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107-519: The rainbow flag or pride flag (formerly gay pride flag ) is a symbol of LGBTQ pride and LGBTQ social movements . The colors reflect the diversity of the LGBTQ community and the spectrum of human sexuality and gender. Using a rainbow flag as a symbol of LGBTQ pride began in San Francisco, California , but eventually became common at LGBTQ rights events worldwide. Originally devised by

214-415: A Creative Commons license, which excludes commercial use; this has been criticised as not being in keeping with Baker's original intent for the first iteration of the flag. Quasar has stated openly that small organisations can use the flag commercially and the license was chosen to put restrictions on large corporations. Quasar stated that: "A changing point for me was when I started to see it getting used in

321-424: A Eurocentric and colonial influence. A concept called "pride for sale" refers to an overflowing amount of publicity and advertising from big companies displaying the rainbow flag and selling pride merchandise during Pride Month , but as soon as Pride Month is over so are all of the promotions (see rainbow capitalism ). There is also a critique made about how the pride flag has deviated too much from its purpose as

428-690: A postal service common to Sweden and Denmark celebrating pride traversing borders internationally. It has become common to display a rainbow in store fronts or on websites to indicate that the space is queer friendly. Many government official buildings in different countries in Europe and America display the rainbow flag. In some countries, such as Saudi Arabia, it is illegal to sell (or wear) 'rainbow-coloured' items, as it apparently "indirectly promotes homosexuality" and claims to "contradict normal common sense". The motives have aroused international criticism. There have been many activism statements made with using

535-458: A Spanish advertising agency, to conceive and execute the hidden flag campaign. In Poland on August 6, 2020, President Andrzej Duda was sworn in for a second term supporting an anti-LGBTQ+ campaign and the opposing politicians planned beforehand to coordinate and wear a colored outfit to each represent a color of the rainbow to stand in protest. Concern has been expressed among some of the rainbow symbol being white-washed and regressed to maintain

642-494: A bisexual contingent for the Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in 1987. The design of the biangles began with the pink triangle , a Nazi concentration camp badge that later became a symbol of gay liberation representing homosexuality . The addition of a blue triangle contrasts the pink and represents heterosexuality . The two triangles overlap and form lavender, which represents

749-606: A class of 171 young women on April 6, 1922, in the auditorium of the Scottish Rite Temple in McAlester, Oklahoma. The original name was "Order of the Rainbow for Girls". Members can hold many different offices (also called Stations) in the local Assembly. Each requires some memory work and all but two serve for one term (four or six months out of the year, depending on Assembly bylaws). Some offices are elected by

856-470: A cure for AIDS being discovered, the black stripes be removed from the flags and burned. In 2002, another LGBT activist, Eddie Reynoso, recreated Gilbert Baker's original 1978 tie-dye flag, incorporating a blue canton , with white stars that were painted to a pink color, as residents in states across the nation gained the right to same-gender marriage. The flag- named the Pride Constellation,

963-492: A double crescent moon symbol of bisexuality was devised by Vivian Wagner in 1998. This symbol is common in Germany and surrounding countries. The ace ring , a black ring worn on the middle finger of one's right hand, is a way asexual people signify their asexuality. The ring is deliberately worn in a similar manner as one would a wedding ring to symbolize marriage. Use of the symbol began in 2005. The aro ring ,

1070-513: A few scholarly articles, the rainbow flag is described as a " floating signifier ". A floating signifier refers to the person giving the object its interpreted meaning and significance. Flags are ambivalent symbols that hold different ideologies, meanings, and agendas depending on the beholder. Therefore, the rainbow flag is a boundary object that not only brings together queer communities locally and transnationally, but can also create debates and conflicts. In March 2016, rainbow stamps were created by

1177-571: A green carnation on his lapel. According to some interpretations, American poet Walt Whitman used the sweet flag plant to represent homoerotic male love because of its phallic connotations. The term bara ( 薔薇 ) , " rose " in Japanese, has historically been used in Japan as a pejorative for men who love men , roughly equivalent to the English language term " pansy ". Beginning in

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1284-568: A metaphor for sexual pursuits. Violets and their color became a special code used by lesbians and bisexual women. The symbolism of the flower derives from several fragments of poems by Sappho in which she describes a lover wearing garlands or a crown with violets. In 1926, the play La Prisonnière by Édouard Bourdet used a bouquet of violets to signify lesbian love. When the play became subject to censorship, many Parisian lesbians wore violets to demonstrate solidarity with its lesbian subject matter. White lilies have been used since

1391-596: A profile published in the Bay Area Reporter in 1985, Baker "chose the rainbow motif because of its associations with the hippie movement of the Sixties but he notes that the use of the design dates all the way back to ancient Egypt ." People have speculated that Baker was inspired by the Judy Garland song " Over the Rainbow " (Garland being among the first gay icons ), but when asked, Baker said that it

