Who runs Rainbow Responders?
Rainbow Responders is run by LGBTQIA+ first responders (and allies providing technical support). Like with many first responder related pages, we choose to remain anonymous to protect the privacy of ourselves, our coworkers, and our patients.
Why was Rainbow Responders created?
Storytelling is fundamental part of queer history. Much of queer history has been shared via storytelling, as it was not safe to document it in writing. Times have changed, and the internet is the first place many people look when they begin questioning their sexuality or gender. While there are many oral storytelling LGBT projects, there are not very many written LGBT storytelling projects that are freely available.
Our storytelling project was born out of the idea that if LGBTQIA+ first responders have a safe place to openly tell their stories it will increase the number of people who feel safe coming out.
We hope that Rainbow Responders will grow beyond the storytelling project into a community that connects LGBTQIA+ first responders with needed resources and each other.
What happens to the story I submit?
Stories will be posted on our website and on our social media for other people to read.
Why doesn’t Rainbow Responders mention police officers?
The relationship between the LGBTQIA+ community and law enforcement is a complicated one. Stonewall was a riot. The LGBT community was on one side and the police were on the other. Early gay bars in cities like New York were run by the mob in part because they offered protection from the police (at a price).
Some parts of the LGBTQIA+ community have experienced increased acceptance since Stonewall, and thus experienced decreased negative interactions with the police, others have not. Particularly those who are transgender, nonbinary, gender non-conforming, or have intersectional identities, such as being disabled or a racial minority.
Ultimately, we feel that being LGBTQIA+ and being a law enforcement officer is a fundamentally incompatible position, and being involved in law enforcement is against the best interests of the queer community.
While we will not refuse to accept or post stories from queer-identifying LEOs they are not our primary target audience. The content we post and language we use will generally be targeted towards other first responders.
Where does the money go from the merch?
Website hosting fees. The software we use to design the merch. Beer. The usual.