RantCrush Top 5: June 30, 2017

LGBT organization Pride in London launched its annual posters for the London Pride Festival, which started last weekend and goes on until July 9. But the posters have attracted some serious criticism. Many argued that the posters were all about straight people’s points of view and that some of them are simply offensive, stating things like, “My gay friends make me more attractive by association,” and “Befriend a gay person and win a prize friendship.”

WHY IS LONDON PRIDE ALL ABOUT STRAIGHT PEOPLE pic.twitter.com/0oKo1wJYsa

— innes mckendrick (@innesmck) June 29, 2017

The posters were also criticized for excluding bi and trans individuals, even though many mentioned straight people. The organization has since apologized and retracted some of the most criticized posters, including one that read, “Being homophobic is sooo gay.” Some others, including those featuring cute love stories submitted by the public, got to stay, but a lot of people wanted love stories with more diverse protagonists.

The real shame is the posters are beautifully designed, some with great messages, but you cannot use gay as a pejorative on LGBT material

— The Guyliner (@theguyliner) June 29, 2017

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.