1498-565: A prominent symbol of love between males is supposedly derived from the Greek myth of King Laius having affairs with boys under rose trees. Since the 2000s, bara has been used by non-Japanese audience as an umbrella term to describe a wide variety of Japanese and non-Japanese gay media featuring love and sex between masculine men . The rose is also the sacred flower of Eros , the Greek god of love and sex, and patron of love between men. Eros

1605-550: A purple circle in it to the chevron of the Progress Pride flag. It also changed the color of green to a lighter shade without adding new symbolism. Intersex Equality Rights UK posted the new flag on Instagram and Twitter. The reception to new variations and iterations of the Pride Flag have been mixed. Supporters have praised the focus on inclusion, and the highlighting the role and discrimination of people of color in

1712-461: A radical symbol for queer rights specifically. Gilbert Baker created a nine-stripe version of the flag in March 2017, adding a lavender stripe to symbolize diversity. Baker created the flag in response to the election of Donald Trump . In June 2017, the city of Philadelphia adopted a revised version of the flag designed by the marketing firm Tierney that adds black and brown stripes to the top of

1819-460: A special edition Blåhaj in the colors of a transgender pride flag, with the winner's name embroidered on its fin. Daniel Thaxton and Bernie Toale created a lavender rhinoceros symbol for a public ad campaign to increase visibility for gay people in Boston helmed by Gay Media Action-Advertising; Toale said they chose a rhinoceros because "it is a much maligned and misunderstood animal" and that it

1926-528: A special service. In order for designates to be nominated, the assembly must initiate 3 new members within a calendar year. For every 3 new members, one member may be chosen to receive the Grand Cross of Color for service rendered above and beyond what is expected for Rainbow. The Masters of the Grand Cross of Color meet with the Advisory Board to decide which member(s) to nominate as a designee for

2033-491: A statute which made homosexual acts between males a crime. Lesbian sexual relations were illegal only in Austria and historians differ on whether they were persecuted or not, due to lack of evidence. Some lesbians were imprisoned with a black triangle symbolizing supposed "asociality", this symbol was later reclaimed by postwar lesbians. The biangles symbol of bisexuality was designed by artist Liz Nania, as she co-organized

2140-467: A symbol of LGBTQ culture due to earlier associations between the animal and rainbows being extended to the rainbow flag created in 1978 by Gilbert Baker . Alice Fisher of The Guardian wrote in 2017, "The unicorn has also done its bit for the LGBT community in the last century... Rainbows and unicorns are so intrinsically linked (the association is also a Victorian invention) that it's unsurprising that

2247-495: A symbol. The icon has established itself as an example of the phenomenon of reappropriation of elements of the anti-LGBTQ discourse in contemporary society through social networks. Other versions derived from the original symbol involving other flags belonging to the LGBTQ community, such as the transgender flag , or the bisexual flag , have also become popular. In the 1970s, the modern handkerchief (or hanky) code emerged in

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2354-458: A way that I didn't personally agree with. Companies were snatching it up, making stuff out of it, and selling it without my attribution attached. It was purely rainbow capitalism based marketing…If you're going to make money off of something that I created within my community it's only fair that you give back not just to me as the artist, but the community itself, too." Criticism of the flag has also been made by LGBTQ+ people of colour, who felt that

2461-480: A white ring, worn on the middle finger on one's left hand is a way aromantic people signify their identity on the aromantic spectrum. Use of the symbol began in 2015. This was chosen as the opposite of the ace ring which is a black ring worn on the right hand. Another symbol often used by aromantic people is arrows or an arrow as the word arrow is a homophone to the shortened word aro used by aromantic people to refer to themselves. Ace playing cards , due to

2568-460: A white stripe in the middle, representing all colors (human diversity in terms of religion, gender, sex preferences, ethnicities), and peace and union among all. In June 2018, designer Daniel Quasar released a redesign incorporating elements from both the Philadelphia flag and trans pride flag to bring focus on inclusion and progress within the community. The flag design spread quickly as

2675-454: Is an LGBTQ symbol based on the ghost emoji (U+1F47B, "👻") of Android 5.0 . It is a modification of the original icon that uses a background with the colors of the rainbow flag . It became popular in Spain from April 2019 following a tweet posted on the official account of the populist far-right party Vox , after which a multitude of users belonging to the LGBTQ movement began to use it as

2782-539: Is commonly associated with LGBTQ culture, in particular the transgender community, in part due to being colored similarly to a transgender pride flag . Early origins of this are traced back to around 2020 and in 2021 IKEA ran an ad-campaign to support same-sex marriage in Switzerland featuring the shark. In response to this popularity, IKEA Canada hosted a giveaway in November 2022, offering transgender people

2889-599: Is not a guarantee. The local assembly is governed by an advisory board of seven to fifteen adults consisting of master masons, members of Order of the Eastern Star, members of the Order of Amaranth, majority members, and family members of active members. Some advisory boards are appointed by a sponsoring body, while others are a "club" style and are not sponsored. Elected offices of an advisory board are Chairperson, Mother Advisor, Secretary, and Treasurer. The mother advisor

