ally flag?
Sep. 1st, 2019 02:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dragonlady7via https://ift.tt/2Zwy7az
I’ve made most of the signs for the farmer’s market booth over the last few years, and BIL off-hand mentioned to me the last time I was there that there’s one more sign he’d like to have.
He didn’t explain in much detail, it was more a brief comment as an aside to a different conversation, but I get what he wanted– he’d like a little flag to hang somewhere to indicate that the farm, as a business, is gay-etcetera-friendly. [i know, that’s general, i’ll explain.]
I get it, because there was a vendor that’s thankfully gone now (not BIL’s decision, he’s the president of the board and has zero say in basically all decisions like that, but he was glad nonetheless) who was petitioning to be able to hang up a Trump flag because he felt like everyone was being “political” by having rainbow flags etc. (As a grimly humorous aside, the business he was specifically objecting to was a neighboring booth that was an elderly het couple selling jam, and their logo was rainbow, and I can tell you it was absolutely just a rainbow because they liked rainbows and was not in fact in any way gay pride related although I’m sure they were aware and did not mind any confusion, it was just, a rainbow.)
And BIL’s counterpoint was that gay rights aren’t politics, they’re human rights. And during Pride Month, the local daily paper called him and asked him for a list of gay vendors, and he had to stammer in horror that the organization did not keep lists of which of their vendors belong to marginalized identities because this sort of list is a very dangerous and inappropriate thing and also completely unrelated to the mission of the nonprofit?? And he was quite worried they’d take him out of context and just say the bit where he was like “i mean our mission is local foodways not gay rights, so it’s kind of, tangential???” because “why would we keep lists of which of our vendors belong to marginalized identities??” is not a great pullquote.
anyway. (I think the thing he did was take the reporter’s information and pass it along to vendors who he personally knew were in fact queer of various flavors, with the point that if they were interested in being featured in a story about the market’s gay vendors, they could choose to do that, but it was absolutely nobody’s call but their own whether that was a thing they were interested in talking about! I don’t remember what story actually ran, if any.)
His point, I get it, is also somewhat related to the kerfuffle with the white supremacists at the farmer’s market in … uh Indiana? or whatever? where the cute veggies-and-wool-booth lady was an active member of an online white supremacist organization that was actively radicalizing youth and encouraging violent acts?? and like?? that’s?? bad?? and also it’s easy to see how your farmer’s market might well be absolutely stuffed full of ecofascist white supremacists who look from the outside exactly like your well-meaning white-dreadlocked tree-hugger types.
Oh here’s a great article from the Daily Beast on that exact topic: https://www.thedailybeast.com/farmers-markets-have-new-unwelcome-guests-fascists
So I just. I need some tips, ideas, pointers, on what to put on a small, not the entire point but meant to be noticeable, little flag to indicate “hey. we’re actually like. chill with gays. and such.” in a way that is not implying “hey we are gay”, because collectively, they are not, and that would be false advertising, but mostly is pretty clearly stating “we are hostile to nazis, marginalized folx, please do not worry!”, in a believable fashion.
How to say this???
I was thinking a little handmade Philly pride flag would probably do the trick, or like, a heart-shaped badge with the Philly pride stripes– that just seems the most succinct?? the regular rainbow flag is fine and i think I even already have one, but I specifically like the Philly one because it’s an extra level of inclusiveness, and indicates, like, some thought went into it, since it’s a new version and not the one you find everywhere. you know?
I’m interested in input, though.
I’ve made most of the signs for the farmer’s market booth over the last few years, and BIL off-hand mentioned to me the last time I was there that there’s one more sign he’d like to have.
He didn’t explain in much detail, it was more a brief comment as an aside to a different conversation, but I get what he wanted– he’d like a little flag to hang somewhere to indicate that the farm, as a business, is gay-etcetera-friendly. [i know, that’s general, i’ll explain.]
I get it, because there was a vendor that’s thankfully gone now (not BIL’s decision, he’s the president of the board and has zero say in basically all decisions like that, but he was glad nonetheless) who was petitioning to be able to hang up a Trump flag because he felt like everyone was being “political” by having rainbow flags etc. (As a grimly humorous aside, the business he was specifically objecting to was a neighboring booth that was an elderly het couple selling jam, and their logo was rainbow, and I can tell you it was absolutely just a rainbow because they liked rainbows and was not in fact in any way gay pride related although I’m sure they were aware and did not mind any confusion, it was just, a rainbow.)
