[DISCUSSION] Retaining the Pride Logo

Summary:

Small changes, larger impacts.

page 1 of 212next »

[DISCUSSION] Retaining the Pride Logo

Queerious 02 Jul 2025 19:39

o4 Mirror: https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/forum/t-17161307/discussion-retaining-the-pride-logo

What is This:

Each June, staff changes the SCP Wiki's logo to a pride variation to celebrate our diverse community. However, at the end of June, we revert the logo to the standard SCP logo. This means that the pride variant is relegated to a single month, and inadvertently, may make our wiki less welcoming.

Why is this an issue?

While it is not a detail that causes problems, having the pride logo used for just one month doesn't make sense, if we are trying to be overt that we welcome the LGBTQ+ community. Compare the Wiki logo to the Official SCP Discord logo, which is rainbow-colored all year, and signals to the community that queerness is welcome in that space.

Given the history of the Wiki with issues surrounding pride elements, queer characters being removed or erased in adaptations or other situations, and the separation with similar hostile writing sites, addressing this is important to make it clear what our official stance is.

Solution

To address this, and to make it overt what the Wiki's stance on queerness is, we propose keeping the Pride variant of the logo all year.

We feel that keeping the logo as the pride variant would not only signal to the community that queerness is welcomed and celebrated, but additionally, would be a good small step towards addressing the issues around diversity from the past.

Additionally, to assist in styling a wiki page that is closer to the 'classic' wiki aesthetic, a component will be provided that will change the logo to the basic one, similar to the functionality of the pride logo component.

Benefits/Concerns

In terms of a benefit beyond being more overtly inclusive, keeping the logo the same would require less overhead from staff when changing the logo back and forth, reducing the work needed. Additionally, no additional work would be needed to implement this change.

One concern that has been raised is international branches won't necessarily have the pride logo when a work is translated, because the code including the pride version of the logo would be embedded in the site, rather than the page source. This would be something to keep in mind, but is not a major concern from the perspective of the EN Wiki.

---

Discussion will run for 7 days, after which, a vote will take place to codify the change as permanent.

Last edited on 02 Jul 2025 19:40 by Queerious Show more

Re: [DISCUSSION] Retaining the Pride Logo

stormbreath 02 Jul 2025 19:42

This is a minimal effort proposal (actioning this requires less work than the status quo would) that would act as a good single to our community where we stand politically, and I am in favor of keeping the logo year round.

---

can I get some nice "no signatures on my forum"
sigma-9 css machine broke
understandable have a nice day

Last edited on 02 Jul 2025 19:43 by stormbreath Show more

Re: [DISCUSSION] Retaining the Pride Logo

Alexander the Jar 02 Jul 2025 19:43

On the one hand, this would be a fantastic way to preemptively identify problem users. On the other hand, doesn't keeping the logo year-round make the event of pride month feel less special to some degree?

Overall I lean towards yeah.

Edit: Having read Plague and Pedagon's reasoning, I now find myself leaning the other way.

Last edited on 02 Jul 2025 21:17 by Alexander the Jar Show more

Re: [DISCUSSION] Retaining the Pride Logo

Queerious 02 Jul 2025 19:54

I can see the argument, which is why I will also be proposing that Pridefest become an official, yearly staff event. That way, it's not that it would feel less special in June, rather, we do other things to provide that level of excitement and overt celebration.

Re: [DISCUSSION] Retaining the Pride Logo

leo60228 02 Jul 2025 19:46

I feel that this is a fairly obviously good idea, though I question the need for providing a component to revert to the classic logo.

Re: [DISCUSSION] Retaining the Pride Logo

PlaguePJP 02 Jul 2025 19:51

Changing the logo for Pride Month is a specific act of recognition. It allows the community to say, "This is an intentional time to uplift and celebrate queer voices." I think it's more powerful if it's something authors each choose to put on their own work rather than being the default. Not a fan of this, and it feels like a band-aid, knee-jerk reaction to how the pride logo is reacted to by those not involved in the community, rather than an action of substance.

Re: [DISCUSSION] Retaining the Pride Logo

Yossipossi 02 Jul 2025 20:13

I agree with Plague. I think making the pride logo a year-round thing feels reactionary rather than an act of solidarity. We also have pride flags on practically every other article anyways; I see no reason to ditch the regular logo entirely for the whole year. Anyone who's part of this community will already know we're supportive to queer identities without the need of a constant reminder.

Re: [DISCUSSION] Retaining the Pride Logo

Uncle Nicolini 02 Jul 2025 20:04

Personally it makes no difference to me whether or not the Pride logo is permanent. I include it in all my stuff anyway.

