It's no secret that today sexual minorities are beginning to more actively advocate for their own rights. In a number of progressive countries, gays and lesbians have already been recognized as full-fledged members of society, not deserving of public censure and, moreover, contempt. Be that as it may, one thing is obvious: this topic is relevant, it is stupid to hush it up, which means it's time to get enlightened! This article will examine in detail the symbolism of this community and, in particular, its main attribute - the rainbow flag.
What is the LGBT movement?
First you need to properly delve into the theory.
LGBT activism (from English also LGBT - Lesbian + Gay + Bisexual + Transgender; it is also a “gay movement”) is a socio-political movement whose activities are carried out by lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders.
These are representatives of social minorities who, due to their own sexual orientation, may be subjected to various types of xenophobia, discrimination, and intolerance. That is why the fundamental goal of the community is to fight for their rights as citizens, freedom of sexual choice, respect for human rights, established by the UN international council.
The followers of the movement stand for the recognition and acceptance of their group as a unique unit of society with a certain worldview and culture, and at the same time - for giving them the opportunity and right to integrate into the rest of society without prejudice to the views and opinions, without losing the specificity and identity of this category of people.
Background of the fighters for their rights
The symbol of tolerance - the rainbow flag - appeared much later than the community itself, because the beginning of the self-consciousness of activists as a certain, isolated group dates back to the second half of the 19th century, that is, the period preceding not only the Second, but even the First World War!
Such processes and the unrest existing in oppressed circles acquired the most formal form in Germany. Here the distribution of anonymous leaflets began, then gradually the scientific study of, by the then definition, people of the “third sex” was introduced into practice, and finally, the German Richard Oswald, co-authored by Dr. Hirschfeld, was the first to release a film that openly touches on a problematic topic. It was called "Not like everyone else."
After the war, the world was more than satisfied with injustice, and, first of all, LGBT activists felt it. They began to justify entire gay neighborhoods for their own life, to equip gay bars. Over time, they went further - they began to radically rally, repeal discriminatory, oppressive laws that forbid them to work in certain professional areas, be blood donors, enter into marriage unions and adopt children in orphanages. And, of course, the oppressed began to invent their own distinctive paraphernalia.
LGBT rainbow flag: history of origin in the world
The appearance in everyday life of activists of this attribute, with which today gays, lesbians and others are associated in the minds of almost every heterosexual person, is associated with the name of the American Gilbert Baker.
In the 70s of the XX century, Baker moved to San Francisco, where he met the successful and recognized by many people Harvey Milk, whose basic principles of political campaign were the protection of the rights of sexual minorities. This activist became the first openly gay man in his country, achieved a high political position, made a brilliant career in the legislative sphere.
However, November 1978 was fatal for Harvey - he was killed. The dramatic life story of Harvey Milk formed the basis of the film of the same name "Harvey Milk".
It is known that shortly before his death, it was Milk who asked the young Baker to create a flag that would become a real symbol of the growing gay movement. The task was clear to Gilbert, since he had behind him a whole baggage of invented and created slogans, posters, banners and other activist materials for demonstrations, marches, pickets and rallies. The flag appeared in 1978.
Flag Description
The flag designed by Baker, also known as the "Freedom Flag", "Peace Flag" or "Pride Flag", is a rectangle, traditionally consisting of 6 longitudinal horizontal stripes, classically replacing each other.
Their colors are related to the natural order of the color palette in the rainbow and are similarly arranged from top to bottom. However, in general, the internal content of the flag does not meet the established canons of heraldry due to the diversity of the combination. The colors that make up the flag and their intended meanings are as follows:
- Red - sexuality, fire, vitality and energy.
- Orange - healing.
- Yellow - Sun.
- Green is nature.
- Blue is art.
- Purple - harmony.
The meaning contained in each band, according to the creator, should reflect one of the essential, distinctive symbols of human existence in terms of value. The flag is a material material personification of the openness, pride and brightness of the entire community, morally united and infinitely joyful in relation to the world.
