Just how ‘tolerant’ is the homosexual movement? That’s the question many are currently asking, since the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) used rainbow flags during COVID-19 to rally people’s morale. Apparently, the furore all started because an older gentleman flew a rainbow flag outside his window in support of the NHS and refused to acknowledge that it meant he was supporting people who are LGBTIQ. All of which led to his homosexual grandson tweeting:

My grandad who is a staunch “I’ve got nothing against them, but I don’t want to know about it” has put this up out front and refuses to accept it’s an LGBT pride flag pic.twitter.com/SAzKWgCbls

— James (@J3Lyon) May 4, 2020

This led Forbes to report that:

… this act is leaving some in the LGBT+ community feeling uneasy about whether they are losing their symbol, accusing some online shops of erasure and ignorance as they sell LGBT+ pride banners rebranded as “Thank You NHS” flags.

What’s more, also according to Forbes, the real enemy here is eBay, since they have been re-branding the flags as “Thank You NHS” flags. And here I was thinking that the LGBTIQ rainbow flag was so ideologically fluid that it included absolutely everyone, regardless of their sexuality, race or gender! I mean, if #loveislove, then why can’t the multicolour spectrum be whatever one wants it to be?

But never to miss an opportunity to perpetuate a victimhood narrative — even when there isn’t one — Forbes then went on to outline a conspiracy theory good enough to rival any related to the origin of COVID-19. You see, apparently the ‘erasure’ of the LGBTI flag is linked to a much more insidious far-right agenda to secretly repeal gay rights. As Forbes stated:

One study into the impact of coronavirus on the LGBT+ community by Queer Voices Heard suggests just under six in 10 (57%) in the U.K. LGBT Community fear they will be worse off after the pandemic.

Early signs suggest there is already evidence that might be the case.

In Europe, Hungary, Poland and the U.K. have already announced plans or begun changes that affect LGBT+ rights.

Hungary’s change, widely expected to be voted through this month, could mean trans people are no longer recognized at all.

Poland’s parliament is considering a “Stop Pedophilia” law which seeks to criminalize those who teach sex education by falsely linking homosexuality with pedophilia.

Meanwhile in the U.K., the equalities minister Liz Truss has signalled that gender recognition reform, long called for by activists in the trans community, could now mean rights are taken away from trans people instead of given to them as many hoped.

So, now the most vulnerable victims during COVID-19 are no longer the frail or the elderly but those who perpetually offended within the LGBTIQ? But to be fair, the article from Forbes did also go on to state that:

“… historically outside of the context of a flag, rainbows have a multitude of meanings for different people. Not least in Christianity where the rainbow denotes God’s covenant – a connection between God and all living creatures – with Noah.”

I think the author might have overlooked the religion of Judaism as well. Because the covenant with Noah is recorded in the opening chapters of the first book of the Bible. Regardless, the LORD says that the rainbow signified “the covenant established between Me and all life on earth.” (Genesis 9:17) In particular, that it was a sign to never again destroy the Earth by water.

The New Testament picks up on this and uses it as a warning of the judgment that is yet to come (see 2 Peter 3:3-13). A judgment we can graciously escape if we put our trust in Jesus and have our sins washed away. As God says in His Word,

“For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.”
(1 Peter 3:18)

Especially during this current global pandemic, that’s the best news we could ever hear.

[Photo by K. Mitch Hodge on Unsplash]