Why a rainbow? Some suggest overtones of the original "gay icon" Judy Garland and her signature song "Over the Rainbow." Others think it more likely that the then-popular rainbow "Flag of the Races" inspired the adoption of a multi-colored symbol, as the "gay rights" movement had directly borrowed much from its civil-rights counterpart. With Milk's encouragement, it seems that artist Gilbert Baker then set out to create a flag that was destined to fly for the first time at San Francisco's "Gay Freedom Day Parade" on June 25, 1978, which was just months before Harvey Milk himself was killed, forever weaving together the martyr figure and the rainbow flag as core elements of the "gay pride" narrative. So at the very root of this diabolical symbol is its inspiration taken from Milk, an icon of the "LGBT community" who was, himself, while in his 30s, a perpetrator of same-sex sexual abuse of an underaged 16-year-old boy. Paul Kalchik just did? Your cardinal-archbishop, Blase Cupich, will try to burn you.Ĭoverage of Kalchik's brave act and Cupich's vindictive response is elsewhere - but let's look at the rainbow flag itself and the diabolical and mocking message that its inclusion on a banner also featuring the very cross of Jesus Christ Himself is really communicating.ĭid you know the rainbow flag was first adopted as a symbol for "gay pride" by way of a San Francisco artist named Gilbert Baker, who crafted the symbol at the behest of gay icon Harvey Milk, who himself, notoriously, is said to have had a 16-year-old boy as his live-in lover in the 1960s?įree clip from CHURCH MILITANT Premium WATCH MORE LIKE THIS flag is still protected under the First Amendment as "symbolic speech." But try burning the notorious rainbow flag of the so-called "LGBTQIA community," as Chicago priest Fr. It was also found in Chinese, Egyptian and Native American history.” Adding more colors to the flag results in a weaker overall symbol that arguable promotes factionalism rather than solidarity-division instead of community.You are not signed in as a Premium user we rely on Premium users to support our news reporting. In the Book of Genesis, it appeared as proof of a covenant between God and all living creatures. Baker described the rainbow’s universal, all-embracing resonance best: “The rainbow came from earliest recorded history as a symbol of hope. The rainbow flag’s meaning rests not in its individual colors but in the symbolism of the entire spectrum.
Avoid the temptation to include a symbol for everybody. Most poor designs have the elements of a great flag in them-simplify them by focusing on a single symbol, a few colors, large shapes, and no lettering. Furthermore, complicated flags cost more to make, which often can limit how widely they are used. Under these circumstances, only simple designs make effective flags. Flags must be seen from a distance and from their opposite side. Extra black and brown stripes were suggested for that flag as a way to highlight the fight against racism, while honoring “black and brown members of the gay community,” its designers explained.įlags flap. Quasar, who is currently running a Kickstarter campaign to produce the new design, wishes to improve on a 2017 rainbow flag redesign revealed at gay pride festivities in Philadelphia last year.
It was admitted to the Museum of Modern Art’s permanent collection in 2015 Designed in 1978 by artist-activist Gilbert Baker, the rainbow flag was a conceived as a unifying symbol for LGBTQ communities to “proclaim its own idea of power,” as Baker recounts in the book, Stitching a Rainbow. In a project called “ Progress: A PRIDE Flag Reboot,” Quasar introduces four extra symbolic hues in the existing six-color pennant.
In the quest to appease LGBTTQQIAAP (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, ally, pansexual) communities seeking representation, Portland-based designer Daniel Quasar has proposed an update to the iconic rainbow flag.