"Flags are torn from the soul of the people."



Gilbert Baker: Rainbow Flag Is Unfinished [UK Gay News, April 18, 2008]

Gilbert Baker designed the 'rainbow flag' 30 years ago this June. [1978] The flag is, today, recognised almost everywhere as a symbol of gay pride.

Our movement is built on the shoulders of individuals who stand for freedom and equality. One at time, in every town, in every country, people who live openly, truthfully. Each one of us is a drop of water in a wave of change for human rights and justice. Indeed we are a rainbow of hope, love, and liberation that wraps around the Earth.

Emily Dickenson said: "Flags are a brave sight, but no true eye ever went by one steadily."

In my view the rainbow flag is unfinished, as the movement it represents, an arc that begins well before me, its breadth far broader than all of our experiences put together, reaching the farthest corners of the world with a message of solidarity and a beacon of hope for those who follow in our footsteps.

In the beginning the Rainbow Flag was about liberation. It was about breaking free of an existence limited by fear and conformity, the right to express sexuality without shame or retaliation from those who legislate "morality".

All revolutions start with a word, and the word is no. No to injustice, no to discrimination, no to oppression, no to slavery, no to violence, no to lives dictated by fear. Yes to love. The defiant colors in our flag have unfurled that idea for thirty years.

The Rainbow Flag lives because it represents us all in our diversity and beauty. It endures because it connects us to nature and transcends words to lift hearts, enlighten minds and inspire courage everywhere.

My life has been devoted to creating, expanding and evolving its use. In the vernacular of vexillographers, a true flag is torn from the soul of the people, millions of people worldwide united in an expression of love and pride.

The rainbow flag is an art action. When people fly the rainbow flag, put it on a bumper sticker, or t-shirt, or use any of its endless variations, they are saying something. Right out front they're saying this is who I am.

It is a direct visibility action gay people are doing everywhere, phenomenal in every sense. The rainbow is a connecter, a global channel, it surfs the wind of change.

Flags are of the moment. The rainbow flag is a conscious thought, a brave and fearless action. It belongs to everyone. And that is what makes it wonderful.

[Continued here]

• Gilbert Baker: "I love going to cities around the world and seeing the rainbow flag" [Independent, June 19, 2008]

(Click on image for another view)

During Key West's 2003 PrideFest, a 1.25 mile-long rainbow flag, sewn by Gilbert Baker himself, was unfurled to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the original flag's debut. The flag stretched from sea to sea - from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean in Key West. Following the parade, sections of the flag were then sent to more than 100 cities around the world, including Toronto and Vancouver. The original flag was actually made up of eight colours, not six — pink, red, orange, yellow, green, turquoise, blue and purple.

[Note: To its shame, my own community — Simcoe, Ontario, Canada — passed a by-law some years ago that indirectly, but effectively, prohibits officially recognizing gay pride and flying the rainbow flag. Simcoe was, and continues to be, a bigots' paradise; apparently with the full support of the local rag, aka The Simcoe Reformer.]

• Who Made That Rainbow Flag? [New York Times, June 29, 2011]

Noah considered it a sign from God, Aristotle wrestled with its geometry and Dorothy sang about it as an escape from Kansas. For centuries, the semiotics of the rainbow have evolved through the fields of art, science and beyond, but have only more recently been associated with the lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender community. Carried in abundance at this past weekend's New York City Gay Pride Parade, the rainbow flag has become instantly recognizable as a symbol of diversity and acceptance.

Why you should attend a rural gay pride event this year [LGBTQ Nation, May 29, 2011]

LGBT people live in rural America. We work here, go to school, own property, pay taxes, raise families, attend churches, shop and donate to charity. We don't have a lot of gay bars, LGBT sports clubs, drag shows and neighborhoods where we can hold hands with our partners. Nonetheless, we live here. We love here. We have friends and families here.

Sometimes we do it under a great deal of stress.

I work with a lot of LGBT persons who have really good reasons for living in rural America. We don't get a lot of support. Far too often, the strongest reason to leave is to find a greater sense of community. Sometimes, that is the only reason- the driving reason, that makes them pack up the car and head to Denver or Seattle or Portland.

Creating community in a small town isn't always easy. There are a lot of obstacles to overcome- fear, shame, stigma- all the old tapes. We don't have a large pool of organizers, and often the same people are the ones organizing every event. Burnout is common. Sometimes we just need some encouragement.

And that's where you come in.

[Continued here]

Marion Wright Edelman: "Remember your roots, your history, and
the forebears' shoulders on which you stand."