2996-414: Is not mandatory. Other offices include: Grand Choir, Grand Assistant Outer Observer/Grand Confidential Observer Helper, Personal Page, and Grand Page at Large. Each jurisdiction has their own traditions. The Grand Cross of Color is the highest award given to a member or adult leader for outstanding service. Recipients of the award (Masters of the Grand Cross of Color) are expected to meet once per year for

3103-818: Is often seen as a public expression or symbol of lesbian identity, particularly on the femme side of the femme-butch spectrum . On October 31, 1969, sixty members of the Gay Liberation Front , the Committee for Homosexual Freedom (CHF), and the Gay Guerilla Theatre group staged a protest outside the offices of the San Francisco Examiner in response to a series of news articles disparaging people in San Francisco's gay bars and clubs. The peaceful protest against

3210-578: Is sixty metres (200 ft) high, and is in Donkin Reserve, in Port Elizabeth's central business district. NMB Pride had the flag manufactured, in part, as a symbol for LGBT youth to feel empowered even if they were not able to come out . On the decision to fly the flag, a spokesperson for the municipality said, NMB "officially adds its voice to governments committing, firstly, to recognizing the LGBT community, and most importantly, to uphold

3317-400: Is the liaison between the members and the advisory board. Almost all of the assembly work should be done by the members, with the advisors in support roles only. A district deputy is appointed by the supreme inspector/deputy as an aide to the local assemblies. The authority of the district deputy is limited to inspecting the ceremonial work of the assembly and providing guidance at the request of

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3424-749: Is unclear whether this was the first instance of the term yuri in this context, an association of yuri with lesbianism subsequently developed. In Korea and China , "lily" is used as a semantic loan from the Japanese usage to describe female-female romance media, where each use the direct translation of the term – baekhap (백합) in Korea and bǎihé (百合) in China. The IKEA plush toy shark Blåhaj (stylized BLÅHAJ, Swedish pronunciation: [ˈbloːhaj] , lit.   ' blue shark ' ; colloquially anglicised as / ˈ b l ɑː h ɑː ʒ / , / ˈ b l ɑː h ɑː / or / ˈ b l oʊ h aɪ / )

3531-547: The Equality March in Częstochowa carried a modified version of the flag of Poland in rainbow colors. They were reported to prosecutors for desecration of national symbols of Poland , but the prosecutors determined that no crime had been committed. However, unofficial proposals and designs incorporating the rainbow flag into state, province, and municipalities flags exist, but have not gained widespread adoption. For

3638-620: The Examiner turned tumultuous and was later called "Friday of the Purple Hand" and "Bloody Friday of the Purple Hand". Examiner employees "dumped a barrel of printers' ink on the crowd from the roof of the newspaper building", according to glbtq.com . Some reports state that it was a barrel of ink poured from the roof of the building. The protestors "used the ink to scrawl slogans on the building walls" and slap purple hand prints "throughout downtown [San Francisco]" resulting in "one of

3745-471: The LGBT community . At the same time, some have expressed concern that the changes only act as a "performance, creating the impression of inclusion without real commitment", or that they have been "for the sake of branding", while not reflecting any actual "material steps towards real equality". Others have remained critical, arguing that the original design already acts as a symbol of diversity, and emphasized that

3852-451: The LGBTQ community to safely and easily perform digital penetration during sex. The most distinct and modern form of the manicure entails long nail extensions on every finger apart from the index finger , middle finger , and sometimes thumb of the dominant hand , thus preventing injury or discomfort to the vulva or vagina during intercourse while otherwise maintaining the fashion of long acrylic nails in one's daily life. The style

3959-594: The Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team during the 1978–1979 season. After retiring from baseball, Burke, who was one of the first openly gay professional athletes, used the high five with other gay residents of the Castro district of San Francisco , and it became a symbol of gay pride . A lesbian manicure (also known as queer manicure, lez nails, or femmicure) is a style or trend of manicure intended to allow lesbians and other queer people in

4066-681: The Philippines , Italy , Mexico , and Romania . Rainbow has had assemblies in other countries, mostly due to American military presence: Cuba , Germany , France , Panama and Vietnam . Its headquarters are at the International Temple in McAlester, Oklahoma built in 1950-1951 for the Order's use. Being related to a Master Mason or member of Eastern Star no longer is a requirement for Rainbow membership. Interested young women must submit an application and associated fee to an Assembly. The members of that Assembly will meet with

4173-484: The Progress Pride Flag on social media, prompting worldwide coverage in news outlets. While retaining the common six-stripe rainbow design as a base, the "Progress" variation adds a chevron along the hoist that features black, brown, light blue, pink, and white stripes to bring those communities (marginalized people of color , trans people, and those living with HIV/AIDS and those who have been lost) to

4280-565: The Romantic era of Japanese literature to symbolize beauty and purity in women, and are a de facto symbol of the yuri genre ( yuri ( 百合 ) translates literally to " lily "), which describes the portrayal of intimate love, sex, or emotional connections between women. The term Yurizoku ( 百合族 , lit. "lily tribe") was coined in 1976 by Ito Bungaku , editor of the gay men's magazine Barazoku (see above), to refer to his female readers. While not all those women were lesbians, and it

