Ever since Remi got me my Mini Clubman, I’ve wanted to put a little gay pride decal on the window. Something subtle, like the yellow and blue equal sign or a little rainbow corgi. You know, just something little that other family members would recognize because we always love it when we see other cars with similar stickers.
It’s just a nice feeling to know that there are other, out gay people around. Even if it’s just their car in a parking lot.
Another idea I’ve had and really wanted to do, was to put a Marine Corps Iraq Veteran sticker on one side and a gay marriage equality sticker on the other. But Remi won’t let me put anything gay related on any of our cars because she’s afraid it will get vandalized. I want to believe that won’t happen, but I’m not that naive.
Then tonight I watched the documentary, Fagbug It’s about a college student that had her car vandalized, with the word FAG spray painted across her car because she had a rainbow sticker on window. She took this hate crime and turned it into an opportunity to bring attention to gay rights. I highly recommend the movie because seeing what people’s responses were to her, were ….. Mixed. Some pissed me off. Some were encouraging.
Well, it’s sad but apparently true. If you have the nerve to stick a gay pride sticker on your car, you risk the very real chance of some ignorant bigot vandalizing your personal property. Which leaves me in a very weird place, because I am out and proud. Hell I would wave a rainbow flag every day (and much to Remi’s embarrassment, I randomly pull one out of my purse at any given moment.) but putting yourself out there is different then leaving your car, unattended all over the city in various parking lots. For who knows who to walk by and decide whether or not your car is safe from an anonymous hate crime.
What do you think? Is it worth it? Watch the movie because if you’re like me and you live in a big city, you might not realize how dangerous it really STILL is to be gay in America.
I don’t live in a particularly aggessive area- I don’t think. Not particularly liberal, but not particularly violent and I don’t take my car out and leave it out often. I have a little air freshener that doesn’t freshen (ha)- a gift from a friend that reads, “So gay, I can’t even drive straight!” and I think it’s cute. A part of me dares someone to do something about it…. I love the little useless thing- ha.
Suz and I have an HRC magnet on the van we drive our kids around in. Also a “love conquers hate” window decal from HRC on her car.
I think it’s important.
We live in a small, rural, Midwest community. I am not even sure my neighbors know what my yellow equal sign means…
Lol, I like that Elegy … Are you on facebook? Interesting that another gay person has taken huge offense to this film, and to me I guess for blogging about it. I don’t get their logic. But to each their own.
I agree El, I always say, visibility is important.
Yes “visibility is important”. Advocacy is important. Personal safety is priceless.
Sasha How damn cute are you carrying a rainbow flag in your purse. OMG! Love it! (side note-I wrote u back to your email hope u got it)
I had my car pretty plastered with rainbow stickers when I lived in Portland, and never had an issue (except for LOTS of attention from chicks…never a bad thing).
Now that we’re in LA, we’ve had HRC stickers, No H8 stickers, etc., and also never had a problem. If you want rainbows, woman, go for it! If we make every decision out of fear of what *might* happen…well, then, we kind of let the assholes win. (Ensuring personal safety is another matter, but a car is, after all, just a car.)
Yep, I messaged you so you know which one I am- I saw that exchange- SMDH! As I said to you in PM: It’s not a competition to see who hurts the most! It’s supposed to rally us together so we can make our future hurt the least!
I agree wholeheartedly with you Natalie …. but I guess since I’m not the one making the payments, I can’t make that decision on my own. So I try to make up for it by wearing this cool rainbow, dichroic glass pendant as much as possible, whipping out my gay pride flag at inappropriate moments, holding hands with my wife in public at all times and basically, anything else I can do to let the world at large know that we here. we’re queer. And we’re just as American as the rest of them.
Ah, yes…this is the reason there are no rainbows on my current car. (My wife thinks they’re tacky, and she’s the one making the payments as well, so I decided to leave it be.) I LOVE the inappropriate flag displays!! I throw “wife” references around as often as possible, and adore the public affection – especially when we have our little guy in tow…we’re just the All American Big Ol’ Lesbo Family.
My friend has a saying regarding this whole subject. LOL (Blushing) “Keep your publics our of my privates!” LOL (Keep your public opinions out of my private business- and well the double meaning…) LOL
First of all, I LOVE Fagbug. Got to meet the woman who made the documentary at a screening,and she’s really cool.
As for the rainbow thing, I live in a very small town in the south. I’m not sure half the people would know what the equals sign means, but I see a ton of them driving through the town and it always makes me feel less alone, even if I know they don’t live there!! But I saw something subtle the other day that may be what I do…you know how most states on their license plate have a little teeny picture of the state? The state I live in has an option plate where that teeny pictures is rainbow. So subtle you might miss it…but it’s there…
I think there’s always a chance of consequence, but I feel the same way about living in my life “out” and by presenting as visibly queer. After looking queer, what’s a little car graffiti?
I think it is wonderful to have subtle- or not so subtle- pro gay things on vehicles or anywhere else. I have an HRC decal on the laptop I won’t leave without, and I plan to get a case for my android(when I get it) that is somehow pro gay.
I understand the vandalism aspect, and the fear of that. I live in South Carolina. Believe me, I am no stranger to homophobia and being gay bashed. But, I am brave and if I have to go through it now so future generations do not, later, then so be it.
I have put stickers on my car in the past…just something simple, just as an indication – usually an HRC sticker. Aside from where I live now, I’ve always lived in conservative areas, and I’ve had no problem – but it could be like RadDyke said, that they didn’t even know what it meant.
But,if they do recognize it, it does automatically identify/Out you because people assume if you advocate for the gays, that you are one – which is often the case. So, if that’s the case, you’ve got to be willing to face the consequences…hopefully there are none.
Now, I have a nice car, and I don’t want to put “any” stickers on it. It’s nothing against the cause, just wanting to keep it looking a certain way. I do love seeing other gay cars out there though…so I’m thinking of a simple indicator on the license plate cover or something like that. I used to like seeing cool cars with gay stuff…maybe now I have the chance to be one.
Yea Remi feels like it’s a brand new car, well practically anyways and she just flat out won’t let me put any stickers on it. I just asked AGAIN today and she said “No way. No stickers on the Mini. I don’t like that way that looks.”
But I just ordered an HRC car magnet *sneaky sneaky* and that’s not a “bumper sticker” per say …… let’s see if I can get away with that!
Its a real shame that this is happening in this day and age. I have quite a few gay and lesbian friends and it is quite upsetting when they get taunted or verbaly abused on a night out. I’m glad that some people are standing up to these biggots!
Erin was visiting SUNY Plattsburgh when this was written on her car.