The video titled ‘Fires don’t discriminate, neither do we,’ features fire service employees reading out hateful comments left on Facebook, after the organisation added a rainbow to its profile picture during pride month last year.

The content was all filmed internally and works to promote the fire service as an inclusive employer and supporter of LGBTQ+ rights. The short video was filmed and released last pride month and shared again this year as part of the 2021 pride campaign.

Reading the comments aloud humanises the online trolling as employees are filmed at work, while reading statements such as, ‘getting involved in the gay community is not correct’ and ‘I don’t see or understand why you feel the need to celebrate.’

For the original launch of the campaign last year, Alex Johnson, chief fire officer of the South Yorkshire fire service, said, “We fully expect the video will have a mixed reaction but some of the comments we received last year were awful and totally unacceptable.”

The campaign works on two levels, to support LGBTQ+ employees and communities, and to demonstrate that the South Yorkshire fire service is a genuinely inclusive organisation. This year the video was shared across social media channels with the hashtag #PrideMonth.