4387-407: The pink triangle and the rainbow flag . The female and male gender symbols are derived from the astronomical symbols for the planets Venus and Mars respectively. Following Linnaeus , biologists use the planetary symbol for Venus to represent the female sex , and the planetary symbol for Mars to represent the male sex . Two interlocking female symbols (⚢) represent a lesbian or

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4494-536: The "queerness of bisexuality", referencing the Lavender Menace and 1980s and 1990s associations of lavender with queerness . Michael Page stated that when designing the bisexual flag he took the colors and overlap of the flag from the biangles. Some bisexual individuals object to the use of a pink triangle in the biangles symbol of bisexuality (see above), as it was a symbol that Adolf Hitler 's regime used to tag and persecute homosexuals. In response,

4601-458: The 1960s, the term was reappropriated by Japanese gay media: notably with the 1961 anthology Ba-ra-kei: Ordeal by Roses  [ ja ] , a collection of semi-nude photographs of homosexual writer Yukio Mishima by photographer Eikoh Hosoe , and later with Barazoku ( 薔薇族 , lit. "rose tribe") in 1971, the first commercially produced gay magazine in Asia . The use of the rose as

4708-514: The 1976 Boston Pride Parade and on a flag that was raised at Boston City Hall in 1987. Outside of Boston, Theatre Rhinoceros , located in San Francisco , and founded in 1977, based its name on this symbol. Theatre Rhinoceros, also called Theatre Rhino, or The Rhino, is a gay and lesbian theatre. It claims to be the world's longest-running professional queer theatre company. An online bookstore focused on LGBTQ authors and books called "The Lavender Rhino" launched in 2023. Unicorns have become

4815-423: The 2020s. In one case a mob burned down a residential building because it was flying a rainbow flag and had a Women's Strike sign. In Norway, the flag is reported to symbolize diversity, unity and inclusion, in addition to freedom to be whoever one wants to be and to love whoever one wants to love. The rainbow flag has been repurposed to manifest a multitude of transnational and globalized ways of being queer. In

4922-526: The 25th anniversary of the June 1969 Stonewall Riots in 1994, flag creator Baker, aka Sister Chanel 2001 of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence , was commissioned to create the world's largest rainbow flag. The mile -long flag, dubbed "Raise the Rainbow", took months of planning and teams of volunteers to coordinate every aspect. The flag utilized the basic six colors and measured 30 feet (9.1 m) wide. After

5029-539: The Grand Cross of Color. The Grand Cross of Color may also be awarded to adults that serve the assembly, but there may be no more adults than young women that are nominated. In addition, adult sponsors without Masonic affiliation are awarded the Service to Rainbow in place of the Grand Cross of Color. The governing body of Rainbow is the House of Gold. New members are elected by current members. The House of Gold consists of

5136-412: The LGBTQ community as a whole. There are also some pride flags that are not exclusively related to LGBTQ matters, such as the flag for leather subculture . The rainbow flag , which represents the entire LGBTQ community, is the most widely used pride flag. Many of these symbols have unrelated meanings in other fields, notably as alchemical symbols and planetary symbols . International Order of

5243-766: The Pride Flag to be flown on government buildings. Embassies and consulates of LGBTQ+ friendly countries may fly the Pride flag alongside their national flag to show solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community. A spending bill passed in 2024 restricts flying any flag other than the US flag over US embassies. This means Pride flags cannot be flown on flagpoles at the top of embassies. However, this doesn't ban displaying Pride flags elsewhere on embassy grounds, like inside offices or on lower flagpoles. The Biden administration has stated their intent to work on repealing this provision. In 2018, marchers at

5350-755: The Pride New Glory Flag. In 2015, Reynoso's flag once again made national news after it was featured across various news outlets reporting on the Obergefell v. Hodges oral arguments at the Supreme Court. LGBT communities in other countries have adopted the rainbow flag. A South African gay pride flag which is a hybrid of the rainbow flag and the national flag of South Africa was launched in Cape Town in 2010. Flag designer Eugene Brockman said "I truly believe we (the LGBT community) put

5457-589: The Rainbow for Girls The order came into existence in 1922, when the Reverend W. Mark Sexson, a Freemason, was asked to make an address before South McAlester Chapter #149, Order of the Eastern Star , in McAlester, Oklahoma . As the Order of DeMolay had come under his close study during his Masonic activities, he suggested that a similar order for young women would be beneficial. The first Initiation consisted of

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5564-984: The Rainbow for Girls has assemblies in 46 states in the United States as well as in several other countries. The states without assemblies are Delaware , Minnesota , Utah , and Wyoming . The countries outside the United States that have assemblies are Aruba , Australia (in Queensland , New South Wales and South Australia ), Bolivia , Brazil (in Parana , São Paulo , Distrito Federal , Minas Gerais , Mato Grosso do Sul , Tocantins , Pará , Espírito Santo and Santa Catarina [ Biguaçu ]), Canada (in Ontario and New Brunswick ), Paraguay (in Asuncion, Encarnación, Ciudad del Este and Concepción),

