By August Bernadicou ( with extra language and study by Chris Coats )| NEW YORK- Some enduring symbols that define a diverse community and establish an immediate understanding are inextricably linked with controversy, confusion, and poorly informed backstories dictated by entrenched interests and those who told the story loudest. The rainbows symbol for Transgender people is the same.
The people who deserve record the most have been downplayed, if not completely eliminated, even though it was the work of several. The story was screamed by Gilbert Baker, the self-described” Creator,” who now stands behind his reputation with a sizable property. Baker established himself as the foremost expert on the LGBTQ rainbows symbol prior to his passing in 2017. He lived and developed into his account.
The LGBTQ rainbows symbol was created in San Francisco for the Gay Freedom Day Parade on June 25, 1978, despite the fact that there are conflicting records of the flag’s roots.
Colors have inspired and bewildered people throughout human history. After the gloom and conflict of a surprise, there should be light and tranquility. They have stood for peace, desire, and the enigmas of life. For a brief period, the unseen structure—the “body” of light—becomes visible. A key was revealed, then it was kept underground once more.
Rainbow colors have flown throughout history, despite the fact that it may seem like a current phenomenon. They can be traced back at least to the 15th centuries. Thomas Müntzer, a European preacher, used the rainbow flag as the theme for his pro-reformist sermons. Thomas Paine, an English-American revolution and author, promoted using the rainbows flag as a common symbol to identify negative ships at sea in the 18th century.
Monks in Sri Lanka flew rainbow colors as a unifying symbol of their belief in the late 19th century. They also stand in for the Colombian capital of Cusco, were flown by Indians on January 31 to mark the passing of Meher Baba, the spiritual leader, and have done so since 1961 on behalf of participants in global peace movements.
The rainbow flag has now come to represent the Gay area, which brings light and joy to the world by uniting people of various colors, backgrounds, and positions. a permanent reminder of their beginning, their destination, and where they must come. Some Gay people feel secure and free when they see a rainbow flag flying in the weather.
San Francisco was a haven for lower- and no-income artists in the 1960s and 1970s, despite the fact that today’s top class and technology interests rule the town. Mecca of the counterculture. By the middle of the 1970s, the Haight-Ashbury town, which had once been a kaleidoscopic haven for hippie art, culture, and music, was in disarray. Heroin and other difficult, hazardous drugs had taken the place of stimulants that expanded the mind. Young artists and homos needed a new place to live, and the Castro provided it.
After moving to San Francisco in 1972, Lee Mentley ( 1948–2020 ) quickly became a part of the Castro neighborhood’s oddball artists and performers, donning garish, gender-fucked attire, acting in avant-garde theater, and founding their own clubhouses. In 1978, he served on the Pride Planning Committee and oversaw the Major Floor Gallery at 330 Grove, the first gay facility in San Francisco.
Originally from the North Shore of Hawaii, Lynn Segerblom ( Faerie Argyle Rainbow ) relocated to San Francisco and studied art at the Academy of Art. When she developed a new interest for tie-dye and colors in the early 1970s, her life changed. In 1976, Lynn officially changed her label to Faerie Argyle Rainbow because she was immersed in San Francisco’s free-loving film scene. She joined the “free” functionality art group known as the Angels of Light, whose members were required to return to a different, hippy way of life and claim credit for their creations.
Lynn and Lee both left San Francisco not long after the original rainbows flags were flown for the final day. Lynn relocated to Japan, while Lee moved to Hawaii. When they came back, they were astounded to see how their historical factor had come to represent everyone. They continue to be fervent in their defense of their histories and in giving the silent a voice.
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Taylor MENTLEY:” One evening in 1978, Lynn came to 330 Grove with a few of her friends, James McNamara and Robert Guttman, and suggested that we make color flags for Gay Day to light up San Francisco City Hall and Civic Center because it’s all black and warm in June.” It sounded like a really good idea to us.
