Should UEA have refused to fly the Pride flag?

When I first found out about the refusal to fly the Pride flag after LGBT+ requested it, my instant reaction was: why? It’s simply a display of support for all individuals in the UEA community; a formal acknowledgement from the university to everyone else that being different doesn’t mean you’re not equal.

However, after posting up a poll on this debate on Facebook, I came across some interesting points to suggest that the UEA was, in fact, not wrong to have refused to fly the rainbow flag in support of Gay Pride.

Flag or no, the uni loves us all!

One anonymous commenter said: “I don’t think this is the university saying ‘we dislike minorities’ or anything negative, I simply think that they see the flag would have to be used by all societies and groups if they let one…If the university flew different flags for different groups then I would understand the controversy of them saying no to the LGBT+ flag…As long as no group’s flag is flown (minority or otherwise), that is equality, is it not?”

And that was one of the major points to have won me over. This person went on to say: “If the university decided to change its flag policy then so be it, good for the uni, but as of now, there are two flag policies – the first being that when a student has passed away it is set at half-mast and the second being when a royal member visits the royal crest is flown.”

To be honest, I don’t believe you have to go to great lengths (in this case, to fly a flag) to prove your support for something. The UEA and the majority of its students embrace diversity and would not describe itself as being even slightly discriminatory, so a refusal to fly the flag should not be associated with the belief that it is intolerant.

Of course, after seeing statistics such as ‘50% of LGBT+ members not “coming out” to members of their sports club’, it is clear that not enough support is shown to these individuals. Nevertheless, doing so in a symbolic way, a way which only materializes an acceptance which already exists, may not be the answer, primarily because of the reason that was previously mentioned – that if you do it for one, you’ll have to do it for all.

However, another commenter said: “Surely the university better supports its students by adopting a new policy that benefits minority groups, than by dogmatically following old outdated procedures?”

Overall, there are clearly some very persuasive arguments on both sides of the coin, it seems, however, that this issue is more one of opinion rather than a having an obvious right or wrong answer.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.