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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: LGBTQIA Oppression

This guide is meant to provide users with a familiarity of many different types of oppression and how to work toward a better world by combatting oppression.

It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are. E. E. Cummings

How did the rainbow flag become a symbol of LGBTQIA pride?

Written by Nora Gonzalez, Encyclopedia Britannica

In 1978, artist Gilbert Baker, an openly gay man and a drag queen, designed the first rainbow flag. Baker later revealed that he was urged by Harvey Milk, one of the first openly gay elected officials in the U.S., to create a symbol of pride for the gay community. Baker decided to make that symbol a flag because he saw flags as the most powerful symbol of pride. As he later said in an interview, "Our job as gay people was to come out, to be visible, to live in the truth, as I say, to get out of the lie. A flag really fit that mission, because that's a way of proclaiming your visibility or saying 'This is who I am!'" Baker saw the rainbow as a natural flag from the sky, so he adopted eight colors for the stripes, each color with its own meaning (not pink for sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, turquoise for art, indigo for harmony, and violet for spirit). 

8 color flag with meanings for each color

The first versions of the rainbow flag were flown on June 25, 1978, for the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day parade. After the assassination of Harvey Milk in November, demand for the rainbow flag greatly increased. Baker and a team of volunteers had made them by hand, and now he wanted to mass-produce the flag for consumption by all.

To meet demand, the Paramount Flag Company began selling a version of the flag using stock rainbow fabric with seven stripes: red, orange, yellow, green, turquoise, blue, and violet. As Baker ramped up production of his version of the flag, he too dropped the hot pink stripe because of the unavailability of hot-pink fabric. 

In 1979 the flag was modified again. When hung vertically from the lamp posts of San Francisco's Market Street, the center stripe was obscured by the post itself. Changing the flag design to one with an even number of stripes was the easiest way to rectify this, so the turquoise stripe was dropped, which resulted in a six stripe version of the flag -- red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. Today this is the most common variant of the rainbow flag, with the red stripe on top, as in a natural rainbow. The various colors came to reflect both the immense diversity and the unity of the LGBTQ community. 

6 color Pride flag

It was not until 1994 that the rainbow flag was truly established as the symbol for LGBTQ pride. That year Baker made a mile-long version for the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. Now the rainbow flag is an international symbol for LGBTQ pride and can be seen flying proudly, during both the promising times and the difficult ones, all around the world.

1924

The Society for Human Rights, the first gay-rights organization in the United States, is founded. It is shut down by police within a few months. 

1948 

Alfred Kinsey publishes Sexual Behavior in the Human Male, revealing to the public that homosexuality is far more widespread than was commonly believed.

1951 

The Mattachine Society, the first national gay rights organization, is formed by Harry Hay, considered by many to be the founder of the gay rights movement.

1955

The Daughters of Bilitis, the first national U.S. lesbian organization, is formed.

1962

Illinois becomes the first state to decriminalize homosexual acts.

1969

The Stonewall riots transform the gay rights movement from one limited to a small number of activists into a widespread protest for equal rights and acceptance. Patrons of a gay bar in New York's Greenwich Village, the Stonewall Inn, fight back during a police raid on June 27, sparking three days of riots.

1970

First Gay Liberation Day March is held in New York City; similar events are held in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

1973

The American Psychiatric Association removes homosexuality from its official list of mental disorders.

1978

Rainbow flag is first used as a symbol of gay pride. The artist sought legal help in preventing trademark of the symbol because he wanted it to be owned by and accessible to everyone.

1979

First national gay-rights march is held in Washington, D.C.

1982

Wisconsin is the first state to outlaw discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

1983

Rep. Gerry Studds (Mass.) becomes the first openly gay member of Congress.

1993

"Don't ask, don't tell" policy allows gays/lesbians to serve in the U.S. military as long as they are closeted.

1996

Supreme Court says protections for gays/lesbians are civil rights guaranteed to all U.S. citizens.

2000

Vermont becomes first state to legally recognize civil unions for gays and lesbians. It stops short of referring to same-sex unions as marriage, which the state defines as heterosexual.

2003

Supreme Court rules sodomy laws unconstitutional in Lawrence v. Texas. 

2004

On May 17, same-sex marriages become legal in Massachusetts.

2005

Civil unions become legal in Connecticut.

2006

Civil unions become legal in New Jersey.

2008

California's State Supreme Court allows gay marriage; Proposition 8 then eliminates it.

Connecticut legalizes same-sex marriage.

2009

President Barack Obama signs a law extending existing federal hate-crime laws to include those committed on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Iowa and Vermont legalize same-sex marriage.

2010

Federal court declares California's Proposition 8 unconstitutional.

The District of Columbia and New Hampshire legalize same-sex marriage.

President Obama signs law to end "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

2011

The Respect for Marriage Act is filed in U.S. House of Representatives and Senate to repeal DOMA and end federal discrimination against legally married same-sex couples.

New York legalizes same-sex marriage.

2012

Washington and Maryland legalize same-sex marriage.

2013

Same-sex marriage is legalized in 8 more states.

2014

Same-sex marriage is legalized in 19 more states.

2015

The Supreme Court case, Obergefell v. Hodges, rules that states are constitutionally required to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, legalizing marriage equality in all 50 states.

2016

Obama announces the designation of the first national monument to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ) rights. 

Secretary of Defense Carter announces the Pentagon is lifting the ban on transgender people serving openly in the U.S. military.

2020

Supreme Court rules that federal law protects LGBTQ workers from discrimination.

 

 

Pronouns are often more important for queer, gender non-conforming, non-binary, and transgender people than they are for straight, cisgender people, so it's sometimes hard for the latter to understand why use of pronouns are such a big deal. For the former groups, use of the wrong pronoun can cause anxiety, discomfort, and stress. In some cases, use of the incorrect pronoun increases both both depression and the risk of suicide.

While the most commonly used gender-neutral pronouns are they/them/theirs, some people prefer to use ze/hir/hir (pronounced "zee" and "here"). Some people prefer to just be called their name, as opposed to any pronouns at all.

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LGBTQIA

Pronouns

Transgender

Disclaimer

In the interest of full disclosure, the creator of and collaborators for this guide identify with some, but not all of the oppressed identities presented here. As members of the Penn College community, we strive to encourage diversity, inclusion, awareness, equality, and equity. While I have made an attempt to collect and present some of the more timely, relevant, and quality resources on the topics of oppression, I recognize that my collaborators and I are still susceptible to our own implicit biases, privilege, and perspectives. Given our own limited experiences, any thoughts, comments, or suggestions, particularly from members of any marginalized populations, are sincerely welcomed and greatly appreciated.