Icon from a picrew by grgikau. Call me Tir or Julian. 37. He/They. Queer. Twitter: @tirlaeyn. ao3: tirlaeyn. 18+ Only. Star Trek. Sandman. IwtV. OMFD. Definitionless in this Strict Atmosphere.
Having separate flags is good bcos it’s good to have a symbol for your particular identity to embrace but it also important to remember the rainbow flag unites us all. All LGBT+ people can use it. I feel like it’s somehow become assumed by a lot of younger lgbt+ people that it’s only fr gay men, which it isn’t and never has been
The rainbow flag when originally created by Gilbert Baker in 1978 actually contained 8 stripes that were assigned values and specific meanings that were meant to show what unites us and what we value as a community,Â
It took 30 people to hand dye AND hand stitch the first 2 pride flags- 30 people of various identities came together to create the first symbol of pride. Hot pink was removed due to fabric shortages and turquoise was mixed with indigo to have the darker blue we have today.
Having individual flags is great to show your identity but I think we shouldn’t forget that the rainbow flag isn’t reserved for gay men, it was created to show what we all have in common regardless of identity.Â
Honestly I think this is awesome, symbols should be as dynamic as the needs of our communities, we should not be afraid to change them whenever we feel it is needed.
And while this is symbolic and doesn’t immediately translate to real change, the messages it sends, both “POC are Here” and “Racists not welcome” are important.
All the white people flipping out about this because they think it’s not beautiful or not traditional or not a rainbow as it appears in nature are showing how used they are to a sheltered condition of not having to seriously consider the needs of people of color, because they think an esthetic matters more than the question of whether this is an effective way to adress a real issue. How did we get to a point where that level of apathy is normal?
So I support this. Heck, I’d support it if we wrote ‘RACISTS FUCK OFF’ in large print on every single pride flag until the day when we didn’t have a single racist left in our communities. That would be worth changing all our symbols for.
The flag's revamped design, to be raised for the first time during Thursday's Pride kick-off at City Hall, is intended as a symbol of city’s more outward-facing advocacy for LGBTQ people of color.
“The black and brown stripes are an inclusionary way to highlight black and brown LGBTQIA members within our community,” said one source involved with the flag-raising event who asked not to be named.
“With all of the black and brown activism that’s worked to address racism in the Gayborhood over the past year, I think the new flag is a great step for the city to show the world that they’re working toward fully supporting all members of our community.”
