A group of lesbian campaigners show solidarity with the trans community at 2019’s Pride in London march. (Wiktor Szymanowicz/NurPhoto via Getty)
A controversial group calling itself the ‘LGB Alliance’ has undergone a rebranding exercise, and the results are somewhat unexpected.
The group, which purportedly represents lesbians, gay men and bisexual people – though this has been disputed by many lesbians, gay men and bisexuals, and by the existence of groups like LWithTheT (pictured above) – recently unveiled a new colour scheme and logo.
The colour scheme, which is black and white, sees the group’s slogan – “Homosexuality is same-sex attraction. Biological sex is real. Sex is binary, not a spectrum” – written in bold white text on a striped black background.
Is sex binary?
First, and let’s just get this out of the way: sex is not actually binary, according to scientists.
We used to think it was, but our understanding of it has evolved. Remember how people used to think the Earth was flat, but then people explored* (*violently colonised) other countries via the oceans and found out it was, in fact, round? That paradigm shift must’ve been tough for people to get their heads around, but the Earth being round is not something most rational people still question.
“Sex is binary, not a spectrum”
somebody call an endocrinologist
— Neuralgia Critic | Baby It’s BOLD! Outside (@plainoldchair) December 23, 2019
While the idea that there are only two sexes is one that we’ve stuck to for ages, where we’re at now is learning that sex isn’t actually as binary as we thought. This is according to actual science, as outlined in this Scientific American piece, by this biologist writing for the New York Times and this scientist working as a bone researcher writing for Slate, among many others.
Oh, and also, let’s remember that intersex people literally exist.
Second, and let’s get straight to the point here: the colour scheme. As people on Twitter haven’t been able to stop noticing, it’s not an original colour scheme – it’s eerily similar to that of another group: it’s………. the Straight Pride flag!
The new ‘LGB Alliance’ branding is literally the ‘straight pride’ flag! 😳
Well their pride parade’s gonna be fun! 😂 pic.twitter.com/gscanC0cko
— Helen🧜🏻♀️(⧖) (@mimmymum) December 23, 2019
‘LGB Alliance’ co-founder: Logo was designed ‘on back of fag packet’.
Now, aside from the fact that this is truly the most boring colour scheme ever, one that is literally devoid of colour, there are a few things to consider here.
Obviously, the ‘LGB Alliance’ is unsure if people are getting its message – that’s “sex is binary”, keep up – so they’ve chosen a black and white colour scheme. Black and white, no grey areas. We get it. A black and white colour scheme for black and white thinkers.
Another question is whether the group’s “non-party political” affiliations, as per its website, are actually that. Recently disbanded political group Change UK (the final version of its name, much like how ‘LGB Alliance’ is the latest named iteration of several small but loud groups of people who are against trans rights) also had a stripy, black and white colour scheme.
PinkNews took these questions to Kate Harris, co-founder of the ‘LGB Alliance’, who told us that the new logo had been come up with “on the back of a fag packet” and that the image of Stormé DeLarverie (the butch biracial lesbian who some say threw the first punch at the Stonewall uprising), which the group previously used as on its social media accounts, would be used again.
“I didn’t know there was such a thing as Straight Pride and I didn’t know that it had a flag,” Harris said, adding that there had also been “no conscious reference” to Change UK when designing the new logo.
“That’s a sheer coincidence and slightly unfortunate given their demise,” Harris said. Of the colour scheme, she added: “We think there are black and white issues to be discussed. We think there’s a huge hunger for clarity in the area of sex and gender, we think things have been really muddled up.”
When asked if she accepted the view that science was “evolving” on the issue of sex being binary, Harris said she did not.
When asked about intersex people, she said: “Every intersex person is male or female, but within that they have certain conditions that necessitate medical treatment.”
Harris then pointed PinkNews to the ‘LGB Alliance’ website on this question, which states: “We reject the co-opting of rare medical conditions that affect reproductive development or function (known as DSDs/intersex) in order to cast doubt on the biological reality of sexual dimorphism, i.e. two sexes.”
Twitter reacts to new ‘LGB Alliance’ logo.
The similarity of the new ‘LGB Alliance’ colour scheme to both the Straight Pride flag and to Change UK’s logo is coincidental.
But the similarities are so obvious that people can’t stop pointing them out.
Did they get the graphics designer from Change UK or whatever they were called pic.twitter.com/KDavpKU6Ng
— Emma Wolfe🏳️⚧️ End the Tories by any means (@hasrock36) December 23, 2019
“Their design sense has always been hideous, almost as though they’re a conservative AstroTurf group :)” wrote one person.
Another pointed out that the flag seems to suggest that the ‘LGB’ alliance has its fair share of straight members: “Given that they are mostly cishets its kinda accurate that they show their true colours.”
No surprise there. Only people outside the LGBT+ alliance are trying to divide the alliance.
— Ristin Raccoon (@RistinRaccoon) December 24, 2019
The straight pride parade the one created by white supremacists? That doesn’t surprise me
— RustyGoodDalek🏳️🌈🦡🐳🦈🦛🦄🎄🌈🍵📜 (@RustyGoodDalek1) December 24, 2019
While it’s unsurprising coming from a group who sent 12 questions to prospective MP’s that had nothing to do with lesbian, gay or bisexual rights (they were all anti-trans, instead), it’s still somewhat disappointing.
After all, the LGBT+ community has some amazing flags with wonderful colour schemes. It’s such a shame that the ‘LGB Alliance’ isn’t one of them.