What the rainbow flag symbolizes is understandable. And where to look for the origins?
There are many theories as to why the gay rainbow flag is the way it is. In one, perhaps the most beautiful of them, the creator was inspired by the atmosphere of irreconcilable hostility of sexual minorities with the government, which was expressed in the form of clashes between the Stonewall gay bar patrons and the police and serious riots. This happened at the end of June 1969.
And what about the rainbow flag? The fact is that shortly before the events described, the singer and Hollywood actress Judy Garland, known for her role as Dorothy in the fairy-tale film The Wizard of Oz, and at the same time for being one of the first icons of the gay community and the movement to fight for her rights, died. . It was Garland's song Over the Rainbow (literally - "Over the Rainbow") that could be the reason that the rainbow flag became one of the symbols of sexual minorities.
According to other sources, Baker was inspired by memories of anti-war protests on university campuses, where striped flags (albeit in slightly different colors) meant a manifestation of tolerance towards all races, personified pacifism and humanity.
The author himself, however, subsequently noticed that the appearance of the flag is a synthesis of simplicity and elegance, beauty and a deep inner idea. It consists in reflecting the differences that exist between all LGBT people in terms of gender, age, race and other characteristics. However, they are all fighting for the same cause. Scattered stripes of different colors make up one flag.
Modifications of the colored canvas: how they changed before and what they are coming up with now
With what the rainbow flag means, as well as its history, everything seems to be clear. Much more interesting is that, in view of the technological progress that has stepped forward, and with it human creativity, the traditional color canvas is often subjected to the most diverse transformations.
Material modifications have taken place before: for example, the pink color initially chosen by Baker turned out to be too costly to be involved in production, and it had to be abandoned, replacing it with a more compromise red.
There were originally more bands. But people realized that too large a flag is inconvenient to use, and therefore its components were reduced to an even number.
During the AIDS epidemic, the community decided to replace one of the flag's stripes with black, agreeing to remove it only when the disease was defeated.
However, next to the usual, although sometimes still striking variations - for example, the creation of a 10 (!) Meter banner in honor of the "birthday" of the symbol - non-standard solutions also coexist. So, in the summer of 2015, the colors of the rainbow of the flag of freedom lit up the outer walls of the White House. This marked the legalization of non-traditional marriages in all states of the country.
After the terrorist attack in Orlando, when people were shot at a gay club, the Eiffel Tower was lit up in the colors of the flag as a sign of memory of the dead and solidarity with LGBT representatives.
Acceptance or rejection
Currently, the LGBT movement and the rights of its followers are legally recognized in most of the European Union, as well as in the United States, Canada, Greenland, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, South Africa, New Zealand, Colombia and the Faroe Islands.
The contentious issue of same-sex marriage persists in parts of Mexico and Costa Rica. Countries where only civil unions and partnerships for representatives of sexual minorities are legalized are Germany, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, Greece, Cyprus, Chile, Liechtenstein, Croatia, Andorra, Italy, Estonia, Ecuador, and partly Australia.
In all of the above countries, activists can openly declare their sexual orientation, and in case of pressure on this basis, contact the police and count on the protection of personal integrity.
The difference lies in the fact that the conclusion of alliances and partnerships does not give an unconventional couple a number of legal rights. They are limited in their ability to adopt a child from an orphanage, they cannot apply for surrogacy or artificial insemination services.
The use of symbols, including not only the Pride flag, but also other attributes: the pink triangle, the bisexual flag, the purple hand, the transgender symbol, is not even in question here - it is absolutely allowed.
Rainbow flag: is it banned in Russia?
In Russia, the general problem of attitudes towards sexual minorities is extremely acute: for example, it was even proposed to ban the main LGBT rainbow symbol in the country in 2015 - such a proposal was put forward by the municipal deputy in the Babushkinsky district of Moscow, Alexei Lisovenko, which the general public learned about thanks to his post in Facebook networks.
