justiout
by Marty Davis
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True Colors
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^NEWSMAGAZINE
NEWSMAGAZINE
JUNE 1, 2007
Rainbow flag deserves to be regarded as more than a marketing tool
elcome to June, a month noted
across the nation, with perhaps the
exception of the entire middle part,
as Gay Pride Month. June was
selected for this honor in commem
oration of the historic Stonewall uprising June 28,
1969. Pride Month, however, is not to be confused
with October, which is Gay History Month. October
was chosen as history month in that it holds the
anniversaries of the 1979 and 1987 national marches
on Washington, D.C., for gay and lesbian rights.
As an aftermath of the 1987 rally, Oct. 11 is now
recognized as National Coming Out Day. Portland
has not done much with National Coming Day in
the past several years.
Long story short: We get two months of visibili
ty. We deserve them both, so let’s celebrate.
The cover of this issue of Just Out displays a rare,
for us, visualization of the universally recognized rain
bow flag. 1 am resistant to publish rainbow images in
Just Out, not out of disrespect or disinterest, but
because the symbol is in danger of becoming overused
and overmerchandized. My concern is that we are
losing sight of the original intent and meaning of the
flag and her colors. Something as dramatic and
historical in context as this flag deserves to be regard
ed as more than a cliché and marketing tool.
As we go through a month of Pride events, we
will see the rainbow colors produced on virtually
every item known to gaykind. Bumper stickers start
ed it all, and now the colors are everywhere. Cups,
hats, logos, key chains, underwear, toilet seats, con
doms, dishes, artwork, dog collars, people collars—
there is virtually no product available that can’t
have a rainbow splashed across it.
By merging Pride and history together we can,
and should, stop and reacquaint ourselves with the
history of the rainbow flag.
The original rainbow flag was designed in 1978
by Gilbert Baker, a San Francisco artist. The most
common attribution is that Baker created the flag in
response to a local activist’s call for a community
symbol. Using the five-striped “Flag of the Race" as
his inspiration, Baker designed a flag with eight
stripes: hot pink, red, orange, yellow, green, blue,
indigo and violet. Legend has it that Baker dyed and
sewed the material for the first flag himself—in the
true spirit of Betsy Ross.
Baker then approached San Francisco’s Para
mount Flag Company about selling his “gay flag.”
Unfortunately, he had hand-dyed all the colors, and
because hot pink was not commercially available,
mass production of his eight-striped version became
impossible. The flag was thus reduced to seven stripes,
then ultimately six.
Each stripe color represents an essence or con
cept. The colors and their associations are:
hot pink - sexuality
red - life
orange - healing
yellow - sunlight
green - nature
turquoise - magic
blue - serenity
violet - spirit
he six-stripe flag is flown with the red stripe on
top, showing the natural color occurrence of
a rainbow.
At the same time that Baker was working on his
flag, San Francisco’s gay community was rocked to
its core when the city’s first openly gay supervisor,
Harvey Milk, was assassinated. Wishing to demon
strate the gay community’s strength and solidarity in
the aftermath of this tragedy, the 1979 Pride Parade
Committee decided to use Baker’s flag. The commit
tee eliminated the indigo stripe so they could divide
the colors evenly along the parade route—three
colors on one side of the street and three on the
other. Soon the six colors were incorporated into
the six-striped version that we know and love today.
As a mark of its significance, the flag is recognized
by the International Congress of Flag Makers. The
flag was on its way to making history—as was, to
a lesser degree, Gilbert Baker. On the Just Out blog
(“Blog Out,” found at www.justout.com) 1 have
posted a link to a video clip of a fairly recent televi
sion interview with Baker.
T
Today in San Francisco, and gay districts in
other large cities across the nation and the world,
the rainbow flag is everywhere and not simply
during months of celebration and recognition. I do
find myself wondering how well Baker did with
royalties and license fees.
The rainbow flag celebrated its 25th anniversary
in 2003. During the Gay Pride celebrations in June
of that year, Baker restored the rainbow flag back to
its original eight-striped version and has since
advocated that others do the same. However, the
eight-striped version has seen little adoption by the
wider gay community, which has mostly stuck with
the better-known six-striped version. Our cover
displays the eight-stripe version, including violet
and hot pink. Hot pink does, after all, represent sex
uality, and how on earth could you have a Pride
Month without sexuality? And spirit?
