Brasenose College flew the Rainbow Flag from the College flagpole on 1st February 2017 to celebrate LGBT History Month. First done at Brasenose in 2016, flying the Rainbow Flag is an important message of support for the LGBT+ community, and a powerful symbol of equality for all those who live in Oxford to see.
The Rainbow or Pride Flag was originally designed by US artist Gilbert Baker in 1978, who sadly passed away in March this year. It quickly became widely associated with LGBT+ rights and various related liberation movements, and remains to this day an internationally-recognised symbol of equality. The Flag is a symbol of LGBT History Month, celebrated in February in the UK since 2005 to raise awareness of and combat prejudice against those identifying as LGBT+. Oxford University celebrates the month in a range of ways, perhaps most visibly to those outside the bubble by flying the Rainbow Flag at various Colleges.
Through being one of those Colleges, Brasenose is saying that we are an open, friendly and inclusive place, welcome to anyone, no matter whether they identify with a minority or a majority.
We celebrate and represent diversity in Brasenose in other ways too! Our wonderful 40 Years of Women portrait project celebrates gender diversity in the College (read about it here) and our new gender neutral toilet sign in the College Bar improves accessibility for non-gender binary students and visitors.
Much of this work is headed up by the our fantastic Women’s Rep Letty Barden, and Diversities and Equalities (D+E) sub-committee, led by student D+E rep Emily Hobbs. They hope to put on a Diversity and Equality Week later this year to celebrate the College’s diversity, including an exhibition about LGBT+ history in Brasenose. Emily said this about the rainbow flag: “I think flying the rainbow flag is a really powerful show of support which recognises and empowers LGBT+ students at Brasenose. This creates a strong sense of community and is a clear demonstration that we, as a whole college, value and celebrate the diversity within both our staff and student body.”
By Miles Overton (Second Year Geography student and student president)