The official called the trend towards the legalization of same-sex marriages "geyratization", compared it with the "color revolutions" held in the United States, allegedly hidden under the guise of democratic actions. Lisovenko believes that Roskomnadzor needs to provide more power to ensure that the flag of the LGBT community appears as rarely as possible or not at all on the pages of Internet resources, and sites or user accounts that refer to the attributes of sexual minorities in their own publications are immediately deleted and blocked without the possibility of restoring access.
Flag of the LGBT community. Photo: www.globallookpress.com
The rainbow flag is one of the main symbols of the international movement for the rights and freedoms of sexual minorities. Its representatives say that such a banner is intended to show that all people in society are born different and real harmony can be achieved only if each person can get equal chances for self-realization.
When was the rainbow flag first used?
The rainbow flag was first used on June 25, 1978 in San Francisco, where a march of many thousands took place in defense of the rights and freedoms of sexual minorities. The cloth was created especially for this event. American artist and civic activist Gilbert Baker.
Baker put his own meaning into each color of the flag: pink - sexuality, red - life, orange - health, yellow - the sun, green - nature, turquoise - art, indigo - harmony and purple - strength of mind.
Subsequently, the pink and then turquoise stripes were removed from the flag, and the indigo was replaced with blue. The changes were made due to the economic and technical difficulties of mass producing these colors.
A participant in a demonstration in defense of the rights of sexual minorities. Photo: www.globallookpress.com
What did sexual minorities use as their symbol before?
In the 1970s, sexual minorities used pink triangles as a symbol of the struggle for their rights, since it was with this identification mark that the Nazis in concentration camps marked homosexual robes.
Also, gays and lesbians in the 70s widely used the Greek letter “L” on their paraphernalia, which was supposed to symbolize liberation (Liberation).
The rainbow flag is a key symbol of the LGBT community and the movement that advocates for their rights. It depicts six horizontal stripes that repeat in order the colors of the rainbow without blue: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple. The use of this attribute is common in different countries, primarily in situations that are directly related to the LGBT community: at parades, rallies, public actions, as well as on the facades of "Gay-friendly" organizations that emphasize their tolerant attitude towards lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
The history of the appearance of the flag
The creator of this LGBT symbol is Gilbert Baker, an American artist and public figure. The reason for the creation of the international flag of this community was the gay parade in San Francisco on June 25, 1978. It was this year that became a landmark for the development of the LGBT movement, since for the first time in California a person who came out, that is, openly admitted to being gay, was elected to a political post - Harvey Milk.
The idea of placing rainbow symbolism on the flag is attributed to three different circumstances. The first of these is Baker's borrowing of the "racial flag" of the African American civil rights movement. The second is borrowing ideas from hippies influenced by the pioneer of the gay movement, Allen Ginsberg, who belonged to this subculture. The third is the death of actress and singer Judy Garland, who performed the song "Over the Rainbow" in the movie "The Wizard of Oz". This song was recognized by the LGBT community as an anthem, so according to one version, it was she who became the basis for the idea of the rainbow flag.
Together with LGBT activists, Baker sewed two canvases from muslin (a very fine linen weave) and hand-painted them. However, initially the flag had other colors in greater numbers: rich pink, red, orange, yellow, green, turquoise, indigo, purple. Its transformation into the current generally accepted version took place in 2 stages. The first change was the removal of the flag's color pink, which symbolizes sexuality, as the production of canvases was difficult due to the complexity of obtaining this color and its high cost. The next transformation is connected with the next gay pride parade in the USA in 1979. They decided to hang the flag vertically on two poles, but due to an odd number of colors, the turquoise color, which personified magic and art, was completely hidden behind the poles and was not visible, so it was decided to make six stripes on the flag.
What do the colors of the LGBT flag mean?
The idea of the LGBT rainbow symbol is liberation, the motivation to say "no" to conventions, going beyond and openly acknowledging yourself as who people think they are. The modern version of the flag has the following meaning: red - life, orange - health, yellow - sunlight, green - nature, blue - peace and harmony, purple - the strength of the human spirit. Baker said that the rainbow on this attribute perfectly illustrates the diversity of people in the world. Toward the end of his life, cut short in 2017, he proposed bringing pink and turquoise back to the flag.
