Rainbow Love, Pride, and One Awkward Misunderstanding

By a Well-Meaning (but Slightly Confused) Straight Person

I’ve been trying to open my mind more lately—really listen, learn, and embrace the rainbow of identities that make up our wonderfully diverse world. As a garden-variety hetero, I’ll admit that it’s easy to get confused when it comes to sexuality, preferences, and all the colourful kinks in between. But I want to get it right. I want to be an ally. That’s what Rainbow Love is about, right? Free expression, no judgment, and support for people being their true selves.

So imagine my enthusiasm and utter embarrassment when I ran into an old friend I hadn’t seen in years. She told me, glowing with joy, that she had a rainbow baby two years ago.

I lit up.

I congratulated her warmly, praised her bravery for embracing their identity so early, and even said something cringeworthy about how children must know these things from birth. I figured she was raising them in a gender-free, fluid, love-is-love environment, and I was here for it.

The silence that followed could’ve frozen lava.

She blinked at me, confused, then kindly explained that “rainbow baby” is a term for a child born after the loss of a previous pregnancy. I’d just turned a deeply personal, likely painful chapter of her life into a Pride Month pep talk.

Oops.

Look, I’m from an earlier generation and still learning about rainbows and the like. Supporting the LGBTIQ+ community isn’t just about colourful flags and hashtags—it’s about listening, getting educated, and knowing when to speak (and when not to). I meant well, but good intentions don’t always work.

Still, I’ll keep showing up. I’ll keep learning because Rainbow Love is about authenticity—from every corner of the spectrum—even if it sometimes comes with a splash of awkward.

-Michael (author of SEETHINGS, which is downloadable and free for a limited time)