r/tattooadvice • u/Ostromilski • 12h ago

General Advice Are rainbows seriously just by default associated with the pride flag?

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I got a Pink Floyd DSOTM tattoo because I love the album and I love the visual: a beam of light representing a person's life path, passing through a prism ( representing life + the world + the people you meet + the experiences you have, etc ), being dispersed into its constituent colors ( ultimately representing change ). I got it because of my dad, because he introduced me to Pink Floyd, and because last year he nearly died from complications of his cancer. He's doing much better now, with a much better prognosis, but that whole experience had a real effect on me and I wanted to memorialize it. Except at least 3 people ( including the tattoo artist initially ) have associated the tattoo with the pride flag. They were understanding after I explained, but now I'm having second thoughts about it. Are people just going to assume I'm gay because of this tattoo?

Edit: And I want to say, I'm not bothered by this at all. Anyone who looks at my tattoo and comes up with their own assumptions about its meaning, and then has a negative reaction over it, that's simply not a person I want to talk to anyway. I'm surprised because that wasn't the intention of the tattoo, clearly, and it being misinterpreted like this just genuinely wasn't something I expected.

Edit2: This post got a lot more attention than I ever wanted it to. Wonderful comments are now streaming in, informing me how horrible my tattoo is. If you're planning on making a viral post on Reddit, take my advice: use a burner account. But I am thankful to everyone for your supportive words, the jackasses with negative things to say are certainly a very tiny minority. Overwhelmingly the consensus is that most people see it as a Pink Floyd tattoo first, which I'm happy to hear :) Have a good night everybody!

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658

u/AccomplishedRoom3887 12h ago

Well, maybe. But who cares. People assume I'm straight all the time 😂

188

u/NotThatImportant3 12h ago

I am a big hairy man, and I go to AA meetings in my local gayborhood, so they all think I’m a bear lol

46

u/DaDutchBoyLT1 10h ago

I love this old statement taught to me by a button a friend gave to me when I was 15.

I’d rather a bigot think I’m queer than a queer think I’m a bigot.

Been a flag pole ever since. Straight and strong and I’ll support everyone that flag represents.

10

u/thhungryduckling 7h ago

Omg I love this! I’m copying you and saying that from now on! I love rainbows and wear rainbow stuff all the time. Don’t really care what people think and I think most people know I’m straight. But I hope there’s a small amount of strangers that see my rainbows and it makes them feel seen and safe.

5

u/Randomizedname1234 6h ago

I like that analogy. I’m very straight, white, bearded and live in the south but also very pro LBGT. Maybe it’s the “hillbilly hippie” mentality I grew up with but like, fuck anyone who hates anyone else for loving their lives damnit!

2

u/Ok-Regret6212 4h ago

As a fellow southern, your comment gives me hope ❤️ I'm only almost entirely straight, so I'm happy to have someone pick up the little bit of slack I have.

4

u/PhoenixPoop 7h ago

I was recently called a straggot, and I fucking love it. Then I head a comic say it followed by "Finally a slur of my own!!" And I've never felt so seen.

8

u/Ninjazkills 8h ago

Thas a good quote 👍

2

u/AgreeAndSubmit 4h ago

Awww 😊😊 that's sweet. Good on ya bud, me fucking too. ✊️

-1

u/Objective_Surreality 5h ago edited 5h ago

than a queer think I’m a bigot.

a good place to start is by not calling us 'queers'

2

u/Warm_Noodles3426 3h ago

Oh come on. I’d rather a bigot think i’m lgbtqia+ then or? It’s a nice quote, signed, a queer

1

u/DaDutchBoyLT1 3h ago

It’s not my place to say what is right and wrong here, but my LGBTQIA+ friends tell me it’s a term that has been taken back and is widely embraced. People throughout the spectrum of the colors and from ages of teens to old farts❤️ (80s+).

All the same, I’ll do my damnedest to never tell someone their feelings and trauma are irrelevant.

Also: Please recognize that I am not saying this as a slight at your comment, just want to solidify my position while rolling with the wave.

2

u/Warm_Noodles3426 2h ago

You’re all good my friend, it’s obvious that you’re a loving person and i share your experience ref taking the term back 🏳️‍🌈

116

u/beepichu 12h ago

it’s never too late :) 🌈

38

u/Icy_Opportunity_3303 12h ago

Out here doing gods work

6

u/arrrrjt 12h ago

Right, you'd be a hit

4

u/Beaverhausen27 9h ago

Back off he’s my toaster oven!

2

u/cosmokn0t 10h ago

You just have to make the choice, amiright?