5671-523: The Supreme Officers (paralleling a local Assembly), Supreme Inspectors (chief advisor for a jurisdiction), and several others making up a total of 50. Presiding Supreme Inspectors may retire their duties at any time, unless they are elected to the Supreme line, at which time they must find a successor by the time they reach Supreme Worthy Associate Advisor. The current Supreme Inspector chooses

5778-494: The advisory board or supreme inspector/deputy. The district deputy is not a member of the advisory board but is a resource and a reference as well as the first person the mother advisor and board chair would go to for help and questions. The appointing of Grand Officers varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Generally, to be appointed or elected to a Grand Floor Office, a member must be a past or present worthy advisor in her assembly. Grand representatives may also be PWAs, but it

5885-413: The artists Gilbert Baker , Lynn Segerblom, James McNamara and other activists, the design underwent several revisions after its debut in 1978, and continues to inspire variations. Although Baker's original rainbow flag had eight colors, from 1979 to the present day the most common variant consists of six stripes: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. The flag is typically displayed horizontally, with

5992-674: The change was merely to avoid brand confusion. The school then allowed each team to select its own name, leading to a mix including "Rainbow Warriors", "Warriors", "Rainbows" and "Rainbow Wahine". This decision was reversed in February 2013, by athletic director Ben Jay, dictating that all men's athletic teams be nicknamed "Warriors" and all women's teams "Rainbow Warriors". In May 2013, all teams were once again called "Rainbow Warriors" regardless of sex. In autumn 2004 several gay businesses in London were ordered by Westminster City Council to remove

6099-642: The claimed kingdom until its dissolution in 2017 following the legalisation of same sex marriage in Australia. In June 2015, The Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan added the rainbow flag symbol to its design collection. On June 26, 2015, the White House was illuminated in the rainbow flag colors to commemorate the legalization of same-sex marriages in all 50 U.S. states, following the Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court decision. An emoji version of

6206-471: The colors of the rainbow flag . These rings are worn by themselves or as part of necklaces, bracelets, and keychains. They are a symbol of gay pride, and were originally sold as a fundraiser for the 1991 San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade and quickly became a national trend. In June 1992, several of MTV 's on-air hosts wore Freedom Rings in recognition of Pride Month , elevating their visibility. They are sometimes referred to as "Fruit Loops". Gaysper

6313-475: The dazzle into our rainbow nation and this flag is a symbol of just that." While the rainbow flag has not been officially incorporated into the flags in any countries, some states and municipalities have flown the pride flag alongside the state flag to demonstrate inclusivity and support for LGBTQ+ communities. Some countries, like Germany, allow the Pride flag to be flown on government buildings on specific occasions. Some states, provinces and municipalities allow

6420-691: The flag ( 🏳️‍🌈 ) was formally proposed in July 2016, and released that November. A portion of one of the original 1978 rainbow flags was donated to the GLBT Historical Society Museum and Archives in San Francisco in April 2021; the section is the only known surviving remnant of the two inaugural eight-color rainbow flags. Polish nationalists trampled, spat on, and burned the rainbow flag during Independence Day marches in Warsaw in

6527-470: The flag from his West Hollywood, California , apartment balcony. 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. Athletic director Hugh Yoshida initially said that the change was to distance the school's athletic program from homosexuality. When this drew criticism, Yoshida then said

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6634-539: The flag, despite its inclusive intent, was created without community consultation. 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 colors have been added, such as a black stripe symbolizing those community members lost to AIDS . The rainbow colors have also often been used in gay alterations of national and regional flags, replacing for example

6741-447: The flag, he too dropped the hot pink stripe because fabric in that color was not readily available. The Paramount Flag Company also 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. In 1979, the flag was modified again. Aiming to decorate the street lamps along the parade route with hundreds of rainbow banners, Baker decided to split

6848-733: The forefront; "the arrow points to the right to show forward movement, while being along the left edge shows that progress still needs to be made." In July 2018 the Social Justice Pride Flag was released in Chennai, India in the Chennai Queer LitFest inspired by the other variations of the Pride flag around the world. The flag was designed by Chennai-based gay activist Moulee. The design incorporated elements representing Self-Respect Movement , anti-caste movement and leftist ideology in its design. While retaining

6955-567: The form of bandanas , worn in back pockets, in colors that signaled sexual interests, fetishes, and if the wearer was a "top" or "bottom" . It was popular among the gay leather community of the United States and the cruising scene more broadly. There are many origin stories of the high five , but the two most documented candidates are Dusty Baker and Glenn Burke of the Los Angeles Dodgers professional baseball team on October 2, 1977, and Wiley Brown and Derek Smith of

7062-561: The gay community. The inspiration for the original gay pride flags may have been the Brotherhood Flag from 1938. The original gay pride flags flew at the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade celebration on June 25, 1978. A close friend of Baker's, independent filmmaker Arthur J. Bressan Jr. , pressed him to create a new symbol at "the dawn of a new gay consciousness and freedom". According to

