When oil companies and pharmaceutical giants are turning their logos rainbow in June, it can be tempting to declare our beloved symbol expired, dead, or - perhaps worst of all - passé. Of course, at the same time as Pride flag proposals bloom and multiply, corporate pinkwashing is threatening to turn the rainbow into a safe, homogenized symbol, stripped of its radical force. Quasar, designer of the Progress Pride flag, put it best when xe told me recently that the rainbow is still a powerful umbrella symbol, but “we are starting to see the struggle from within for everyone to feel the power the symbol holds.”Ī 2018 redesign including Black, Brown, and trans pride stripes is going viral, with some calling for it to become the new symbol of the LGBTQ+ community. If anything, more people are trying to see themselves in a symbol that has historically flown in spaces where not everyone was equally welcome. Like it or not, flags are always going to be fecund terrain for discourse: When people march under something, they want to feel like it represents them.īut I think it’s worth noting that none of these recent redesigns have done away with Baker’s rainbow altogether, all of them opting merely to add to it. Debates play out in social media comments sections that are honestly not worth rehashing because, after all, these are flags and you can fly whichever one suits you best. Get f**ked.Each of these redesigns inspires loud opinions about visual design and the inclusivity of Baker’s original symbol. “Dude, mind your own business, it doesn’t concern you. “People were saying some crazy shit and like, dude, what would you do if your kid’s gay? And people trying to justify it like god is going to send you to ,” he added in frustration. “I just thought in 2022 people would be a little more open-minded and not pieces of s**t, but I guess I was wrong. That’s not even a whole person ago, man – this is like recent s**t,” Molina continued. And the same thing with something like Stonewall, that was like 50 years ago. “It wasn’t that long ago that there was school segregation, and that was like less than a person ago, man, that wasn’t that long ago. I’ll get behind any of that,” the fighter explained. I’ll support anything of a community that’s been oppressed and ostracized for some time for something they can’t help. “I picked the colors because I thought it looked cool, and then also it supports a good cause. Molina went on to explain how the decision to wear the shorts came about. You’re going to get me going on a tangent, man. “Who cares who someone wants to be with, their sexual preference, and then the irony of trying to justify it with religion of something that’s supposed to be so accepting. Judging someone, and then trying to justify it with religion, and saying all sorts of spiteful, hateful shit is crazy to me. “Man, who’d have thunk it, in 2022 … Who the f**k cares, bro? It’s not even about being an ally - I’m not saying I’m not - but it’s just like, just be a decent f***ing person. Dude, it’s f***ing ridiculous,” Molina began. Molina didn’t hold back on his thoughts about the hate and hypocrisy of those who oppose his support of the LGBTQ+ community. The subject of the shorts and fan reaction came up during the post-fight press briefing. Undeterred by the backlash, Molina wore his rainbow shorts during his bout against Zhalgas Zhumagulov in Las Vegas on Saturday, which he won.
“To all the dudes sliding in my DM’s I’m a straight guy but pshhh I’m flattered! For all the homophobic dudes upset by me repping pride month on my fight kit y’all some fruit cups,” he tweeted.
While some fans were vocally upset about Molina’s allyship, others were excited by the fighter’s support of the LGBTQ+ community - and took the opportunity to shoot their shot with him, while he let them down gently. The UFC also released a Pride Month tee with proceeds supporting The Center, an LGBTQ+ center in Southern Nevada. The backlash began June 1 when the flyweight fighter posted a video of the new shots on Twitter saying, “Pretty sick the is letting us rep for pride month!! Get your pride gear with a fist bump and Pride flag emoji. UFC fighter Jeff Molina got fiery in his defense of the LGBTQ+ community and his decision to wear Pride-themed shorts during his fight on Saturday after it drew hateful comments from the sport’s fans.