real reason why I havent put things on it but just never did.

[Library_girl]

I can relate to what you posted. Living in Oklahoma you are running the risk of serious conflict if you "flag". I do not deny who I am and in most instances at work especially I am out but to put that "out there" so to speak is asking for harassment and even physical harm to you or your property. I've had it happen to me....so to me it's not always appropriate.

The part of your post that I bolded I agree with 100%. Have said that for years myself.

I've lived in the South, the Midwest, and now the Golden State in a really gay city. And I've had gay stickers on all my cars since 1989 or so. Plus I have a "gay tattoo". I've never encountered any problems or harassment because of my "flags". (when my dad borrowed my car once, I told him what the stickers meant, and he just shrugged as if to say "so what?" This came from an old guy from the deep south!)

My personal philosophy is that if someone really wants to attack me or say something to me or do something to my car, let them! The possibility of that is not going to stop me from expressing myself or stating who I am.

My sexual orientation IS who I am. I know many LGBT peeps say that its just one part of who they are, it's a part of the whole person. That's cool. But for me, being a lesbian is who I am. Being a femme is who I am too, and being a librarian, and a Southern girl, and a few other things. That's just what identity means to me. So I have decided to express this on my body and my car. (Just like millions of other people do. I love that freedom of speech!) And if someone wants to hurt me, even kill me, because of it, they can go ahead and try. I paraphrase an FDR quote: "I'd rather die on my feet than live on my knees."

[Glenn]

I once restored an old VW camper van (my passion wagon), and it was my pride and joy. I'd go to the parades every year in Chicago with paint and tell everyone to paint some love and pride on my van. It was covered with symbols and sayings lol! One year, it even led in the parade. My poor van was keyed, had every tire flattened, every window bashed in, hate spray painted over all the love and pride,etc. No problem! I'd just fix the damage. Overall.. more people liked it, gave it the peace sign and smiles, much more than the hate in public. :)

[Inuus]

I've lived in the South, the Midwest, and now the Golden State in a really gay city. And I've had gay stickers on all my cars since 1989 or so. Plus I have a "gay tattoo". I've never encountered any problems or harassment because of my "flags". (when my dad borrowed my car once, I told him what the stickers meant, and he just shrugged as if to say "so what?" This came from an old guy from the deep south!)

My personal philosophy is that if someone really wants to attack me or say something to me or do something to my car, let them! The possibility of that is not going to stop me from expressing myself or stating who I am.

My sexual orientation IS who I am. I know many LGBT peeps say that its just one part of who they are, it's a part of the whole person. That's cool. But for me, being a lesbian is who I am. Being a femme is who I am too, and being a librarian, and a Southern girl, and a few other things. That's just what identity means to me. So I have decided to express this on my body and my car. (Just like millions of other people do. I love that freedom of speech!) And if someone wants to hurt me, even kill me, because of it, they can go ahead and try. I paraphrase an FDR quote: "I'd rather die on my feet than live on my knees."

I can see by your post it's very important for you to express yourself as a member of the LGBT community. That it works for you and is part of who you are and to express yourself in that way is great.(Love the Dad story!) However, it doesn't work for everyone. I can relate though when you said "My sexual orientation IS who I am." It's something you strongly identify with and feel a need to express yourself. I on the other hand, identify myself more by being an annoying bastard about animal welfare, especially spay/neuter (I'm known as Bob Barker on steroids and that's one of the nice names). It IS who I am. I willingly put myself sometimes in potentially harmful situations for animals. Thankfully there are those of us that have passions/beliefs/causes we believe in and are willing to lay ourselves open to whatever comes of it.

I did forget to add on my first post I do have one bumper sticker on my truck(and I hate them, took a lot for me to put one on my truck). It's a stick figure of a guy, next to him is his dog, next to the dog is a litter of puppies. It reads: This is Dick, this is Dick's dog, this is Dick's dog's puppies.... Don't be a Dick spay and neuter

[Okiebug61]

I have one sticker on my car that is on the top center back window and it says Okie with the peace sign in the O. Never have been into tagging my vehicles with stickers.

[T4Texas]

I don't like bumperstickers and never have them on my vehicles. With that said, some years ago my GF had the rainbow antenna ball stolen from her car and they also managed to mangle her antenna so badly it had to be replaced. I wouldn't put anything on my vehicle that would entice vandals as I can't afford or desire vandalism. Besides, as someone else said, I am a walking advertisement for being butch, so I don't need no stinkin sticker.

[Babyangeleyez]

I have never been into bumper stickers. My dad laid down the law on them when he bought me my first car over 20 years ago. So, I have a removable rainbow ribbon that says "Support Our Families". I take it on and off depending on where I'm going. I used to date someone that live in a very small town and I would have to cross over a mountain to get there and I always would take it off at night when I traveled to or from there because I was afraid that I would be run off the road. So there is a safety issue for me. But where I live, I will display it. I also have rainbow beads with a rainbow ribbon hanging from my rear view mirror and I have my necklace with the double female charm.

[SecretAgentMa'am]

Yep! We've got a rainbow bar across the top of the trunk, and one that looks like the Superman S, only with an L on a rainbow background. It's hard to describe, but it means SuperLesbian! It's also covering up the car's first ding, which I created the very first time I drove it. :shocking:

We also have a big Pride flag that we flew for our wedding and every year for Pride month.

[Elijah]

I am not big into stickers, but I have always thought it was important to be visible (It's pretty self evident when you see Me, but that's another thread). I usually have one of the window cling appliques, because I too, am concerned with ruining the paint. I always get a little smile when I see one on the road, so I thought I would return the favor.

When I was home owner, I also flew a pride flag. If I were in trouble or My car broke down, or I was simply walking My dog after dark...I would feel better approaching a home flying a queer flag, so again, I returned the favor.

[Bad_boi]

I feel kinda uncomfortable being out and proud. I would put an equals sticker on my car if I had one (I still want one for my laptop).

[DapperButch]

My physical presentation is a gay/queer/trans bumper sticker.

I don't put things on my car because I don't want my car trashed.

<--- car guy, who would rather have hys house trashed, than hys car(s)

[odd_boi_out]

I have lots of rainbow/queer stickers, etc. There are a few on my laptop, a static cling one in my car rear window, and a rainbow button on my backpack. Using these symbols has become increasingly important to me as I have become less visibly and obviously queer in the last couple of years.

[puddin']

i am out in all o' my life. but i don't want my car trashed by bigots...

[RNguy]

I have the blue and gold equality sticker on my back window.
I haven't seen the rainbow stickers in a long time . I see more equality stickers though it seems . I always pass them and give them the thumbs up or what's up look and they look at me with the Wtf look , then they see mine and pass me and wave usually after seeing my sticker .