Hello, dear readers of the blog site. Surely you have heard or seen the LGBT abbreviation in magazines and newspapers more than once, but not everyone understood what is hidden behind these four letters (although they guessed 🙂).
Today I will try to explain in simple terms what it is, how this abbreviation stands for, and I will tell you other information on this topic.
What is LGBT and how it stands for
Let's figure it out.
According to Wikipedia, LGBT is an acronym used by to refer to all sexual minorities: lesbian, gay, bisexual and .
The designation came from the English language, where LGBT deciphered as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender. The abbreviation has been used since the 90s of the XX century to unite all representatives of non-traditional orientation in order to tell the world about its different sides.
The purpose of the movement under this name is the struggle for the rights of sexual minorities, and the motto "My life - my rules" encourages others to consider gay people as full members of society.
The color of the flag and other symbols of the LGBT community
Now that you know what LGBT means, it's time to talk about the symbolism of the movement. There are several distinctive signs that help members of non-traditional sexual minorities stand out and are regularly used in gay parades and other events.
Among them:
LGBT activists and the fight for equal rights
In principle, this knowledge about LGBT (deciphering each letter from the abbreviation and information about symbols) will be enough for most readers (for general development, so to speak). But I still briefly propose to talk about the activists of the movement.
The leaders of this movement seek recognition of the rights of sexual minorities in each particular country at the legislative level.
In order to popularize their views, activists organize gay parades, demonstrations, and others in order to win people over to their community.
In addition to stories about LGBT, what it is and what goals it pursues, they are trying to draw attention to the problems of modern sexual minorities in society.
Priority Goals movement activists:
- the possibility of representatives of non-traditional orientation to social adaptation;
- reducing the level of hostility, attacks and insults towards LGBT people;
- providing timely medical assistance to transgender people, homosexuals, lesbians;
- the opportunity to enter into official same-sex marriages, to have children;
- equality in all spheres of activity, including when applying for a job or study at a higher educational institution.
In the EU and the US, LGBT activists have achieved their goals. Gay parades are periodically held in China, Venezuela and even Turkey, where the majority of the population is Muslim.
A deplorable situation for representatives of non-traditional orientation and strict Muslim countries like Iran, Afghanistan or Saudi Arabia, where homosexuals are sometimes physically destroyed.
Many celebrities do not hesitate to openly declare their orientation and actively fight for equal rights for representatives of sexual minorities, being an example for others.
Here are a few famous personalities who did not hesitate to reveal themselves:
- Elton John. The singer committed (confessed to homosexuality) back in 1976, when even Western countries were not so loyal to homosexuals. Now Sir Elton John is officially married and has children.
- Tom Ford. The famous designer confessed to being gay in 1997, later married a man, and since 2012 they have been raising a child together.
- Thomas Hitzlsperger. In the sports world, people are still afraid to admit their non-traditional sexual orientation, fearing misunderstanding on the part of fans and potential employers. German football player Thomas Hitzlsperger played for clubs such as Bayern, Aston Villa, Stuttgart, Lazio, Westham, Wolfsburg and Everton, after which he ended his playing career and admitted to being homosexual.
How do LGBT people live in Russia
In Western countries, children from an early age are told “about this” (what this concept means), and they explain that such people also have the right to self-expression (which is not bad). Another thing is that lately it has become more like an ad such a way of life as more correct (which is absurd).
In Russia, however, representatives of sexual minorities are faced not only with homophobia (although this happens), but with intolerance on the part of the population and the government towards advertising and popularization of deviations. At the legislative level, officially propaganda is prohibited non-traditional sexual relations among persons under 18 years of age.
Gay parades, same-sex marriages, direct or indirect support for LGBT people - all this is an unaffordable luxury in Russia. Representatives of sexual minorities most often have to hide their orientation, and there is no possibility for them to create a family at the official level.
