The Scottish Parliament has decided to ban its staff from wearing personalized lanyards and badges, including those displaying rainbow colors symbolizing support for the LGBT+ community. Instead, staff must always wear only the purple parliament-issued lanyard to avoid the perception of bias or partiality.
This decision follows complaints that parliament staff removed suffragette-colored lanyards and badges from women opposed to the government’s gender reforms.
The concern is that wearing personalized items could suggest bias and influence decision-making on government policies and societal issues.
Conservative MSP Tess White raised concerns about staff subjectively enforcing the visitor code of conduct, leading to the exclusion of women. She highlighted inconsistencies in the application of rules, suggesting that one rule is for some individuals but not for others.
Despite the ban on personalized lanyards and badges, staff will still be allowed to wear badges displaying their pronouns, poppy badges endorsed by Poppy Scotland, pins indicating first aiders or Gaelic speakers, and badges showing membership in recognized trade unions.
Additionally, those wearing sunflower lanyards to indicate hidden disabilities can continue to do so alongside the parliament-issued purple lanyard.
The decision, effective from March 28, aims to uphold impartiality and create a culture where all staff feel safe, valued, and included. This move marks a departure from the previous practice established in 2017 as part of Holyrood’s diversity and inclusion strategy.