Michael Bedwell's History Lesson: Gay Servicemembers Have Marched in Other Parades [LGBT|POV, July 18, 2011]

WHILE I'M THRILLED that so many active-duty gays and lesbians, and veterans including my dear friend, fellow DC-13 arrestee, and Marine vet Evelyn Thomas, marched Saturday, the downside is that, once again -- THROUGH NO FAULT OF THOSE SERVICE MEMBERS — VETS PARTICIPATING-the pioneering actions and sacrifice of those who came before has once more been trampled underfoot. For contrary to the claims of contingent organizer Sean Sala being regurgitated again and again in gay and mainstream media alike, this is NOT the first time this has happened.

THE FIRST TIME-as documented in Randy Shilt's landmark book on the ban, Conduct Unbecoming-was . wait for it . drum roll . THIRTY-SIX YEARS AGO when active-duty Army PV2 Debbie Watson and her partner Army PFC Barbara Randolph, Air Force SSGT Skip Keith, and Air Force TSGT Leonard Matlovich, along with a group of gay veterans, participated in the 1975 New York Pride Parade as seen in these pictures.

[Continued here]

Pride Parades 2012

Tokyo, Japan — 1st Rainbow Pride Parade

Havana, Cuba

    

Rangoon, Myanmar [Burma] — Possibly 1st Rainbow Pride Celebration

Moscow, Russia — The confrontations continue

Tbilisi, Georgia — More confrontations and a smooch

    

    

Pride Parades 2011

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Montréal, Québec, Canada — Célébrations de la fierté Montréal

    

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada — 2nd GLISA North American Outgames

    

New York City, New York, USofA — It's all about Marriage

New York Allows Same-Sex Marriage, Becoming Largest State to Pass Law
[New York Times, June 24, 2011]


        

(Click on images above to enlarge)


    

    

    

    

Province Town, Massachusetts, USofA

    

    

San Francisco, California, USofA

    

    

San Diego, California, USofA — 'Active-duty' gay and lesbian soldiers paraded

    

    

Los Angeles, California, USofA

    

    

Miami, Florida, USofA

    

    

    

    

Key West, Florida, USofA

Chicago, Illinois, USofA

Denver, Colorado, USofA

Seattle, Washington, USofA

Havana, Cuba

    

    

Mexico City, Mexico

Tijuana, Mexico

    

    

Guatemala City, Guatemala

    

Sao Paulo, Brazil

Buenos Aires, Argentina

    

Bogata, Columbia

Lima, Peru

Montevideo, Uruguay

    

Rome, Italy — EuroPride 2011

    

    

    

Stockholm, Sweden

    

    

Amsterdam, the Netherlands — Members of the Military paraded for 1st time

    

London, England, United Kingdom

    

York, England, United Kingdom — Remembering murdered Ugandan activist David Kato

Paris, France

Berlin, Germany

Mannheim, Germany — Serving members of the United States Air Force paraded

Barcelona, Spain

Istanbul, Turkey

    

    

Bucharest, Romania

Warsaw, Poland

    

Budapest, Hungary

    

    

Prague, Czech Republic — Festival of Tolerance — 1st Pride Parade



    

    

Split, Croatia



    

Belgrade, Serbia — Pride Parade CANCELLED by government

Moscow, Russia

    

    

    

    

St. Petersburg, Russia

    

Tel Avive, Israel

    

    

    

Jerusalem, Israel — Remembering the 2009 Massacre of Nir Katz and Liz Trubeshi

    

    

    



(Click on image to enlarge)

Sydney, Australia — Mardi Gras

    

    

Melbourne, Australia

Delhi, India

    

    

    

    

Narayanghat, Nepal — Bravely carrying their message of tolerance into the hinterland

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia — Annual celebration CANCELLED by government

Pink Dot 2011, Singapore — Supporting the Freedom to Love

Taipei City, Taiwan

Shanghai, Peoples Republic of China — website censored by government

Pride Parades 2010

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    

    

    

    

    

Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

New York City, New York, USofA

    

    

Southern Maine, USofA

Chicago, Illinois, USofA

Atlanta, Georgia, USofA

Salt Lake City, Utah, USofA

    

San Francisco, California, USofA

    

Havana, Cuba

Tijuana, Mexico

Paris, France

    

Belgrade, Serbia

    

    

    

Warsaw, Poland — EuroPride 2010 — 1st EuroPride in a former communist state

    

Chelyabinsk, Russia — the smallest Pride event ever

St. Petersburg, Russia

    

Minsk, Russia

    

Tel Avive, Israel

    

Jerusalem, Israel

    

    

Pride Parades 2009

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    

    

Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Albany, New York, USofA

San Francisco, California, USofA

Tijuana, Mexico

    

Zurich, Switzerland — EuroPride 2009

    

    

Budapest, Hungary

Moscow, Russia

    

    

Tel Avive, Israel

Jerusalem, Israel

    

Bangalore, India

Sydney, Australia — Mardi Gras

    

    

Taipei City, Taiwan