pride flag – The Orbital

Queer at Royal Holloway: Interviewing our LGBT+ Community

31Jan

By Bridget OSullivanNo Comments

Features, Lifestyle

Queer at Royal Holloway: Interviewing our LGBT+ Community

University is often considered a place to ‘find yourself’. Most students have come straight from A-Levels, from the cliquey savagery that defines one as ‘popular’, ‘unpopular’, ‘weird’, ‘edgy’. In my experience of a small-town, back-arse-of-nowhere all-girls’ school, these categories trumped any personal identity. University, on the other hand, is all about individuality. Sometimes it’s almost like a game of ‘who can be the MOST unique, quirky, fucked-up of them all?’ Those kids who ran the social hierarchy in school (you can detect them because they adamantly claim that ‘popularity wasn’t a thing in their school’) have to re-adjust to this new ecosystem, leaving many 18-year-olds to essentially start again. Of course, many have been grappling with their identity long before university, m...

Pride Is For Everyone

The icon rainbow flag, also known as the Pride flag, has been used as a symbol of pride and solidarity amongst the LGBTQ+ community since 1978. First designed by openly gay activist Gilbert Baker, the flag first flew on 25 June 1978 at San Francisco’s Gay Freedom Day Parade, although it looked a little different to the flag you might recognise from today. The original pride flag contained eight different coloured stripes which all carried a specific meaning: pink for sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, turquoise for magic, blue for serenity, and purple for spirit. The hot pink was removed in 1978 due to a lack of fabric when attempting to replicate and distribute the flag. The turquoise soon followed and was later removed in 1979 to modify the f...

Is It Time To Wave Good-Bi To Stereotypes?

Bisexual. It is a word like any other. However, it is astounding that such a simple word can still inspire such curiosity, misconceptions, and disapproval from both heterosexual, and homosexual people alike. Why should Bisexuality be treated differently to any other orientation? If people wish for acceptance, should they not offer the same in return? In the year 2019 - or twenty Bi-teen according to the internet - you would think outdated discriminatory ideas would be a thing of the past. Nevertheless, despite the current visibility and acknowledgment being afforded to the LGBTQ+ community, it is odd that only the beginning of the acronym is often acknowledged. No wonder many of us Bisexuals consider ourselves invisible mythical creatures that do not exist and feel the need to have to j...