This badge is gloriously out of date. It is that badge that the Provost of St Mary’s used to wear on his lapel, along with a rainbow ribbon whilst attending Pride events in Glasgow. As someone dressed in a black suit amongst a sea of rainbows, it was fairly obvious that he was the only ordained person attending such events wearing religious dress.
LGBT people who are Christian sometimes debate whether it is more difficult to come out as an LGBT person within the church or to come out as a Christian within the LGBT community. For many, it seems to be the latter.
These days the Provost is never the only person attending Pride in Glasgow wearing a clerical collar or religious dress. He now attends Pride along with colleagues from the Scottish Episcopal Church, ministers from other churches and members of religious orders.