Elizabeth Willis
Dr. Steph Brown
English 306
7 March 2016
The
Rainbow Flag
The history of the
gay rights movement is long and winding, yet ever progressing towards a world
of equality for those who identify with the LGBT community. The beginnings of
gay rights advocacy happened early in the 20th century in the United
States: the first American gay rights organization, The Society for Human
Rights, was founded in 1924 (Morris). During this time, gay and lesbian groups
in America tended to be found in small, secluded pockets across the country.
Because of this, many gay communities were not exposed to other geographically
separated gay communities until during and after World War II. The war effort, which included producers and
distributers of weapons, front-line fighters, and factory workers, required all
Americans to work together, effectively intermixing different homosexual areas.
The realization that the gay population was larger than a neighborhood led to an
explosion of organizations specifically geared towards the progression of gay
rights (Morris).
During this time, homosexuals
were repressed in a multitude of ways. The act of homosexuality was considered
illegal, gay men and women were openly and freely discriminated against, and
homosexuality was even deemed a mental disorder by the American Psychological
Association (Leitsinger). The beginning of what we now know as the gay rights
movement came in 1969 when police raided an openly gay bar, the Stonewall Inn, causing
riots in response to police brutality (Leitsinger).
This newfound
protest movement had many symbols, signifying an effort that was neither organized nor united. Most notably the “pink triangle from the Nazis,” a symbol used “to
denote gay people” was often used, but it “came from such a horrible place of
murder and Holocaust and Hitler” (Baker). Harvey Milk, a gay politician in San
Francisco, asked Gilbert Baker to create a symbol for the gay and lesbian community
that would carry “a really important message about how important it was to be
visible, how important it was to come out” (Baker). Born in the attic of the
Gay Community Center in San Francisco, the original flag was made by many
volunteers, culminating in an eight-striped rainbow, each strip of fabric
hand-dyed (Zorthian). The flag was first flown in 1978 at the United Nations
Plaza in San Francisco, making it well known in the northern California area
(Baker).
The rainbow flag
came to be a symbol for the gay community, fighting for equal rights such as
being included in federal and state anti-discrimination policies, holding the
right to get married, and removing the stigma of being labeled a homosexual.
The rainbow flag was well received within its target population: those who
identified as gay and lesbian were galvanized to unify underneath the newfound
symbol. The symbol gave the movement power as well as momentum, because it
called for those who were secretive about their sexual orientation to be more
open and willing to share their experiences. Over time, the audience grew to be
wider than just those who identify as gay and lesbian; the flag is now a way to
show support for the LGBT community, even if a person self identifies as
heterosexual (commonly referred to as an ally).
In terms of the
validity of the movement’s message, it is important that Gilbert Baker, the
mastermind behind the rainbow flag, was a part of the gay community in a very
real way. He was a poor drag queen, famous for his protest banners in favor of
the gay movement, who learned to sew because he could not afford to buy drag
clothing (Baker). Baker is truly the essence behind the gay rights movement, as
he did not have wealth or power, yet he still made a tremendous impact upon his
community. One individual, creating a symbol for a marginalized minority, helping
the gay community find a collective voice that would be effective in fighting
for equal rights via pathos, ethos, and logos.
A flag is an
interesting symbol to be adopted by a group of people. There is no text, no
explanation of the movement, no real indicators that it belongs to a community.
And yet, the beauty of the flag, especially in the case of the gay rights movement,
is that it does not need explanation in order to be influential and unifying. The
gay and lesbian community used their rainbow flag to organize their movement,
to proclaim that they are a community that has weight and power behind their
efforts. Baker has said, “A flag is different than any other form of art […] it
functions in so many different ways. I thought that we needed that kind of
symbol, we needed as a people something that everyone instantly understands.”
He attributes his idea of a flag as the symbol for the gay rights movement to
the inspiration he gained from the American flag. There is very little monetary
value in a single flag, but the significance of a group owning something that
is immediately recognizable to the majority of the world’s population is invaluable.
