Woke Flop: Cambridge University College Takes Down ‘Divisive’ LGBT Flag

A Progress Pride flag and rainbow flags are seen at the Stonewall National Monument, the f
ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images
Kurt Zindulka

A woke outrage has ensued following the decision from a Cambridge University college to remove an LGBTQ+ flag over concerns that promoting political ideologies serves to “divide” the student body.

At the start of February, which is when LGBT History Month is honoured in the UK, Gonville & Caius College at Cambridge decided to raise the ‘Progress Pride’ flag over one of its buildings. Last week, however, a majority of fellows at the College’s General Meeting voted in favour of a motion that would prohibit the flying of all flags, besides the college’s own colours.

After the motion was ratified by the College Council, a statement was released explaining the decision: “The College flag is a symbol which unites all in the Caius community. Choosing to fly only the College flag avoids concerns regarding political neutrality, and the difficulty of choosing between the plurality of good causes for which a flag could be flown.”

“Flags flown to express opinions about causes and issues, have the potential to divide us. All of us are Caians, so the College flag speaks for all of us. No other flag does.”

The elite school noted that students still have “considerable freedom” to “publically express their own support for causes”, pointing to a recent rule change allowing “the display of any legal flag, poster, or similar by students in their rooms, including outward-facing ones”.

The college council claimed this strikes “a fair balance between the freedom of individual students to express their political views and the need for Caius itself, as an educational charity, to remain politically neutral.”

Yet, students at the typically woke university have blasted the decision, with masters student Natasha Naidu writing: “Feeling betrayed to learn that the CaiusCollege Council voted to ban the flying of any flag other than the college banner at Caius, just a day after the progressive pride flag was flown for the first time.”

PhD student Anthony Bridgen also said that he felt “bitterly disappointed” by the move, saying: “It is symbolic of an entrenched, majority cis male, majority white, majority fusty fellowship who neither know nor want to know about the injustices faced by minorities.”

The decision by the college to make a move contrary to the woke crowd is surprising, given Cambridge’s general lurch to the left in recent years. In October, for example, the Homerton College at the university announced that it would be adding trigger warnings to classic texts and children’s books such as Dr Seuss’ Cat in the Hat over alleged racist symbolism within the text.

In November, famed Monty Python comedian John Cleese said that he would pre-emptively cancel himself from the university after Cambridge banned an art historian who performed a mocking impression of Adolph Hitler during a debate.

“I apologise to anyone at Cambridge who was hoping to talk with me, but perhaps some of you can find a venue where woke rules do not apply,” Cleese said at the time.

Follow Kurt Zindulka on Twitter here @KurtZindulka

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