rainbow ceiling en · NOUN
Etymology
rainbow (a reference to the rainbow flag, an international symbol of gay pride) + ceiling (suggesting a barrier to upward advancement); modeled after glass ceiling.
Meanings
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Synonym of pink ceiling.
Meretz MK Nitzan Horowitz isn’t just Israel’s only openly gay parliamentarian, he’s the Middle East’s only openly gay parliamentarian (though he was preceded in that role by Uzi Even, who broke that particular rainbow ceiling in 2002).
2013 June 27, Niv Elis, “The Middle East’s first openly gay mayor?”, in The Jerusalem Post:Michael Sam has made history on May 10 by breaking the rainbow ceiling to become the first openly gay football player to be drafted into the NFL.
2014 May 12, Craig Takeuchi, “Michael Sam makes history: First openly gay football player drafted into NFL”, in The Georgia Straight:I am an out gay man in my late 20s. […] I consider myself a successfully "launched" millennial and I've made it my mission to break the rainbow ceiling wherever I work.
2014, Chris, quoted in Conor Friedersdorf, "28 Distinct Takes on Gay Marriage and Stigma," The Atlantic, 15 April 2014