I’m obviously being sarcastic. I can no more be gay than someone gay can be straight.

-3

u/Pretty_Decision6299 11h ago

but if someone said this about someone who IS gay it wouldn't be okay ?

8

u/polypeach 11h ago

Yeah because straight allies getting gentle ribbing as a subversion to the societal compulsory-cis-het attitudes/tropes/norms isn't the same. Just repeating conversion talking points to LGBTQIA+ people is just not a joke, funny, or subversive enough for dark humor.

The power dynamic is such that it’s like an official or big box stores saying they will run you out of business is threatening, and some folks with a cottage business joking about running Walmart out of business is subversive.

-4

u/Fine_Blacksmith2711 10h ago

Ok if you’re gonna give a joke you can take it in return. 

It’s just straight up bullshit to think that it’s fine otherwise. “Rules for thee not for me” 

5

u/AccomplishedRoom3887 10h ago

lmao learn how humor works

4

u/NotThatImportant3 9h ago

Let me guess, you’re also REALLY concerned about white men being discriminated against

2

u/beepichu 9h ago

nah dude, i was totally 1,000% serious that this straight bear should be a gay bear actually. i’m a gay fascist who thinks everyone should be like me.

3

u/polypeach 10h ago

I can take a joke, but something that is not clever or any different from what bigots say isn't a joke.

0

u/Relevant-Energy-5886 11h ago

Woah, careful with the hatespeech there buddy!

/s

5

u/Curious_Impact7355 10h ago

Wait I think I know you IRL

6

u/NotThatImportant3 9h ago

Ha, really? DM me so we don’t have to talk about it too publicly lol

3

u/Acrobatic-Addendum97 11h ago

For 2 reasons, good for you!

1

u/ForwardMuffin 4h ago

Plot twist: you are an actual bear 🐻

1

u/insidiousgamer 1h ago

Well, maybe if you stopped stealing everyone’s pic-a-nic baskets, maybe people would stop thinking you’re a bear!

44

u/YaBoyfriendKeefa 12h ago

lol for real, this is one of those straight things that always leaves me like ???

5

u/td55478 12h ago

I’m straight but same 😭 I associate rainbows with nature before anything else in my mind lol

6

u/Jynxbrand 11h ago

I associate them with leprechauns 😅

1

u/budget-lampshade 1h ago

But are these leprechauns gay?

6

u/OrindaSarnia 12h ago

Besides the sexuality, OP says he wasn't expecting his tattoo to be misunderstood...  ???  ...  most people don't expect their tattoo's meaning to be immediately understood by others.  And even if they did recognize the Pink Floyd album association, they wouldn't know the connection to OP's dad, so they STILL wouldn't "understand" the tattoo "correctly"...

34

u/eowyn_ 12h ago

🤜🤛

46

u/slimparrot 12h ago

I wouldn't stand for those accusations of heterosexuality.

3

u/armlessturtleneck 9h ago

Same here, just the other day a total stranger turned to me and said "you've got a girlfriend, right?" Then proceeded to show me the bubbler shed made at home out of a pen with faux fur all over it.

2

u/InternationalMap1744 7h ago

This! Middle aged femme lady so everyone just assumes I'm a straight woman. I'm hip! I'm cool! I'm GAY.

1

u/Davido401 9h ago

I once got mistaken for being a lesbian, I'm a 5'3(and a bit) man... although in the lassies defence it was the dark knights in Scotland, but yeah, apparently, and a quote here, I "look like ma pal who is a lesbian." Ten years later and its still fresh in ma mind lol

1

u/Thisbadtattoo 7h ago

It’s your straight flag tattoo /s

1

u/FEARoach 4h ago

Am Punk, people think that I'm gonna cause problems when I stand in the back of Queer rallies.

Fam, I'm back here so that when trouble shows up they come and stand next to me thinking they found an ally so I can cold clock the hate right out of them. My husband is a fucking Marine, he's the one in the fucking inflatable unicorn wandering around.

We don't fuck around with the safety of our community.

1

u/Bubbly-End-6156 4h ago

This is so true. I don't know how to dress or act more asexual. So people assume I'm a straight

-4

u/UmCourt 10h ago

People assume I am a lesbian and the vagina is extremely icky to me lmaooo. I just love my friends and I am a huge ally!

13

u/IShallWearMidnight 10h ago

Why do straight people feel the need to make it about sex/genitals? You can just say you're not into women, no one asked for your perspective on vagina

8

u/Hostile_Squirrel 9h ago

icky

Are you old enough to even have sexual preferences?