And BIL’s counterpoint was that gay rights aren’t politics, they’re human rights. And during Pride Month, the local daily paper called him and asked him for a list of gay vendors, and he had to stammer in horror that the organization did not keep lists of which of their vendors belong to marginalized identities because this sort of list is a very dangerous and inappropriate thing and also completely unrelated to the mission of the nonprofit?? And he was quite worried they’d take him out of context and just say the bit where he was like “i mean our mission is local foodways not gay rights, so it’s kind of, tangential???” because “why would we keep lists of which of our vendors belong to marginalized identities??” is not a great pullquote.
anyway. (I think the thing he did was take the reporter’s information and pass it along to vendors who he personally knew were in fact queer of various flavors, with the point that if they were interested in being featured in a story about the market’s gay vendors, they could choose to do that, but it was absolutely nobody’s call but their own whether that was a thing they were interested in talking about! I don’t remember what story actually ran, if any.)
His point, I get it, is also somewhat related to the kerfuffle with the white supremacists at the farmer’s market in … uh Indiana? or whatever? where the cute veggies-and-wool-booth lady was an active member of an online white supremacist organization that was actively radicalizing youth and encouraging violent acts?? and like?? that’s?? bad?? and also it’s easy to see how your farmer’s market might well be absolutely stuffed full of ecofascist white supremacists who look from the outside exactly like your well-meaning white-dreadlocked tree-hugger types.
Oh here’s a great article from the Daily Beast on that exact topic: https://www.thedailybeast.com/farmers-markets-have-new-unwelcome-guests-fascists
So I just. I need some tips, ideas, pointers, on what to put on a small, not the entire point but meant to be noticeable, little flag to indicate “hey. we’re actually like. chill with gays. and such.” in a way that is not implying “hey we are gay”, because collectively, they are not, and that would be false advertising, but mostly is pretty clearly stating “we are hostile to nazis, marginalized folx, please do not worry!”, in a believable fashion.
How to say this???
I was thinking a little handmade Philly pride flag would probably do the trick, or like, a heart-shaped badge with the Philly pride stripes– that just seems the most succinct?? the regular rainbow flag is fine and i think I even already have one, but I specifically like the Philly one because it’s an extra level of inclusiveness, and indicates, like, some thought went into it, since it’s a new version and not the one you find everywhere. you know?
I’m interested in input, though.
no subject
Date: 2019-09-01 05:39 pm (UTC)asking for a list of gay vendors??????? what kind of dumb ass reporter is that. If I were a reporter looking to write about queer vendors at the market, I'd probably call the person and say, hey if you have any folks who'd be willing to talk about queer shit please pass my number along.
WHAT EVEN
anyway.
I think the philly pride flag would be good. they could also just put it and a little sign that says ally next to it. Not perfect, but would send the right message.
no subject
Date: 2019-09-01 09:09 pm (UTC)I suspect something of that tone, plus the philly pride flag, might do nicely. Let me know if you'd like to see it, and I'll get you a photo of that sign.
no subject
Date: 2019-09-01 10:22 pm (UTC)I feel like placing Pride colors in a 'cut-out' of something related to the farm or to other people (hearts, peace) makes it more of an outreach statement instead of a personal claim. But anything at all would help with distinguishing "growing our own crops for Earth-friendly reasons, and freely welcoming all buyers" versus "survivalist Republican growing my own crops to supplement my gun stash once the Trump Uprising comes". :P
ally sign
Date: 2019-09-02 04:27 am (UTC)It covers multiple issues, which may or may not be the kind of thing BIL wants, but if the signs are not commonplace in your area, it might be worth running the idea past him. I always like seeing one.
Googling to find this, I saw a lot of variations on this sign for sale. I don't know for sure which versions I've been walking past, or who designed the first one. Proceeds from this version support the Wisconsin Alliance for Women's Health. One of the other versions includes "Water Is Life" and "Injustice Anywhere Is a Threat to Justice Everywhere."
Re: ally sign
Date: 2019-09-02 05:16 am (UTC)https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/images/q/qq-stral.gif
I hadn't known about that, before. Saw some info that suggested the b&w background stripes might originally have been proposed as a bigoted het supremacy symbol, so maybe be aware of that as a possible connotation? (Not sure if the rainbow A transforms it enough, y'know?)
...Maybe do a Philly Rainbow A on a neutral background? Since not everyone who works at the farm is straight?
Signed, still bi-identified, despite everything :D