Parliament flies trans-inclusive Pride flag on Twitter amid growing fears government is about to roll back trans rights
The UK Parliament Twitter account did not post about the change to its profile picture. (UK Parliament/ Twitter)
The UK Parliament has quietly changed its profile picture on Twitter to show an inclusive LGBT+ Pride flag, in the wake of reports that the Tory government plans to attack trans rights.
On Thursday (June 25) the Twitter accounts for UK Parliament, the House of Commons and the House of Lords changed their profile pictures to the Progress Pride flag overlaid with parliament’s portcullis symbol.
None of the three Twitter accounts acknowledged the change, but ParliOUT, the workplace equality network which supports LGBT+ people in parliament, wrote on Twitter: “#NewProfilePic This Pride Month the UK Parliament is flying the Progress flag.
In 2018, designer Daniel Quasa made-over the six-coloured rainbow flag to make it more inclusive by adding a five-coloured chevron to represent queer people of colour as well as the trans community.
“Daniel Quasar designed this flag to highlight how different systems of oppression intersect,” ParliOUT wrote.
“It is a symbol of support for all of Parliament’s LGBT+ community.”
Government is allegedly planning to undo trans rights.
The LGBT+ community has pointed out the irony of posted the Progress Pride flag, which contains the trans flag, when the government is allegedly planning to roll back trans rights in the UK.
The Sunday Times reported on June 14 that minister for women and equalities Liz Truss and prime minister Boris Johnson allegedly plan to scrap long-delayed GRA reforms and instead bring in “new protections” for women’s spaces that would bar trans women from using them.
The government has not confirmed or denied these reports.
LGBT+ groups of all seven major UK political parties have condemned the leaked report on GRA reform and her comments in the past two months on trans rights.
A joint statement read: “We stand together in our opposition to any proposal to place unnecessary restrictions on trans people, hindering their ability to live freely and without fear.”
The co-opting of any pride flag by the UK Parliament is absurd, the fact that it's THIS flag with the Trans pride section is hideously offensive and hypocritical because of the British government's attempts to ROLL BACK Trans Rights pic.twitter.com/xRgt1pXd8i
— Alex (@LexiiBatTwitch) June 25, 2020
https://twitter.com/OldfieldConsul1/status/1276197711268720643
One Twitter user wrote: “The co-opting of any Pride flag by the UK Parliament is absurd, the fact that it’s THIS flag with the Trans pride section is hideously offensive and hypocritical because of the British government’s attempts to ROLL BACK Trans Rights.”
Another responded to ParliOUT’s post about the Progress Pride flag: “Does it show the government oppression of an entire population intersecting?”
