A new campaign has been launched to add black and brown stripes to Gilbert Baker‘s original 1978 rainbow flag design as a way to celebrate non-white LGBTQ members.
Via OUT:
“In 1978, artist Gilbert Baker designed the original rainbow flag,” the More Color More Pride site says. “An iconic symbol of LGBTQ+ unity. So much has happened since then. A lot of good, but there’s more we can do. Especially when it comes to recognizing people of color in the LGBTQ+ community. To fuel this important conversation, we’ve expanded the colors of the flag to include black and brown,” the campaign site reads. “It may seem like a small step. But together we can make big strides toward a truly inclusive community.”
The proposed eight-stripe flag was designed by Tierney, a Philadelphia-based advertising agency, who approached the Office of LGBT Affairs with the update. Amber Hikes, the city’s director of LGBT Affairs, told Philadelphia Gay News she teared up the first time she saw Tierney’s work. “Seeing an image like this flag instills so much pride in me as a queer black woman,” she said. “When I see the flag, I feel like I see myself.”
Which is great. Anything we can do to be more inclusive and help unite our increasingly diverse community gets a thumbs up from me.
Although….
Some people aren’t that happy with the proposed new look, arguing the original flag already celebrates diversity…
From the OUT comment section:
Hmmm. The “no white stripe” argument feels vaguely problematic à la “all lives matter.” But the fact that the rainbow already signifies diversity and that the spectrum already encompasses any color you can imagine seems valid.
But.
Adding stripes isn’t going to hurt anybody in any way, and if it makes people feel welcome, then that’s a good thing, right? I say go ahead.
Where do you stand?