The young musicians turned to Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in San Francisco, California, for assistance in overcoming the initial financial obstacle.
There was no true money for it, according to the LEE. Harvey Milk and another officer were contacted by us, and they requested some funding from the town. We received$ 1, 000 after they discovered some leftover money from the lodge duty the past year.
LYNN SEGERBLOM:” I recall attending a conference where I suggested creating color banners. I had some drawings with me. Only a few of us attended that meeting, and I recall—and yet my friend reassured me—that Gilbert Baker was not present. He was n’t at the meeting where I suggested rainbow colors, so I have no idea where he was or how I managed to find him. We came to the conclusion that color colors sounded fantastic.
The council approved the rainbow pictures and decided to fly two enormous 40 by 60 foot rainbow colors at the Civic Center along with 18 smaller ones created by various local artists to brand the reflecting pool and cast colors into the gloomy horizon.
One of the two big flags would be an eight-color rainbow with blue and purple in place of blue, and the other may resemble the American symbol with rainbow stripes, later known as Faerie’s flag.
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There is little argument over Gilbert Baker’s claim to sole ownership of the idea and creation of Rainbow Warrior, despite the fact that his name appears as “CREATOR OF THE Color FLAG” in his memoir. In the same book, he quickly and adoringly praises Lynn and James MacNamara for their contributions to the creation of the flags. He never denied their involvement.
We did n’t need Gilbert Baker to save our ass, and he most certainly would n’ve been the only one. Not Betsy Ross, he was. I give him all the credit for bringing the rainbow emblem to the earth because he was such a great promoter. Although he was a very gifted and innovative person who provided excellent service, no one could have completed the entire task by themselves.
Equity was not a thought. Before Gilbert started it, there had never been a significant equity discussion. The majority of our leadership either entered HIV advocacy or passed away as a result of how quickly AIDS struck us after this.
The rumor that a light gay person accomplished all of this on his own is untrue at all, according to LYNN. He merely promoted it. But for that, he ought to receive a lot of passion.
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It was difficult to create the two initial rainbow colors. The team had to improvise and find it out as they went on because they had a tight budget and few resources. Even though Lynn had previously dabbled in colors, a project of this size and significance was well outside of her satisfaction area.
Cho:” The sewing equipment we used were donated by the society.” We enquired as to whether anyone at the Center may be willing to lend a hand. Over 100 individuals from all over the nation assisted us with the colors, which is an incredible narrative in my opinion. That is where it originated. Standard artists who wanted to have fun and create something attractive for queer people contributed to it.
The Rainbow Flags were made of eight different colors of hand-dyed fabric, according to LYNN. I created two distinct types. The one with the bands only, followed by the one bearing the British flag, which I created on my own. James McNamara, Gilbert Baker, and I were the ones who created them. They were my styles at first. I worked as a gardner, and at the Gay Community Center at 330 Grove Street, I owned and operated my dying workshop.
People would come and assist for as long as they had, Taylor said. Then someone else may show up and assist for however much they had. People who came to be in the Parade and protest were given access to the second ground of 330 Grove. Citizens came in and created banners, posters, and other works of art.
We created the banners on the roof because there was a dump up there, said Lynn. A wooden staircase led up to the roof. We did n’t have hot water up there, so it had to be carried up to the roof. In pots, we heated it up on the range. On the roof, we put warm water in garbage cans.
We had to stay agitating the dye-dyed materials using garbage cans and two by legs, according to LEE. They had to be poked and agitated for time because they were in hot water.
LYNN:” We had to move the material around in the dye frequently so that it could see through the materials that were n’t tightly clamped. We had to guarantee that there would be blue, and not just light on top of light or white with a really hazy, light blue.
They went through the washer and dryer after being washed and dyed. We finally ironed them. If the material is left out in the water for an extended period of time or if it sits on itself for even a brief period, designs will begin to form.
