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

[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~

[betenoire]

Ditto to what the last three posters have said.

Stay Safe. Stay Sane.

[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!

[EnderD_503]

Originally Posted by sassy_girl

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.

[Tommi]

Originally Posted by AtLastHome

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

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.

[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.

[Starbuck]

Originally Posted by InfiniteFemme

...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??

[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.

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.

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?

[Starbuck]

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

[Soon]

Originally Posted by Starbuck

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

Originally Posted by 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?

Here is where she answered!!

It seems you missed her response!

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

[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.

[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!