I love the fact that the most well known symbols of the GLBT (Gay, lesbian, bisexual and lesbian people) community are the rainbow flag and the pink triangle. The pink triangle was first used by the Nazis to identify homosexuals. In the camps each group identified to be oppressed and eventually killed had a particular badge sown onto their uniform to identify the alleged ground for incarceration. We are most familiar with the fact that Jewish people were required to wear a badge of the Star of David – not only in the camps but also in most of occupied Europe. Many other people identified as alleged criminals, political prisoners, asocials, Jehovah Witnesses or otherwise deemed “undesirable” were required to wear specific badges. One could be assigned more than one label, I. e. a Jewish political prisoner. Certainly Jewish people were the single largest category of people to be identified, interned and killed, but many other people were treated with equal cruelty.
Throughout history oppressed people have, at times, appropriated a symbol or a label, which was originally used as negative as a symbol of their pride in being who they are. Thus, the LGBT community reclaimed the pink triangle as a positive symbol. This reminded the members of the GLBT community that they must stand as a community if they are to have the strength they need to fight oppression and of the fact that they stand with Jews and a host of others in the community who have been mistreated throughout the ages.
In the 1970ies Gilbert Baker, a young U. S military veteran, would create another symbol of the pride of the gay community.
“1970, a self-described “geeky kid from Kansas” named Gilbert Baker came to San Francisco as an Army draftee. San Francisco has often been compared to Oz, but Baker didn’t want to click his heels and go back to Kansas. After an honorable discharge he stayed in San Francisco, free to pursue his dreams of being an artist. He learned to sew, making all the fabulous 70s clothes that he wanted but couldn’t buy.
In 1974, Baker’s life changed forever when he met Harvey Milk, who showed him “how action could create change.” Three years after they met, Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors – making him the first openly gay person to hold a high public office in a major American city. Milk, once known fondly as the Mayor of Castro St., had campaigned on a positive message of hope for young gay people, saying, “The only thing they have to look forward to is hope. And you have to give them hope.” After winning the election, Milk challenged Gilbert Baker to come up with a symbol of pride for the gay community – a positive alternative to the pink triangle. The pink triangle, once imposed by Nazis to identify and persecute homosexuals, had been reclaimed in the 70s as a bold symbol of remembrance and action against persecution. It is still widely used, often alongside or superimposed upon the Rainbow Flag. (http://www.sanfrancisco.travel/article/brief-history-rainbow-flag)
Since then if one attends any sort of GLBT event or if one wants to identify oneself as being a member of or supportive of the GLBT community, one might wear or display the rainbow flag or symbol. The colors of the rainbow remind us that the LGBT community is, just like the larger community, very diverse. If one attends a pride event in any part of the world one will find representatives of every profession, race, culture, gender, age, ability and nationality. Despite the fact that certain communities throughout the world outlaw GLBT activity, as did many communities in the United States, GLBT people exist and are step by step unfurling their rainbow flags and declaring that “We are here. We are proud. We are not going away or back into the closet.”
It has now been 45 years since Mr. Baker first came to San Francisco. Many states and countries as unlikely as Roman Catholic Ireland have redefined marriage as a commitment between two people. They are publicly and legally acknowledging that gender does not affect one’s ability to make a commitment, take care of each other, children and/or other family members.
As with any currently or formerly oppressed group of people, it is easy for those of us who are members of or supportive of the GLBT community to forget that we cannot stand up for our rights and ignore the rights of others in the community who are among those often labeled as the “least of these”. At certain times in our fight for equality we have fallen victim to wanting to both celebrate our differences and suppress the differences of others in our community. Sadly, it has not been uncommon for some in the community to suggest that certain people dress and conduct themselves in a way, which is more “acceptable” to the larger community. I still hear these sorts of comments but, fortunately, I hear them less frequently than I did even a few years ago.
This past Sunday, I was in downtown Pittsburgh that was alive with people. Some came to celebrate and participate in PRIDE Day events. (Celebration of the LGBT community). Some came for the annual Pittsburgh Arts Festival. Some were there to attend a symphony performance. Some were attending a Pirates baseball game.
It was heartwarming to see such a collection of we humans enjoying the various events and each other. Not everyone was directly supportive of the LGBT PRIDE Day events, but all seem to be accepting, respectful and supportive of each other as a total community. Perhaps there were some who were not as accepting as it seemed. Perhaps some were even unaware of PRIDE activities. Perhaps some had unfriendly comments to make in private. I heard none of these. I do recognize that there often seems a natural alliance between those who attend art festivals and those representing the diversity of the community. Still, I am very aware that not even that is always true.
I am been accused of some of ignoring reality and being overly optimistic about our ability to create a more just and loving world. Some people for whom I have much respect have suggested that I am not very realistic about individuals and groups of people who they would label as un-redeemably evil. Some claim that my core belief that in each of us is an essential goodness is totally naïve. Perhaps! Perhaps not. I certainly know that it is possible for we humans to become very closed off to our shared sacredness. As a person who has worked as a counselor and has a graduate degree in clinical psychology I am well aware that all sorts of conditions can affect the ability of the human brain to see and honor the sacredness of the humanity of all we humans. Still, I am choosing to believe that there is room for all of us under the rainbow.
We can be proud of who we are without putting down or implying that someone else is less then just “evil” and not deserving of what I call God’s Grace. I happen to think that I am good company these days. There are many who seem to have the same core belief system. This includes people such as Pope Francis, Father Gregory Boyle, Pema Chodron, and many of my close friends, some of whom I have previously written about.