I think when there’s implicit consensus on a topic, it disempowers people who disagree from speaking out openly. Anytime someone speaks out, there’s always a chance that anyone sitting on the fence would agree with them. I think that while rainbow washing was a flimsy shield, it was still a shield against bigotry because of the implied consensus of support and the disempowering of bigots from speaking out and potentially swaying anyone still on the fence.
That kind of representation is harming the movement more than it helps tho.
I think when there’s implicit consensus on a topic, it disempowers people who disagree from speaking out openly. Anytime someone speaks out, there’s always a chance that anyone sitting on the fence would agree with them. I think that while rainbow washing was a flimsy shield, it was still a shield against bigotry because of the implied consensus of support and the disempowering of bigots from speaking out and potentially swaying anyone still on the fence.