I am the director of a VT about what it’s like to be part of the LGBT community and the appropriation of using the rainbow flag as a symbol for the NHS.

Interviewing Ben Wilkinson, a York student about his experience in the LGBT community, the charity he works for and the representation of the rainbow flag.

 

Rainbow flag:

• https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.forbes.com/sites/jamiewareham/2020/05/06/should-the-lgbt-community-call-out-nhs-appropriation-of-rainbow-flag/amp/
• The rainbow flag is a symbol for peace and hope universally.
• For the last 42 years, the rainbow has been recognised as a symbol for the diversity in the LGBT community.
• People are now using the flag to show their solidary with the NHS workers, with the flag being shown in many home all over the UK.
• This has left some in the LGBT community feeling as if they are losing their symbol.
• Some are worried that the flag may be overtaken.
• Buyers are searching for rainbow flags to put in the windows without knowing the actual meaning of the symbol.
• If people are aware of the meaning, they are repurposing it signify unity with the NHS workers.
• In the history of the rainbow flag, Gilbert Baker put the flag together in 1978. All six colours come together to make one whole, making it a powerful symbol for community.

 

Background Information:

Ben Wilkinson is a student at York St John and he is part of the LGBT community as well as a representative for the charity ‘Just Like Us.’ Ben himself identifies as a gay, cis gender male and he came out around three years ago to his friends. He was welcomed by support from all his friends and was happy he could finally be himself around people, as if having a weight lifted from his shoulders.

Ben has never felt personally discriminated against because of his sexuality but felt as if the community doesn’t yet receive the level of representation as it should, despite its improvement over recent years. However, he has had two incidents in which he experienced discrimination, one being when he was holding hands with his boyfriend and someone shouted a slur, and another when he kissed his boyfriend on the cheek in a taxi but was able to report the incident.

Ben commented on his experience in the LGBT community to be nothing but a positive one. He has found that being part of a group of people who are like him, share his interests, share the same music tastes and attending the famous ‘G-A-Y’ clubs in Manchester and London to be his favourite parts of being in the community. He says that his life is now so much better that he can be himself and be part of such a welcoming, vibrant and amazing community.

Ben works for the charity ‘Just Like Us.’ It’s a charity for LGBT+ people and aims to educate children and eliminate homophobia in schools. He and other representatives go into secondary schools and deliver 10-15 minute talks, about them and their lives, giving young people key information such as definitions of terms such as gay, asexual, lesbian, bisexual etc. After the talk, the representatives ask if there’s any questions and the young people are free to have a private conversation at the end of the session. Ben is also part of the Media Working Group for Just Like Us, so he helps them handle their social media channels. He provides his advice about what works for each platform, what will get the most interactions and thinks about campaigns the charity can run in the upcoming months. Just Like Us is on track to be one of the UK’s top LGBT charities, having had appearances on This Morning, Good Morning Britain and doubling their ambassadors this year. ‘Just Like Us’ opens the door to many other opportunities for Ben too, as he was invited to a specialist training course in London with Blackrock, the world’s largest assets management company. He has been invited to multiple prestigious LGBT events because of ‘Just Like Us.’

With regards to the rainbow flag representation, in Ben’s opinion he doesn’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing to use it to spread positivity during this scary time. He does however think it will become a problem if people try to solidify the flag as a symbol of the NHS once the pandemic is over, after the LGBT community have fought over the last 50 years to have the rainbow flag represent their equality and existence in society, and it is their only mainstream symbol/logo in society. But, for this moment in time does not see the problem in using it to celebrate the bravery of the NHS workers and unite with them.

Vox pops/other people’s opinions on the representation of the rainbow flag:

When researching into this, I found that the majority of young people thought the use of the rainbow flag to show the public’s support of the NHS was wrong. Some of the main arguments against it’s use were that the rainbow symbol has never been linked to the NHS before so why now, the NHS colours are blue and white so they already have colours used to signify them and there has been an outcry due to people selling rainbow flags on eBay and labelling them as ‘thank you NHS’ flags.