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The new American flag, Lynn’s, was a similar rainbows, but it had actors in the corner, according to LEE. I have pictures of that flag flying at gay activities in Oakland and City Hall in San Francisco.
I’ve always liked the British flag, said Lynn. Oh, would n’t that be nice, I thought. I was confident that, with some luck, I may succeed.
Cho:” I thought the one with the superstars was more intriguing because it represented a new American flag.”
LYNN:” I made the decision to reverse the color order for my British flag, placing red at the bottom and purple at top in an eight-color spectrum.” That was done on purpose. I desired for them to become unique.
With wooden blocks and clamps, I created the celebrities. I obtained the bright material, washed it, and altered the way it was folded. It appeared to be a large hamburger when I was making it. The cotton was sandwiched between the woodblocks that would make up the bread. We dyed the entire symbol and swished it all over. It was my first time doing that fold, so I was n’t sure if it would turn out okay. I was fortunate. It was effective.
With the leftover actors from my Angels of Light costumes, I sewed lamé stars into a single line. There was a legend with gold lamé on one side of the blue ribbon, and another with gold lame on the other.
I came up with all of these concepts because I regularly used these mediums: ink, colour, fabric, and glitter.
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We worked for months shrinking, dying, and sewing material, according to the LEE.
We worked on them for seven months, said Lynn. I was concerned that we would n’t complete the task on schedule. We put in long and arduous days. We eventually came to the conclusion that we did n’t have time to visit the laundromat, so we began washing them on the roof and drying them. We even ran out of room. They drip-dried after we draped them off the roof of the Best Floor Gallery. They appeared fantastic. They were stunning.
Up until that point, the LGBTQ movement’s most popular symbol—a symbol of solidarity with our deceased ancestors—was the red triangle, which the Nazis used to demonize homosexuals during their genocidal campaign. The rainbow, however, represented the desire that followed the triangle, which originated from a traumatized location. the expectation of better times to come.
The rainbow seemed to have often been a representation of the LGBTQ community on that particular time in June 1978, but it had n’t but made itself known.
We went outside, raised the colors, and completely blew everyone’s thoughts, said LEE. People’s reactions were astounding. The colors were really lovely. They were soldiers waving. The largest people measured 40 by 60 feet. To reach Civic Center, the Parade passed through the banners. We declared this to be our image right away. It was n’t intended. It was natural.
It was exactly what I was looking for: a dash of charm, some glitter, and some Angels of Light. LYNN
LEE:” We were n’t making this enormous image. Civic Center was being decorated. Our entire futures were n’t being planned out in marketing. It was a job for art.
LYNN:” We wanted the rainbow colors to be lovely and distinctive because we saw them as works of art.” The colors were a huge strike after the Gay Parade. They were adored by individuals. Everyone adored them.
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People and property might simply vanish in the pre-technology earth. There were no devices for monitoring. Lynn was completely without a telephone.
Even then, it was obvious that the flags were a priceless piece of history to be coveted, even though no one may have predicted that they would go on to become an unchanging image for an international community.
Baker makes the claim in his narrative that the Rainbow American flag was taken soon after it was flown in front of the Gay Community Center for Gay Freedom Day in 1979. He speculates that it might have been a construction crew working on the new music across the street who, out of homophobia, stole the emblem and buried it in concrete.
Gilbert approached us and requested the two big colors, and we agreed. You can find it somewhere in the days of a Pride Foundation meeting from later in 1979 or 1980. They were never seen by us afterwards.
Gilbert came in and said that the two 40 by 60-foot banners had been stolen when I went to work one morning at 330 Grove, according to LYNN.
Videos of the march, images from the San Francisco Chronicle, and other widely circulated photos just add to the puzzle. They depict the British version of the eight-strip rainbows flag flying at the Civic Center on June 24, 1979, as opposed to the Gay Community Center.
