I've been showing my support for the GLBT community with my avatar

[IdaBriggs]

as requested last week. (I picked the Rainbow Flag.)

So, my question is this: should I change it to something else now? Is the flag an all purpose "I support equal rights for everyone, regardless of their sexual orientation" icon, or is it deemed to be a proud declaration of my own personal sexuality?

I am a happily married straight woman, and I don't believe my marriage or that of any other sane person on the planet is going to be threatened by other people being able to get married; as a matter of fact, I think it will be good for the economy, and I know it would be good for the wedding industry, most of which is populated by small businesses. I find the homophobic "let's pretend its a religious issue" crap to be despicable (Sodom & Gomorrah were destroyed because they broke the ancient laws of hospitality, and not because of the potential for boy-on-boy action, thank you very much!), and am confident that the deity I choose to believe in has more problem with intolerant bigots than people who actually love each other.

So, do I continue to "avatar" the Rainbow Flag? Or is there some other symbol I should be using as a straight person? Or should I just "move on" to those issues which I'm actively working on (specifically, election fraud, climate change, disaster relief, and animal welfare), as opposed to this one which I'm kind of "cheering on from the sidelines"?

Thanks in advance for the input!

:) Best, Ida

[rodeodance]

1. I have always seen it as supporting human rights for ALL.

[BOSSHOG]

2. ME TOO!

The U. S. Flag is the flag of all americans not just "conservatives." "Conservatives" are the number one domestic enemy of the constitution. Anyone who would support a constitutional amendment which would take away or limit constitutional liberties of american citizens does not deserve constitutional liberties.

You nailed it. Any "sane" person would not be threatened by gays getting married.

I've done a great job of answering your question huh?? Use the avatar which makes you happy.

[Warpy]

3. I missed the request

and besides, the country as a whole is still in grave peril.

My support comes in real life and from my postings all over the net.

I'm keeping my distress signal until conservatives are discredited, vilified, and hounded back to the lunatic fringe where they so clearly belong.

[IdaBriggs]

13. Here's a link to the original post.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=364&topic_id=1359123

:) :hi:

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

4. Whichever you would like

However, for the record, I was confused a bit earlier when I started seeing people I thought to be straight have rainbow flags as avatars. I'm a bit less confused, but I think I'd choose something like what Taverner has ("Straight, but not narrow")

[LeftHander]

5. Keep the rainbow..it means "everybody is welcome"

It is not the LGBT communities property.

It is for everyone who believes in the power of love and equality.

Who you love does not matter.

What matters that you can love and celebrate all of humanity.

[Crowdance]

6. I'm keeping mine until my gay and lesbian friends can marry

IMHO, the greatest threat to marriage today is that straight folks can marry, and gay folks cannot. This "hoarding" of the marriage privilege has defiled it, making it so much less than the spiritual union of two people that it ought to be. I'm not going to go "straight" again until my gay brothers and sisters can stand with me in the same arena. I hope this triangle reminds everyone, every day, that some of our people are less than equal.

[RagingInMiami]

7. Oh, I thought you had come out of the closet

Not that there is anything wrong with that.

[uppityperson]

8. Rainbow is all inclusive, for everyone.

It is a good thing.

[SmokingJacket]

9. I've grown to like my rainbow flag...

though I'm not gay either. My main worry is that the point of avatars is to help people remember who's who, and if so many people have the same avatar it's harder...

I'll probably change mine back fairly soon. But I like it for now -- it's like a daring and strangely flattering new hairstyle... ;-)

[stop the bleeding]

10. till the end of the month - then I will change back to mine

I do like seeing the amount of solidarity here, I just gotta wonder what a newbie(s) thought on the first few days when severl DU'ers had changed their avatars. I would have loved to hear what their thoughts were. LOL :)

[hyphenate]

11. Was the rainbow flag

born from Jesse Jackson's Rainbow Coalition? Just curious. If it was, then it's a universal symbol. However, like you, I really want something that says who I am, even though I might support a hundred+ different causes. After awhile, I got sick of the one I had, and the Vetruvian Man is just sitting in until I get something more permanent.

But I'd say, go with your gut. Personalize it to make YOU stand out.

[noonwitch]

12. My grandpa- "those gays have ruined rainbows for me"

He's 92, so I cut him some slack. They had some big controversy in Traverse City a few years ago about rainbow symbols. He wrote a letter to the editor about it, I found it when I googled his name.

Now that he has a computer, I just tell him "go to freerepublic.com, they'll love you there and you will always find people to agree with you, no matter how looney you get".

His 93rd birthday is next week. I wish I could find a way to get Bill O'Reilly to wish him happy birthday on his show. My grandpa loves O'Reilly, nothing would make him happier.

[dddem]

14. I am also a happily married straight woman

I have the AIDS awareness ribbon in memory of my friend's son, a hemophiliac who contracted the disease at 9 years old.
However, on my car I have my 'STRAIGHT BUT NOT NARROW' bumper sticker, and my 'NO DISCRIMINATION IN THE CONSTITUTION' bumper sticker. Right next to my "I'm proud of my student of the month" bumper sticker. Right there on my red mom-mobile station wagon! I hope I'm annoying some people! But mostly I hope that people see that someone they might consider "middle of the road" supports, and is vocal about doing the right thing.
Most of my gay friends appreciate the fact that I open my big fat mouth in support of civil rights for all Americans. It was great seeing all the avatars in support of same-sex marriage, but we need to take it to the next level. Take it outside of DU, where, with all due respect, you're 'preaching to the choir'.
As for your choice of avatar, I say choose something that will make you happy! You should be happy!
Peace.