Rainbow flag (LGBT)
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The rainbow flag, sometimes pride flag, LGBT pride flag or gay pride flag, is a symbol of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) pride and LGBT social movements in use since the 1970s. The colours reflect the diversity of the LGBT community, and the flag is often used as a symbol of gay pride in LGBT rights marches. It originated in California, but is now used worldwide. Designed by San Francisco artist Gilbert Baker in 1978, the design has undergone several revisions to first remove then re-add colours due to widely available fabrics.[1][2] As of 2008, the most common variant consists of six stripes, with the colours red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. The flag is commonly flown horizontally, with the red stripe on top, as it would be in a natural rainbow.
History
Original eight-stripe version designed by Gilbert Baker in 1978
Version with hot pink removed due to fabric unavailability (1978–79)
Six-colour version popular since 1979. Indigo changed to royal blue.
The original gay-pride flag was hand-dyed by Gilbert Baker. It flew in the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade on June 25, 1978. It has been suggested that Baker was inspired by Judy Garland's singing "Over the Rainbow".[3] Another suggestion for how the rainbow flag originated is that at college campuses during the 1960s, some people demonstrated for world peace by carrying a Flag of the Races (also called the Flag of the Human Race) with five horizontal stripes (from top to bottom they were red, black, brown, yellow, and white). Gilbert Baker is said to have gotten the idea for the rainbow flag from this flag[4] in borrowing it from the Hippie movement of that time[5] largely influenced by pioneering homosexual activist Allen Ginsberg. The flag consisted of eight stripes; Baker assigned specific meaning to each of the colours:
| hot pink: sexuality |
| red: life |
| orange: healing |
| yellow: sunlight |
| green: nature |
| turquoise: magic/art |
| indigo/blue: serenity/harmony |
| violet: spirit |
Thirty volunteers hand-dyed and stitched the first two flags for the parade.[6]
After the November 27, 1978, assassination of openly gay San Francisco City Supervisor Harvey Milk, demand for the rainbow flag greatly increased. To meet demand, the Paramount Flag Company began selling a version of the flag using stock rainbow fabric consisting of seven stripes of red, orange, yellow, green, turquoise, blue, and violet. As Baker ramped up production of his version of the flag, he too dropped the hot pink stripe because of the unavailability of hot-pink fabric. Also, San Francisco-based Paramount Flag Co. began selling a surplus stock of Rainbow Girls flags from its retail store on the southwest corner of Polk and Post, at which Gilbert Baker was an employee.[7]
In 1979 the flag was modified again. When hung vertically from the lamp posts of San Francisco's Market Street, the center stripe was obscured by the post itself. Changing the flag design to one with an even number of stripes was the easiest way to rectify this, so the turquoise stripe was dropped, which resulted in a six stripe version of the flag — red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet.[7]
In 1989, the rainbow flag came to nationwide attention in the United States after John Stout sued his landlords and won when they attempted to prohibit him from displaying the flag from his West Hollywood, California, apartment balcony.[8]
Mile-long flags
For the 1994 25th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots flag creator Baker was commissioned to create the world's largest rainbow flag.[9] It took months of planning and teams of volunteers to coordinate every aspect. The flag utilized the basic six colours and measured thirty feet wide. Foot-wide sections of the flag were given to individual sponsors as part of a fundraiser for the Stonewall anniversary event once the event had ended. Afterwards additional large sections of the flag were sent with activists and they were used in pride parades and LGBT marches worldwide.[9] The Guinness Book of World Records confirmed it as the world's largest flag.
In 2003 Baker was again commissioned to produce a giant flag. In this case it marked the 25th anniversary of the flag itself. Dubbed "25Rainbow Sea to Sea" the project entailed Baker again working with teams of volunteers but this flag utilized the original eight colours and measured a mile-and-a-quarter (2 km) across Key West, Florida from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf Coast Sea. The flag was again cut up afterwards and sections sent to over a hundred cities worldwide.
2000s
In 2000, the University of Hawaii at Manoa changed its sports teams' name from "Rainbow Warriors" to "Warriors" and redesigned its logo to eliminate a rainbow from it. Initially Athletic Director Hugh Yoshida said that the change was to distance the school's athletic program from homosexuality. When this drew criticism, Yoshida then said the change was merely to avoid brand confusion.[10] The school then allowed each team to select its own name, leading to a mix including "Rainbow Warriors", "Warriors", "Rainbows" and "Rainbow Wahine".
The rainbow flag celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2003. During the gay pride celebrations in June of that year, Gilbert Baker restored the rainbow flag back to its original eight-striped version and has since advocated that others do the same. However, the eight-striped version has seen little adoption by the wider gay community, which has mostly stuck with the better known six-striped version.
In autumn 2004 several gay businesses in London were ordered by Westminster City Council to remove the rainbow flag from their premises, as its display required planning permission [citation needed]. When one shop applied for permission, the Planning sub-committee refused the application on the chair's casting vote (May 19, 2005), a decision condemned by gay councillors in Westminster and the then Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone. In November the council announced a reversal of policy, stating that most shops and bars would be allowed to fly the rainbow flag without planning permission.
