Get Your Gay On

Even though June is "Gay Pride Month" and the Supreme Court's rulings on Prop. 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) could literally come at any moment, I hate to admit that I have been neglectfully lazy about any gay pride postings here on my new blog. My father's passing last month has made this June more than a bit tumultuous for me, so I am going to keep this little Gay Pride post quick, light and airy...

Over the Rainbow, Under it, & Through it...
The Rainbow Flag, sometimes called the LGBT Pride Flag or the Gay Pride Flag, is a symbol of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) pride and the LGBT social movements since the 1970s. The colors are meant to reflect the diversity of the LGBT community, and although it originated in California, the Rainbow Flag is now a worldwide symbol of gay pride.

When San Francisco artist, Gilbert Baker first raised his Rainbow Flag at the San Francisco Pride March on June 25, 1978, it had eight colors, each with a unique symbolic meaning:

• Hot Pink: Sexuality
• Red: Life
• Orange: Healing
• Yellow: Sunlight
• Green: Nature
• Turquoise: Magic / Art
• Blue: Serenity / Harmony
• Violet: Spirit.

As of 1979, the most common variant of the Rainbow Flag now consists of six stripes, with the colors red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. The flag is commonly flown horizontally, with the red stripe on top, as it would be in a natural rainbow.

GLBT vs. LGBT? So... which is it?

Which do you use? Personally speaking, I have always used GLBT, and for the most part I pretty much still do. Though I feel that the two are interchangeable, there are some people who take the specific order of those letters very personally. When the notorious "Q" was added to the end of it by certain groups, making it either GLBTQ or LGBTQ the meaning behind that little new letter turned into a very heated debate for some. Did it mean "questioning" or did it mean "queer"? Does it really matter? Can't it mean both, or is the truth behind this entire debate really just another thinly veiled struggle in that seemingly endless war for a sense of self and community? Does another person truly have the power to grant that or withhold it from you? Should another's definition of you be able to carry that much weight? Who are you? Who am I? Like you, I'm just someone who wants to be seen, recognized, accepted and loved for all the beautiful colors I carry within.



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Peace. Love. Hope. and Pride.