21 'inclusion' flags but none for heterosexuals

21 shades of…

The University Hospitals of North Midlands (UHNM) has unveiled not just one but twenty-one flags, in order to demonstrate “inclusion.”

For those who need to be brought up-to-date, here is a short guide to the flags:

1. Rainbow: Gay “pride” flag
2. Progress: “Pride” flag with the addition of stripes for trans, black, and brown people
3. Bisexual: Attracted to both sexes/genders
4. Pansexual: Attracted to “all genders”
5. Nonbinary: People who don't identify as either male or female
6. Transgender: People who identify as the opposite sex
7. Asexual: Those who feel no sexual attraction to anyone
8. Intersex: A genuine biological (and extremely rare) condition where someone has physical traits from both sexes
9. Gay
10. Lesbian
11. Polysexual: Attracted to “more than one gender”
12. Agender: Those who reject gender identity and “have none at all”
13. Androgyne: Those who don't look either masculine or feminine
14. Genderfluid: Unstable identity, veering between genders, multiple identities, and no identity at all
15. Genderqueer: Not following “gender norms”
16. Neutrosis: Lacking specific “gender identity”
17. Aromantic: Having little or no romantic feeling for others
18. Demisexual: Having sexual attraction to another only after becoming emotionally attached
19. Demiromantic: Having romantic attraction to another only after becoming emotionally attached
20. Polyamorous: Having relationships with multiple people simultaneously
21. Straight ally: None of the above, but “supports” them all

Where's my flag?

Commenting on UHNM's post, one X user wondered where “his” flag was. 

Although the goal is “inclusion” and “making everyone feel welcome,” this apparently does not extend to those who are “straight” (i.e., heterosexual) and do not support the legitimization of traditionally non-standard lifestyles and practices.

Fiddling while the hospitals burn

Other X users wondered whether the money invested in this expression of “inclusion” might not have been better spent by the government, given the dire state of the UK's National Health Service.

Let's hoist these flags everywhere!

Lisa Thomson is the Director of Communications and Charity and Executive Sponsor of the LGBTQ+ Staff Network (earning around $100,000 per year as an NHS “Director of People"). She stressed that she was delighted at the initiative and hoped that others would adopt its message:

It is fantastic to see our message “Everyone is Welcome Here” proudly displayed in the main entrance at Royal Stoke Hospital. Unveiling it in Pride month is really important as we need to actively show our support for colleagues from LGBTQ+ communities. 

Both the colleagues we work with and the people we care for come from a wide range of background [sic.] and represent many different communities. It is important we celebrate our differences and work together to ensure everyone is made to feel welcome. I the [sic.] look forward to seeing the banner up at County Hospital.

Years of “gender oppression”?

Other outraged X users focused their ire on UHNM's “gender” policy:

In its Policy Document “Supporting Transgender Individuals,” UHNM sets out its commitment to “promoting an inclusive, diverse workforce … supporting human rights … to ensure that people are not discriminated against or disadvantaged…"

UHNM's attitude toward woke ideology is perhaps best encapsulated in clause 1.4 which states:

When a person transitions as an adult, sometimes in middle age or later, the years of oppression of the person’s gender identity at any age may have contributed to a deteriorating mental state. The treatment is therefore life enhancing and even lifesaving and is not taken lightly; it is not a lifestyle choice.

Is “Demi” code-language for “moral”?

According to verywellmind, the word “demisexuality” became more mainstream as far back as 2008. They describe a demisexual person as someone who,

experiences sexual attraction only when they feel a true emotional bond with another person.

WebMD defines a “demiromantic” person as,

someone who only develops romantic feelings for another person when they have a strong emotional connection to them.

Whatever one's views on the other 19 items on the list, it is possible that the inclusion of two terms that signify a move toward traditional morality is a step in the right direction, if only to give young (and older) people a "woke" option of refusing close physical contact outside the bounds of marriage.