What does concern me, however, is that the pride logo is kind of ugly. We have a community full of graphic designers, why cant we put out a contest for a new pride logo?

After all, if our logo is going to be permanently pride, shouldn't it at least look good?

Re: [DISCUSSION] Retaining the Pride Logo

Pedagon 02 Jul 2025 20:04

Plague's post is my view too and not just because plague stole my direct wording. My personal view is that making the pride logo (which honestly currently isnt the most good looking logo and I might change my opinion if we had a better looking one) year round takes some of its power away from the users who put it on their works as a way to evoke a certain point or reading of their stories, kills some of that "uncovered/hidden archive" feeling we have enjoyed as the whole thing that sets us apart from other online writing sites (and makes us more into just a normal website looking design), and it is my belief that anything that would change old works by modifying the default looks and templates should be done by full community vote because EN has made it clear we care about authorial intent in the past in other pride logo based discussions.

However, I do think I like staff making a statement of our commitment to pride and protecting our LGBTQ+ community members by putting the pride logo year round on *our* pages and doing other modifications. Doing things like putting the pride logo on O5, on staff rule pages, site news, etc does the same moment of power of when authors choose to use a pride logo because it is something we have control over and have intentionally put on that page rather than just getting a passive pride boost on everything by making it the default. It's more powerful to be an ally by choice than being a vector of allyship by virtue of being too lazy to learn how to replace the CSS for the logo. As well, things like updating the how to write an scp page to have the code for making the logo a pride logo or other things like that would do more to show our year-round commitment by showing people that this is always an option and always something we support being done by making it just as easy to put up a pride logo as keeping the default.

Hope that makes sense

Last edited on 02 Jul 2025 20:05 by Pedagon Show more

Re: [DISCUSSION] Retaining the Pride Logo

SoullessSingularity 02 Jul 2025 21:06

I think the alternative that if staff broadly would prefer to make their official position explicit to put it on all official pages to be suitable to the use-case.

---

Living the dream, or dreaming the life?

Re: [DISCUSSION] Retaining the Pride Logo

SynthPanda_ 03 Jul 2025 05:29

I like the idea of changing staff pages to the pride logo, rather than making it the entire site's default logo. It would have practically the same outcome without any of the potential issues others have noted in this thread.

Last edited on 03 Jul 2025 05:31 by SynthPanda_ Show more

Re: [DISCUSSION] Retaining the Pride Logo

Ethagon 03 Jul 2025 11:59

this mirrors my thoughts as well. (Also agreeing with Dagon)

Re: [DISCUSSION] Retaining the Pride Logo

psychicprogrammer 03 Jul 2025 17:20

Yeah, I think this is the best option IMO (well at least the staff pages with the logo)

Re: [DISCUSSION] Retaining the Pride Logo

Rounderhouse 02 Jul 2025 20:09

I'm inclined to agree with Plague and Dagon — I like that we go and change it during pride month as a specific, deliberate act of recognition. I also appreciate that people have the option to deliberately add it on their own pages year-round as a specific, deliberate act of expression. I definitely see the arguments for keeping it year round but I think I would rather not impede on individual authors' ability to express Pride, and I think our own expression as staff/site is made stronger by doing it annually and specifically during June.

Re: [DISCUSSION] Retaining the Pride Logo

Zoobeeny 02 Jul 2025 20:11

My current main concern, at a glance and thought, is the existence of the ability to revert the logo to its classic look. Not because I think no one should have that ability, but because I'm worried about increased scrutiny towards users that do choose to revert the logo.

If the site were to use the pride logo at all times, it stands out all the more when someone purposefully adds the module to revert the logo in the same way someone choosing to use the pride logo module (or any of the other logo modules) stands out.

When someone uses a pride module, they are directly stating, "I support this cause", whether this is through the content of the medium or just the author's stance external to the content of the article.

Conversely, were a user to use a classic module in an otherwise always-pride logo, it can come across as, "I oppose the cause" even if the user's intentions were simply, "I like classic better." I don't like the possibility of enhanced scrutiny towards users who could be, for all intents and purposes, making an aesthetic choice.

I'm aware this could be an entirely unfounded fear, but having seen how emotional some non-staff users have gotten in regards to suspected AI, I don't imagine the userbase at large will meaningfully and appropriately handle themselves when someone essentially goes out of their way to remove a pride logo.

Re: [DISCUSSION] Retaining the Pride Logo

JackalRelated 02 Jul 2025 20:59

Agreeing with the statements provided by Plague, Pedagon, and Rounderhouse. I don't really have much to add that hasn't been covered (also agreeing with Zoobeeny's statement regarding increased scrutiny for changing the logo).

page 1 of 212next »