Regarding the original eight-stripe emblem, there are even fewer solutions. Baker claims in his autobiography that he was struck on the head and knocked out while they were removing the banners from Civic Center. He claims,” I saw people all around me hitting each other and screaming profanities when I came to on the wet earth.” They were tearing the rainbow colors as they fought over them, pulling on them like a tug of war.
It would have required multiple people to carry the banners, said LYNN. One folded-up symbol for the Parade required three people to carry, and we needed a truck. They were very heavy, and 330 Grove lacked an airplane. Whoever stole them needed assistance; one individual was unable to do it alone.
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Gilbert visited one of my sessions before the rainbow flag went missing, according to LYNN. He was interested in seeing how I handled all while I was dying cotton all day.
I said,” Oh yeah, I’ll show you; come in.”
Set some mittens on and do it with me, I said.
Oh no, I do n’t want to get my hands dirty, he said.
He was merely attempting to understand my dying process.
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Gilbert went to these locations like MoMa and told them these absurd tales about how he created the rainbows flag on his own, according to LEE. Regarding his donated symbol, he said this. You may tell from the way it looks that it was purchased at a craft fair. Without a doubt, it was n’t one of our flags. It was made of nylon.
LYNN:” It was polyester, not hand-dyed, and it was n’t the same size.” I had various banners. Although the rainbow symbol at MoMa was a lovely symbol in its own frame, it was not an authentic, nor was it also an item from 1978. Oh my God, I was hoping that perhaps this is a piece of it.
It was n’t even the original colors, LEE said. They were n’t original flags, despite Moma’s claims to the contrary. It was a rainbow flag made for business that featured the rainbow’s main colour. Gilbert was mentioned on the monument as donating it as an unique flag.
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LYNN:” I read online that Gilbert Baker claimed to have given me the name Faerie Argyle Rainbow,” which is a total fabrication. I was given the name Bethany, Princess of Argyle. Because I was known as a rainbow actor, I chose the name Rainbow.
LEE:” Faerie Argyle Rainbow was also listed as Lynn’s brand on her license.
LYNN:” I filled out a kind at the Police in 1976, and my name was Faerie Argyle Rainbow.” They did n’t request a birth certificate from you back then. The employee simply said,” This is your name now,” and then handed me a driver’s license with Faerie Argyle Rainbow on it.
Even though it all seems absurd now, it was n’t back then.
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Cho:” I argued and fought with Gilbert Baker because he claims to have invented the rainbow symbol. If you watch all of his various conversations, you’ll notice that his tale keeps changing over and over again. He also claimed Harvey Milk approached him and requested that he design a symbol for the cause. No, I read that, and nothing like that occurred.
Simply take a look at his discussions,LYNN. All of his interpretations of the rainbow flag’s colors are in his mind. That’s how I saw it: the rainbow stands for all, regardless of your identity or competition. Colors are both natural and lovely. They are adored by both individuals and me. I was confident they may be excellent color recovery.
Gilbert is absurd for giving each color a meaning. People was, in my opinion, guess what each colour means. I could do the same if I so desired. That was n’t what I had in mind. I was thinking that colors represent unity, everyone, and the entire team.
Taylor:” I have made an effort to persuade people that the rainbow colors were created using tax-paying funds. They were created as a non-profit.
Gilbert himself does not own them. Everyone who sells anything purple should donate some of the proceeds to poor gay youth, in my opinion. Because no one else does, we need to take care of our personal style. The idea of caring for queer persons as a whole has vanished.
Chris Coats is an editor and manufacturer, and August Bernadicou is a 27-year-old queer writer who serves as the LGBTQ History Project Inc. leader.
Lee Mentley, Lynn Segerblom, and Adrian Brooks will appear in an episode of the QueerCore Podcast, which they co-produced, that will be the final installment in the rainbow flag account.
This time, August Bernadicou is hosting a Pride event in New York City that everyone is kindly invited to attend.
The event’s website is as follows: tls://www.lgbtqhp.org/pride-protest