In general, “a flag points to who [they] are” as a group: it wordlessly conveys
the values that a group holds dear to those who are on the outside while also
acting to join those who are a part of that community on the inside (Beason). The
feeling that Americans get when they look up at the American flag, that feeling
of nationalist pride, works the same way for the rainbow flag and its
followers; this is the pathos that the flag uses. Baker counted on his fellow
community members to have that feeling of being one group of people, standing
in solidarity, working to call to action fighters for what the group believes
in.
At the same time,
Baker helped the flag evoke ethos. He was socioeconomically disadvantaged and without
much influence, but reliable (especially with his Army background). Above all,
Baker was relatable. Anyone within his community could see some part of
themselves in him because he was one
of them. A working class gay man with very little money but a lot of heart and
skill, Baker made a tremendous impact on an entire population just by using his
craft. If he could believe in, and ultimately influence, the gay rights
movement, so could they. His credibility transferred to the flag, particularly
when the flag’s production became a group effort by many in his community,
allowing other members to contribute to the progression of the movement (Baker).
The form of the
rainbow is also important to the message of the flag. If the flag’s purpose is
to unify those that identify as homosexual, the flag must adequately represent
everyone within that population. Baker consciously chose the colors of the flag
so that they represented the values of his community: “pink for sexuality, red
for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, turquoise
for magic, blue for serenity, and purple for spirit” (Kabango). Logically,
people are going to want to follow something that is specifically made for them
and that represents them in a real way. This is how Baker created a flag that
evokes logos, reasonably enticing the gay community to unite under his symbol.
In addition, Baker has said that the flag’s many colors also represent his
community’s “diversity in terms of race, gender, [and] ages” (Baker). The flag
is all encompassing, so that everyone feels included and welcome while bolstering
the feeling of power that comes with being a part of a large group.
The rainbow flag
turned out to be a complete success. Gilbert said, “I made it in 1978 and I
hoped it would be a great symbol but it has transcended all of that […] because
it became so much bigger than me […] so much bigger than the U.S.” (Baker). The
rainbow flag is now universally recognized as the symbol for the gay and
lesbian community, as well as for those who identify as bisexual and
transsexual. The struggle for equality has progressed in the U.S. so far that
anti-discrimination laws are now federally enforced and the Supreme Court
recently ruled in favor of same-sex marriage. The Museum of Modern Art, located
in New York City, has even acquired the rainbow flag to be placed in their
“design collection,” indicating that Gilbert’s flag was, and continues to be, a
fundamental part of the gay rights movement (Baker). Ultimately, a flag evokes
all of the values that a group holds to be true, providing a symbolic object to
rally around: “mere fibers and pigments, the flag means nothing except
everything we believe in” (Beason). A tangible object with an intangible
message, the rainbow flag will be forever tied to the triumphs and tribulations
of the gay rights movement as progress continues to move in the direction of
the future.
Works
Cited
Baker,
Gilbert. "MoMA Acquires the Rainbow Flag." Interview by Paola
Antonelli and Michelle Fisher. Inside/Out. Museum of Modern Art, 17 June
2015. Web. 21 Feb. 2016.
Beason,
Tyrone. "Our Flag, Used as a Symbol of Pride and Protest, Tells a Lot
about Who We Are." The Seattle Times. Frank A. Blethen, 7 July
2015. Web. 20 Feb. 2016.
Kabango,
Shadrach. "Pride Flag Creator Gilbert Baker on the Rainbow's Real
Meaning." CBC News. CBC/Radio Canada, 26 June 2015. Web. 21 Feb.
2016.
Leitsinger,
Miranda. "Gay Rights Timeline: Key Dates in the Fight for Equality." NBC
News. NBC Universal, 23 Mar. 2013. Web. 04 Mar. 2016.
Morris,
Bonnie J. "History of Lesbian, Gay, & Bisexual Movements." American
Psychological Association. Web. 21 Feb. 2016.
Zorthian,
Julia. "How the Rainbow Flag Became an Icon of LGBT Rights." Time.
Time, 25 June 2015. Web. 21 Feb. 2016.
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