There you have it, the history of the rainbow
flag. Closing with another bit of Pride and historical
trivia, let’s hearken back to June 2000 and these
words of President Clinton:
“Gay and lesbian Americans have made important
and lasting contributions to our nation in every field
of endeavor. Too often, however, gays and lesbians
face prejudice and discrimination; too many have had
to hide or deny their sexual orientation in order to
keep their jobs or to live safely in their communities.
“This June, recognizing the joys and sorrows that
the gay and lesbian movement has witnessed and
the work that remains to be done, we observe Gay
and Lesbian Pride Month and celebrate the progress
we have made in creating a society more inclusive
and accepting of gays and lesbians. I hope that in
this new millennium we will continue to break
down the walls of fear and prejudice and work to
build a bridge to understanding and tolerance, until
gays and lesbians are afforded the same rights and
responsibilities as all Americans.
“Now, therefore, I, William J. Clinton, president
of the United States of America, by virtue of the
authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws
of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2000
as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month. I encourage all
Americans to observe this month with appropriate
programs, ceremonies and activities that celebrate
our diversity and recognize the gay and lesbian
Americans whose many and varied contributions
have enriched our national life.
Party on, people.
• Last month the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force announced the
appointment of four co-chairs to lead the Creating Change 2002 Host
Committee: trans activist Lori Buckwaiter, community organizer Ron
Glanville, health educator Anisah Miley and Brother to Brother board
member and ordained minister Cecil Prescod.
• The Portland Area Business Association will celebrate its 10th
anniversary during its monthly networking luncheon. The event promises to
be an informative, fun look to the past, present and future. The organization
will honor its founders and past presidents, elect its board members and
officers, and unveil its new logo, Web site and Portland Pride 2002 plans.
“Keep Portland Queer!” on the waterfront
and beyond
NEWS
8-15 NORTHWEST
HRC chapter defines itself; Q Center names
first executive director; Hambleton Project
closes; national chamber gets local;
Socketeer realizes dreams; home and garden
on display; PABA represents at Pride;
exclusive look at Jerry Falwell; Thomas
Bruner explains controversial blood ban
46-47 NATIONAL
Judge rules for same-sex adoptive parents;
city in Kansas might register domestic
partners; Nebraska defeats gay civil rights
bill; AIDS Walk breaks records; Vermont
enacts nondiscrimination law; Cheneys
welcome baby boy; judge finds
discrimination by fire department
ARTS AND CULTURE
53 CULTURE
Women of size rally and celebrate
55 THEATER
Will the Drammys find something queer to
honor at this year's ceremony?
Shanghai Surprise
61-63 FILM
5 Years Ago in Just Out... Volume 19 Number 15, June 2, 2002
• Salem Mayor Mike Swaim debated Lon Mabon, Oregon Citizens Alliance
chairman, during his Who Cares cable access program May 20. Dozens of
people came to City Hall to listen in on the war of words and ask questions.
The crowd seemed to be split evenly between the pro- and anti-gay sides.
17 JUST OUT'S GUIDE TO PRIDE
58 NIGHTLIFE
reflections
• A 44-year-old-man was arrested May 21 after threatening to bomb the
predominantly gay Metropolitan Community Church of the Gentle Shepherd
in Vancouver, Wash., and kill the senior pastor.
FEATURE
• The Oregon School for the Deaf honored KGW-
TV's Hank Stack with a Lifetime Achievement
Award during commencement ceremonies May
31. In March he was one of seven gay and
lesbian seniors saluted during the Portland Gay
Men's Chorus Vintage Voices concerts.
• Frameline, the leading distributor of gay and
lesbian cinema to academic and institutional organizations, recently hired
Maura King to be its new distribution associate. King spent five years with
the queer film festival based in Portland.
Gus Van Sant directs segment of Paris, Je
T’oime; historian curates monthlong series
of queer-centric cinema
64 MUSIC
Portland Gay Men’s Chorus premieres brave
new work
COLUMNS
45 MS. BEHAVIOR
Mommie Dearest
50 OUT GOING
Democracy in Action
51 OUT OF MY MIND
• The first-ever Black Gay Pride in Portland presents Ebony Knights at the
Fez. Gay and bi African American men can dance to old- and new-school
grooves at the Fez Ballroom.
• Support your favorite WNBA team and Pride Northwest at the same time
during the Portland Fire's Pride Group Night at the Rose Garden. Partial
proceeds benefit Pride, and the Portland Gay Men's Chorus sings the
national anthem.
First-Timer Regrets
54 EPIQUEEREAN
Eat Smart ii la Cart
57 GET DIRTY WITH DAN
Sustainable Gardening
66 JIM'S CLOSET
The Church of Bob