UK charity adds LGBTQ flag to iconic remembrance poppy
The release of an LGBTQ-themed poppy badge has triggered a heated debate in the UK ahead of Remembrance Day.
In the lead-up to the memorial day on November 11, which honors armed forces members who have died in combat, the Royal British Legion (RBL) has listed a poppy brooch with a pride flag attached to it as part of its annual fundraising campaign, the Poppy Appeal.
The RBL is a charity that helps serving and former members of the UK’s armed forces. The Poppy Appeal is held every year during the remembrance period.
The badge featuring the iconic red poppy with the multicolored flag “symbolises support for our LGBTIQ+ community who are a vital part of our Armed Forces past and present,” states the description on the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Shop website.
“It stands in solidarity with those who faced discrimination, especially under the Ban, when being gay, lesbian, or bisexual in the military was illegal,” it added.
Many social media users have since complained about the pin online, with critics accusing the RBL of going “woke” and “politicizing” the remembrance ceremonies.
COMPLAIN! Stop the woke LGBT/BLM desecration of the Remembrance Poppy! https://t.co/DvPsCtiuwk
— barry jennings (@barryjennings3) October 28, 2024
“Wearing the poppy is about remembering all those who fought irrespective of gender, race and sexuality – it is not a political gesture,” the Daily Mail quoted former Royal Marines Sergeant Major Jeff Williams saying.
“This is just another pointless and deeply offensive exercise in wokeism,” he added.
The pin features ‘the Intersex-Inclusive Pride Flag’, which represents the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex community. Its choice over the traditional rainbow flag has also riled some gay rights activists.
“The Progress Pride flag represents gays and lesbians being pushed out of their own movement by proponents of gender identity ideology,” Kate Barker of gay rights group LGB Alliance told The Sun.
Some pride campaigners defended the pin, saying it is about “LGBTQ veterans being seen and acknowledged.”
The poppy was chosen was a symbol of remembrance as the resilient flowers flourished amid the destruction in the countryside of Western Europe during WWI. People in Britain wear poppies usually made of paper during the period of remembrance in November.