I also found that some young people thought the older generations were refusing to acknowledge the symbolic meaning of the rainbow flag as they displayed them to thank the NHS in their windows and some young people I spoke to thought this was because of their lack of gay acceptance in history. One person disagreeing with the ‘rebranding’ of the flag made the point that we wouldn’t use the same flag to represent two different countries so this should be no exception, especially when the LGBT community has worked hard to claim rights over the flag in the first place. The fact that the flag can be stripped of them so easily shows that some members of the public still have no appreciation of gay rights and furthermore shows the community’s existence as a minority group.

However, when speaking to some people from older generations, they saw no problem with the use of the rainbow flag for thanking the NHS and associated the symbol of a rainbow as something of unity and hope. Although, this may still be linked to the fact that gay rights hasn’t historically been a priority and the lack of gay acceptance with this only becoming the norm over the past couple of decades and would seem to be improving, apart from this debate.

 

Script:

In the circumstances of the coronavirus outbreak, I would film from a 2 metre distance. This would ensure both our safeties as well as allow for a good camera angle. I would attach a presenter and interviewee lavalier mic so that both people can be heard when asking/answering questions and this will also be good for safety reasons as both mics will pick up sound clearly whilst the interviewer and interviewee are far apart.

VO – The public of the UK have been showing their thankfulness for the NHS who are working on the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic, and people have been doing so by displaying pictures of rainbows in their windows with the slogan ‘thank you NHS.’ Others have gone further by using rainbow flags to show their solidary. However, before this the rainbow flag has commonly been used as a symbol of the LGBT community and some have had something to say on the ‘rebranding’ of the symbol that they’ve fought so hard for.

IV – Ben talks about who he is and a bit about his story.

VO/PTC – Ben has been a representative for a charity based in London for the past two years now that helps young people find their true identity and not be afraid of being who they really are. In light of the coronavirus outbreak, he has been doing talks via video call.

IV – Ben explains what he does for the charity and what the representation of the community means to him. Include symbolism of the rainbow flag to introduce the next discussion.

VO/PTC – Like many other people in the LGBT community, Ben has often used the rainbow flag to symbolise that he is part of that group of people. However, during the pandemic, the public have taken the rainbow image and made it a symbol of solidary with the NHS during these difficult times. When speaking to Ben and different members of the public, I found there was a mixed opinion on the ‘rebranding’ of the rainbow flag, with the generation that the person being interviewed was brought up in having an effect on their outlook.

IV – Interview Ben on the matter and feature vox pops of the different opinions that the different age groups had. If vox pops needed to be done under the current circumstances, either skype volunteers or interview at a safe distance.

VO/PTC – On average, young people disagreed with the use of the rainbow flag being used to support the NHS due to it being symbolic of the LGBT community. Whereas, people over the age of around 40 that were not part of the community didn’t see any harm in using the rainbow flag. It seems we will have to wait until after the pandemic to see just what happens with the rainbow flag and whether it continues to be used to show solidary with the NHS or whether the LGBT community can regain the symbolism of the flag they worked hard to get. I’m Hannah Whitaker and this has been Yorkie Today.

 

Ideas for the VT:

GVs:

• Ben in Durham in his house and places nearby because this is where he grew up and where he came out to his family and friends.
• The hospital in Durham to represent the NHS.
• Rainbow flags that Ben owns that represent the LGBT community.
• Rainbow flags in people’s windows and in the streets.
• Important landmarks in Durham such as Durham Cathedral.
• Any NHS vehicles.
• The headquarters of the ‘Just Like Us’ charity and anything associated with it e.g. posters, film ben doing a talk.
• Streets of York.

 

Interview:

• Ben sitting outdoors with nice backdrops.
• Ben in his room with his flags on display.
• In the headquarters of the charity.

Voiceover:

• Introducing Ben.
• Introducing the charity.
• Talking about the representation of the flag.

Possible Questions for Presenter for Ben:

• What is your sexuality?
• What do you identify as?
• Have you come out and if yes, how was your experience?
• If you have, who did you come out to first and why?
• Do you feel like you are discriminated against because of your sexuality?
• Have you ever been abused for being who you are? (Verbally/physically/mentally)
• What’s your experience been like within the LGBT community? (Is it welcoming etc)
• What charity are you involved in?
• How do you feel about the ‘rebranding’ of the rainbow flag?