7169-537: The ground." The accounts of police brutality include women being thrown to the ground and protesters' teeth being knocked out. Inspired by Black Hand extortion methods of Camorra gangsters and the Mafia , some gay and lesbian activists attempted to institute "purple hand" as a symbol against anti-gay attacks, but the symbol was only briefly used. In Turkey, the LGBTQ rights organization MorEl Eskişehir LGBTT Oluşumu (Purple Hand Eskişehir LGBT Formation) bears

7276-404: The idea, and Hayley Brown designed the flag to focus on transgender and queer people of color. This design resembles a flag proposed earlier by Daniel Quasar, which used a chevron of similar colors on a rainbow background. Quasar's design aimed to represent the same identity groups. The new design's creators, Julia Feliz and Hayley Brown, do not acknowledge Quasar's design. Some critics allege that

7383-448: The lesbian community, and two interlocking male symbols (⚣) a gay male or the gay male community. These symbols first appeared in the 1970s. The combined male-female symbol (⚦) is used to represent androgyne or transgender people; when additionally combined with the female (♀) and male (♂) symbols (⚧) it indicates gender inclusivity, though it is also used as a transgender symbol. In 1970, graphic designer Tom Doerr selected

7490-618: The lower-case Greek letter lambda (λ) to be the symbol of the New York chapter of the Gay Activists Alliance . The alliance's literature states that Doerr chose the symbol specifically for its denotative meaning in the context of chemistry and physics : "a complete exchange of energy–that moment or span of time witness to absolute activity". The lambda became associated with gay liberation , and in December 1974, it

7597-442: The magic creature started to appear on T-shirts and banners at Gay Pride around the world, with slogans such as 'Gender is Imaginary' or 'Totally Straight' emblazoned under sparkling rainbow unicorns." Gay Star News said in 2018 that unicorns are the "gay, LGBTI and queer icons of our time". Symbols of the LGBTQ community have been used to represent members' unity, pride, shared values, and allegiance to one another. One of

7704-480: The march, foot-wide (0.30 m) sections of the flag were given to individual sponsors after the event had ended. Additional large sections of the flag were sent with activists and used in pride parades and LGBTQ marches worldwide. One large section was later taken to Shanghai Pride in 2014 by a small contingent of San Francisco Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, and documented in the film Stilettos for Shanghai . The Guinness Book of World Records confirmed it as

7811-407: The most visible demonstrations of gay power" according to the Bay Area Reporter . According to Larry LittleJohn, then president of Society for Individual Rights , "At that point, the tactical squad arrived — not to get the employees who dumped the ink, but to arrest the demonstrators. Somebody could have been hurt if that ink had gotten into their eyes, but the police were knocking people to

7918-495: The motif in two with an even number of stripes flanking each lamp pole. To achieve this effect, he dropped the turquoise stripe that had been used in the seven-stripe flag. The result was the six-stripe version of the flag that would become the standard for future production—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. In 1989, the rainbow flag came to further nationwide attention in the U.S. after John Stout sued his landlords and won when they attempted to prohibit him from displaying

8025-438: The name of this symbol. The white knot is a symbol of support for same-sex marriage in the United States. The white knot combines two symbols of marriage, the color white and " tying the knot ," to represent support for same-sex marriage . The white knot has been worn publicly by many celebrities as a means of demonstrating solidarity with that cause. The white knot was created by Frank Voci in November 2008, in response to

8132-480: The new design appropriates aspects of the Puerto Rico Pride flag, while Quasar maintains their design was unintentional and supports the new campaign. The use of chevrons in flags is common, but diagonally placed stripes are less so. In 2021, Valentino Vecchietti of Intersex Equality Rights UK redesigned the Progress Pride Flag to incorporate the intersex flag . This design added a yellow triangle with

8239-469: The oldest of these symbols is the downward-pointing pink triangle that male homosexuals, male bisexuals, and transgender women in Nazi concentration camps were required to wear on their clothing. The badge is one of several badges that internees wore to identify what kind of prisoners they were. Many of the estimated 5,000–15,000 gay men imprisoned in concentration camps did not survive. The pink triangle

8346-553: The original flag was designed without any racial dimension in mind. Other critics have called the variations "patronizing" and that they have taken away some "universality". Both the Philadelphia Pride Flag and the Progress Pride Flag were met with some controversy and backlash for these reasons, but also praise and widespread adoption. Quasar's iteration of the progress pride flag is licensed under

8453-556: The original six stripes of the rainbow flag, the Social Justice Pride Flag incorporates black representing the Self-Respect Movement, blue representing Ambedkarite movement and red representing left values. The rainbow flag design is diagonal black, brown, light blue, pink, and white stripes overlaid on a traditional six-color rainbow flag. The design is intended to represent transgender and queer people of color. Puerto Rican author and vegan activist Julia Feliz conceived

8560-547: The other members in the assembly. These offices normally include Faith, Hope, Charity, Worthy Associate Advisor, and Worthy Advisor. There are also two offices that are elected in January but serve a full year which are Treasurer and Recorder. The other offices are appointed by the Worthy Advisor (President) and Mother Advisor. All offices include: Some Assemblies and Grand Assemblies have other officers not specified in

