Drag queen blasted for ‘disgusting’ poster showing unicorn throwing up black and brown Pride flag stripes
The vile image comes after Manchester Pride announced it would be adopting the stripes symbolising racial inclusion for 2019.
By Will Stroude
A drag queen has been blasted over a “disgusting” promotional poster which depicts a unicorn throwing up the black and brown Pride flag stripes symoblising racial inclusion in the LGBT community.
Drag performer Peggy Wessex – real name Steven Gale – was slammed on social media after sharing the offensive flyer advertising a night at Manchester gay venue Bar Pop this week.
The now-deleted poster – which was shared by Wessex on Facebook with the caption “How it should be” – sees the entertainer photoshopped next to a ‘traditional’, six-colour Pride flag while a unicorn vomits up the black and brown stripes underneath.
The image quickly sparked a fierce backlash online, as Wessex and Bar Pop coming under fire for promoting “racist imagery”.
The controversy comes less than two weeks after Manchetser Pride announced that it would be including the black and brown Pride flag stripes in its imagery for 2019 to better represent LGBT+ people of colour.
The announcement was met with a mixed reaction from members of the LGBT community on social media: While some welcomed the decision to highlight racial diversity within in the LGBT community, many argued that the traditional six-stripe flag already represented LGBT+ people of all racial backgrounds.
Others pointed out that the degree ill-feeling towards the new design was symptomatic of racism within the LGBT+ community itself.
Following the backlash, Wessex confirmed to Gay Star News that the image had been removed – though she stopped short of offering an apology.
“It’s all been taken down,” she said. “It was meant to be a joke at Manchester Pride who just decided to add the colours.”
She continued: “So some people think it’s offensive because it’s the black and brown colour? The rainbow flag was made so it was inclusive of everyone.”
Bar Pop has also attempted to distance itself from the image, saying in a statement on Facebook that it has requested the removal of the poster after it was “deemed problematic online”.
“The poster was seen to be insensitive and was seen to not convey the message of inclusivity and pride that BarPop family work hard to promote,” said Antonio Negron, director.
“We are sorry for any harm, upset or offence caused by the posting.”
Meanwhile, the boss of Manchester Pride has defended the decision to adopt the eight-stripe Pride flag this year, saying the organisation has a “responsibility to recognise the needs of LGBTQ+ people of all backgrounds.”
He added: “Pride is for everyone and we want to celebrate the differences and this was our way of doing it. I hope that those who don’t yet see the need will understand our reasons for making this change and grow to love it.
“As a charity which campaigns for LGBTQ+ equality it would be reckless of us to ignore the experiences of those who feel marginalised – especially at our events.”