England's House of Commons Speaker, John Bercow, is one of the latter.See, Bercow commissioned the College of Arms to develop a Coat of Arms for him, to be unveiled alongside his official Speaker portrait. But Bercow, who is a champion of LGBT rights in Great Britain had some specific details in mind, that may leave some of his fellow politicians with their mouths agape.
The coat of arms tells the story of Bercow's journey as the son of a humble taxi driver to the position as most senior commoner on England. The ladder represents that upward journey and the four roundels inside the ladder represent his love for tennis. The curved, notched seaxes, or knives, reprsesent Essex where Bercow went to university. But it's a couple of other things that have some members of the House of Commons choking on their tea and crumpets.
The motto, "All Are Equal", for one. Ambiguous enough, really, it could mean just about anything. But Bercow asked that it be surrounded by four pink triangles and bordered by the LGBT rainbow flag.
Here is a politician who is taking a stand, and making that stand part of his family history for generations to come. All his descendants will now bear the coat of arms of equality.
That's actually kind of cool, and kind of permanent.
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