8667-590: The passage of Proposition 8 in California and bans on same-sex marriage and denial of other civil rights for LGBTQ persons across the nation. A pride flag is any flag that represents a segment or part of the LGBTQ community . Pride in this case refers to the notion of LGBTQ pride . The terms LGBTQ flag and queer flag are often used interchangeably. Pride flags can represent various sexual orientations , romantic orientations , gender identities , subcultures , and regional purposes, as well as

8774-524: The permission of her parents/guardians to become a member. Once the application is accepted, the assembly will vote on accepting the candidate into the Assembly. Membership then starts with an Initiation Ceremony. Members are expected to serve their community, be law-abiding, acknowledge the authority of the Supreme Assembly, and show loyalty to the other members, among other things. In 2000,

8881-546: The person whom they believe can best associate with the members of their jurisdiction. That person will become the next Supreme Deputy. It isn't until Supreme Deputies are elected into the House of Gold that they become Supreme Inspectors. There are 50 seats in the House of Gold, and they are lifetime appointments. A Supreme Deputy is eligible for recommendation into the House of Gold after her 3rd Supreme Assembly after being installed as Supreme Deputy (the Supreme at which they are installed does NOT count). The International Order of

8988-479: The phonetic shortening from asexual to ace, are sometimes used to represent asexuality. The ace of hearts and ace of spades are used to symbolize romantic asexuality and aromantic asexuality respectively. Likewise, the ace of clubs is used to symbolize gray asexuality and grayromanticism , and the ace of diamonds is used to symbolize demiromanticism and demisexuality . Freedom Rings, designed by David Spada in 1991, are six aluminum rings, each in one of

9095-495: The rainbow colors to create "hidden flags", in order to express their political agenda and support for gay rights and diversity. In 2018, Russia hosted the FIFA World Cup, which coincided with Pride Month. Since legislation banned displaying LGBTQ+ symbols, a Spanish advertising agency and a Spanish LGBTQ+ rights group came up with a clever plan for six activists, one from each of six countries with colors corresponding to

9202-554: The rainbow flag (Spain-red, Netherlands-orange, Brazil-yellow, Mexico-green, Argentina-blue, Colombia-purple), wore team jerseys during the World Cup. When they stood together, their jerseys formed a hidden rainbow flag, a symbol visible to the world but potentially less obvious to authorities. This action highlighted Russia's anti-LGBTQ+ laws while raising international awareness for the cause. State Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Trans and Bisexuals (FELGTB) partnered with LOLA Mullenlowe,

9309-548: The rainbow flag from their premises, as its display required planning permission. 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

9416-586: The rainbow flag without planning permission. In June 2004 LGBT activists sailed to Australia's uninhabited Coral Sea Islands Territory and raised the rainbow flag, proclaiming the territory independent of Australia, calling it the Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands in protest to the Australian government's refusal to recognize same-sex marriages. The rainbow flag was the official flag of

9523-466: The rainbow, many other flags and symbols are used to communicate specific identities within the LGBTQ community. Gilbert Baker , born in 1951 and raised in Parsons, Kansas , had served in the U.S. Army between 1970 and 1972. After an honorable discharge, Baker taught himself to sew. In 1974, Baker met Harvey Milk , an influential gay leader, who later challenged Baker to devise a symbol of pride for

9630-574: The red and white stripes of the flag of the United States . In 2007, the Pride Family Flag was unveiled at the Houston, Texas pride parade. In the early years of the AIDS pandemic, 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

9737-501: The red stripe on top, as it would be in a natural rainbow . LGBTQ people and allies currently use rainbow flags and many rainbow-themed items and color schemes as an outward symbol of their identity or support. There are derivations of the rainbow flag that are used to focus attention on specific causes or groups within the community (e.g. transgender people, fighting the AIDS epidemic , inclusion of LGBTQ people of color ). In addition to

9844-755: The rights of the LGBT community". It is regularly flown for NMB Pride as well as March 21 which is Human Rights Day in South Africa , and International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination , both commemorating the 1960 Sharpeville massacre . LGBT symbols Over the course of its history, the LGBTQ community has adopted certain symbols for self-identification to demonstrate unity, pride , shared values, and allegiance to one another. These symbols communicate ideas, concepts, and identity both within their communities and to mainstream culture. The two symbols most recognized internationally are

9951-460: The ritual, such as Historian, Editor, Assistant Grand Editor, Circulation Manager, Orator (or Lecturer), Bible Bearer, Goodwill Ambassador, American Flag Bearer, State Flag Bearer, Christian Flag Bearer, Rainbow Flag Bearer, and Assembly Banner Bearer. It is an unwritten rule that each of the line officers (Faith, Hope, Charity, and Worthy Associate Advisor) advances to the next highest office, culminating in her term as Worthy Advisor. However, this