Today some LGBT individuals and straight allies put rainbow flags in the front of their yards and/or front doors, or use rainbow bumper stickers on their vehicles to use as an outward symbol of their identity or support.
In June 2004 LGBT activists sailed to Australia's uninhabited Coral Sea Islands Territory and raised the Gay flag, proclaiming the territory independent of Australia, calling it the Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands.
Christian religious history and use
The use of rainbow flags as a sign of diversity, inclusiveness, hope and of yearning has a long history. This denotation goes back to the rainbow as a symbol of biblical promise.[11][12]
Variations
Many variations of the rainbow flag have been used. Some of the more common ones include the Greek letter 'lambda' (lower case) in white in the middle of the flag and a pink triangle or black triangle in the upper left corner. Other colours have been added, such as a black stripe symbolising those community members lost to AIDS. The rainbow colours have also often been used in gay alterations of national and regional flags, replacing for example the red and white stripes of the flag of the United States. In 2007, the Pride Family Flag was introduced at the Houston, Texas pride parade.
In the early years of the AIDS epidemic, AIDS activists designed a "Victory over AIDS" flag consisting of the standard six-stripe rainbow flag with a black stripe across the bottom. Leonard Matlovich, himself dying of AIDS-related illness, suggested that upon a cure for AIDS being discovered, the black stripes be removed from the flags and burned.[6]
Other countries' LGBT communities too have adopted the rainbow flag. South Africa with one of the most liberal constitutions in the world, has recently adopted The LGBT flag of South Africa at one of the world's biggest costume parties the Mother City Queer Project 2010 to a crowd of 10 000 party goers. The creator Eugene Brockman said "the flag honors every Gay Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered person as they make the Rainbow Nation dazzle".
Rainbow colours as symbol of gay pride
The rainbow flag has found wide application on all manner of products including jewelry, clothing and other personal items and the rainbow flag colours are routinely used as a show of LGBT identity and solidarity. One common item of jewelry is the pride necklace or freedom rings, consisting of six rings, one of each colour, on a chain. Other variants range from key chains to candles.
In Montréal, the entrance to Beaudry metro station, which serves that city's Gay Village, was rebuilt in 1999 with rainbow-coloured elements integrated into its design.
Religious disputes
In recent times, some anti-gay Biblical religious sects have tried to lay claim to the flag, by claiming it is a symbol rooted in their traditions. This is disputed by gay news organisations.[13]
See also
- Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands
- GLBT Historical Society (San Francisco): Houses the sewing machine used by Gilbert Baker to make the first rainbow flag in 1978.
- LGBT symbols, other LGBT symbols
- Queer culture
- Rainbow flag, other uses of rainbow coloured flags
- Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence
- Other flags in the LGBT community:
Notes
- ^ "The Rainbow Flag". Retrieved 2007-08-21.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ Gilbert Baker (18 October 2007). "Pride-Flyin' Flag: Rainbow-flag founder marks 30-years anniversary". Metro Weekly. Retrieved 2008-03-13.
- ^ Gay Almanac, p. 94
- ^ Carleton College—“Symbols of Pride of the LGBTQ community”: Noted as sourced to The Alyson Almanac from the college's library.
- ^ "San Francisco: The Unknown City", Helene Goupil, Josh Krist. Arsenal Pulp Press/Josh Krist, 2005. ISBN 1-55152-188-1, ISBN 978-1-55152-188-6. p. 33
- ^ a b Witt, et al., p. 435
- ^ a b Unsung Heroes of the Gay World: Vexillographer Gilbert Baker: The Gay Betsy Ross UK Gay News, 17 April 2008. Accessed 23 September 2009.
- ^ Russell, Ron. "Removal of 'Gay Pride' Flag Ordered: Tenant Suit Accuses Apartment Owner of Bias." Los Angeles Times (December 8, 1988): Part 9, 6.
- ^ a b "San Francisco Neighborhoods: The Castro" KQED documentary.
- ^ Whitley, David (200-08-09). "More buzz over 'Bows". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 2008-12-17.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Christian symbols Glossary
- ^ Symbol of God's Everlasting Covenant with Mankind
- ^ "Anti-Gay Ruth Institute Wants To Steal The Rainbow Flag From The Gays", Queerty. December 2010. Accessed January 27, 2011
References
- The National Museum & Archive of Lesbian and Gay History (1996). The Gay Almanac. New York City, Berkeley Books. ISBN 0-425-15300-2.
- Witt, Lynn, Sherry Thomas & Eric Marcus (1995). Out in All Directions: The Almanac of Gay and Lesbian America. New York, Warner Books. ISBN 0-446-67237-8.
External links
- Unsung Heroes of the Gay World: Vexillographer Gilbert Baker
- How Did Gay Pride Flag Originate? KPIX-TV (CBS 5), December 1, 2006
- - VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH GILBERT BAKER - 30 YEARS OF RAINBOW FLAG, June 2008, London
- Gilbert Baker speaks to Homovision.tv about the importance of the Rainbow Flag in the 21st century and why it shouldn't be forgotten.