10058-483: The rules for Eastern Star were changed so that majority members of Rainbow were eligible for membership in that Order. For girls between ages 6 and 10, some jurisdictions have a "Pledge" program for prospective members, so that they can become familiar with Rainbow ceremonies and activities. Majority Membership is reached in two ways. A young woman receives age majority when she reaches her 20th birthday, or marriage majority if she marries before age 20. Also, depending on

10165-432: The standard six-color flag, to draw attention to issues of people of color within the LGBT community. On February 12, 2018, during the street carnival of São Paulo , thousands of people attended a parade called Love Fest, which celebrated human diversity, sexual and gender equality. A version of the flag, created by Estêvão Romane, co-founder of the festival, was unveiled which presented the original eight stripe flag with

10272-534: The world's largest flag. In 2003, Baker was again commissioned to produce a giant flag marking the 25th anniversary of the flag itself. Dubbed "25 Rainbow Sea to Sea", the project entailed Baker again working with teams of volunteers but this flag utilized the original eight colors and measured one and a quarter miles (2 km) across Key West, Florida , from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico . The flag

10379-400: The young woman to answer any questions she or her parents/guardians may have and to make sure she is a proper candidate to receive the degrees. A proper candidate, by guidelines of the order is a girl within the appropriate age range who believes in the existence of a Supreme Being, does not cohabitate with a significant other, has had no children, is not pregnant, has never been married, and has

10486-534: Was lavender because that is a mix of pink and blue, making it a symbolic merger of the feminine and masculine. (Lavender had already been used to represent LGBTQ people in other contexts ). However, in May 1974, Metro Transit Advertising said its lawyers could not "determine eligibility of the public service rate" for the lavender rhinoceros ads, which tripled the cost of the ad campaign. Gay Media Action challenged this but were unsuccessful. The lavender rhinoceros symbol

10593-514: Was "more about the Rolling Stones and their song ' She's a Rainbow ' ". Baker was likely influenced by the " Brotherhood Flag " (with five horizontal stripes to represent different races: red, white, brown, yellow, and black ) popular among the world peace movement and hippie movement of the 1960s. The first rainbow flags commissioned by the fledgling pride committee were produced by a team that included artist Lynn Segerblom. Segerblom

10700-490: Was again divided afterwards and sections were sent to over a hundred cities worldwide. The largest rainbow flag in the Southern Hemisphere is a six-stripe one first flown to mark the fourth Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB) Pride in 2014, held in the city of Port Elizabeth , Eastern Cape province, South Africa . It measures twelve by eight metres (39 by 26 ft), and flies on the country's tallest flag pole, which

10807-533: Was discovered among Baker's belongings in 2020. After the assassination of gay San Francisco City Supervisor Harvey Milk on November 27, 1978, demand for the rainbow flag greatly increased. In response, the San Francisco-based Paramount Flag Company began selling a version using stock rainbow fabric with seven stripes: red, orange, yellow, green, turquoise, blue, and violet. As Baker ramped up production of his version of

10914-581: Was first painted on a canvas—as a protest symbol during Nevada's constitutional amendment to define marriage as that between a man and a woman. In 2009, the flag was featured prominently on local and national news outlets as they reported on the California Supreme Court's ruling- to uphold the state's marriage equality ban. Reynoso later rearranged the stars by order of admission into the Union, retaining part of Gilbert Bakers tie-dye flag and

11021-490: Was later reclaimed by gay men, as well as some lesbians, in various political movements as a symbol of personal pride and remembrance. AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power ( ACT-UP ) adopted the downward-pointing pink triangle to symbolize the "active fight back" against HIV / AIDS "rather than a passive resignation to fate." The pink triangle was used exclusively with male prisoners, including transfeminine individuals, as cisgender lesbians were not included under Paragraph 175 ,

11128-695: Was officially declared the international symbol for gay and lesbian rights by the International Gay Rights Congress in Edinburgh, Scotland . The gay rights organization Lambda Legal and the American Lambda Literary Foundation derive their names from this symbol. In 19th century in England , green indicated homosexual affiliations, as popularized by gay author Oscar Wilde , who often wore

11235-473: Was responsible for the first rose to sprout on Earth, followed by every flower and herb. Roses are a symbol of pederasty in ancient Greece : handsome boys were metaphorically called roses by their male admirers in homoerotic poems such as those by Solon , Straton , Meleager , Rhianus , and Philostratos . Animals that lovers gave as gifts to their beloved also became symbols of pederastic love, such as hares , roosters , deer , felines and oxen , as

11342-582: Was seen on signs, pins, and t-shirts at the Boston Pride Parade later in 1974, and a life-sized papier-mâché lavender rhinoceros was part of the parade. Money was raised for the ads, and they began running on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority 's Green Line by December 3, 1974, and ran there until February 1975. The lavender rhinoceros continued as a symbol of the gay community, appearing at

11449-410: Was then known as Faerie Argyle Rainbow; according to her, she created the original dyeing process for the flags. Thirty volunteers hand-dyed and stitched the first two flags for the parade. The original flag design had eight stripes, with a specific meaning assigned to each of the colors: The two flags originally created for the 1978 parade were believed lost for over four decades, until a remnant of one

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