Tolerance, but not the creation of a cult (IMHO)
Now you know more about this topic and which celebrities are open about their homosexuality, and how do they relate to sexual minorities in Russia. I will dwell on the latter for a moment.
Now in the USA there is an acute problem (all their major media write about it) - men. This may seem strange to us from Russia, but for its rights it has so distorted the situation that men in the United States are now practically powerless and are slowly “degenerating”.
In South Africa, the situation with the struggle of the black population for their rights led to an absolutely opposite result. Now there is apartheid on the contrary - the white population is practically deprived of all rights and is openly discriminated against.
Having accelerated, it is very difficult to stop and not outweigh the thicket of scales in the other direction.
It will lead to the same unfortunate result aggressive wrestling for the right of "normality" of the LGBT community. This must be understood and taken into account. It is one thing to educate a tolerant attitude in society (people with deviations are not to blame that nature has decreed this) and another thing is to “swing rights”, as feminists in the States have done for decades.
Therefore, I am impressed by the balanced approach of Russia in this matter. But that doesn't mean you have to agree with me. It is even good when there are many opinions, because this allows you to achieve the most.
Good luck to you! See you soon on the blog pages site
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Below is the published letter I found on Twitter today. The recipient of this letter (see below) asked if the flag of the Jewish AO was gay propaganda or not.
An audit (examination) was carried out in connection with the appeal of one local resident of the Jewish Autonomous Region to the Heraldic Council under the President of the Russian Federation, who suspected the flag of the Jewish Autonomous Region of promoting non-traditional sexual relations. Experts of the Presidential Heraldic Council found no signs of such.
“We inform you about your request regarding the flag of the Jewish Autonomous Region that this flag does not contradict the current legislation of the Russian Federation and, therefore, there are no grounds for its cancellation or change.
We inform you about your request regarding the flag of the Jewish Autonomous Region that this flag does not contradict the current legislation of the Russian Federation and, therefore, there are no grounds for its cancellation or change.
In connection with your concerns about the similarity of this flag with the symbols of the gay movement, we clarify that not every image of a rainbow is associated with sexual orientation. In particular, in the flag sphere there is a well-established flag of the gay movement, which is a panel consisting of seven equal horizontal stripes of rainbow colors. Variable and subordinate flags of homosexuals are built on the basis of the described with the addition of inscriptions and images to the panel.
It is obvious that the flag of the Jewish Autonomous Region, the basis of which is a white cloth, has nothing in common with the flag described above.
Sincerely, G. V. Vilinbakhov
State King of Arms.
Performed by G. V. Kalashnikov.
As far as we know, the current "liberal flags" (symbols) are orange, white or rainbow colored.
The swept wave of "peaceful" orange revolutions in the former Soviet republics of the USSR (Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan) stumbled in the Caucasus in Azerbaijan and in the Russian Federation.
In 2005 in Baku ( Azərbaycan Respublikası) I went to the boutiques of the city to buy a fashionable light T-shirt. All T-shirts had dark colors: black, dark blue, brown. But I wanted something light. In the end, I went to one boutique and found there one single T-shirt in bright red. I asked the seller why there are no, for example, orange T-shirts? The merchant replied that because of the "orange revolutions" we were forbidden to sell orange T-shirts (fabrics)...
On the Internet, they started talking that a wave of the "orange revolution" will soon sweep in Russia. However, the opposition chose peaceful white ribbons (flags) as its symbol and almost immediately gay movements with rainbow flags joined them. The first thing that alerted me was the white cloths and rainbow flags together.
It is known that the white cloth (flag) symbolizes surrender to the enemy, surrender, a sign of a demand for a cessation of hostilities, a sign of a truce or a proposal for negotiations, and the rainbow flag immediately became associated with the flag of the Jewish Autonomous Region. Why?
First, the rainbow flag itself carries the information of the colors of the rainbow. Secondly, it cannot be the flag of a foreign state, but is close to the flag of the Jewish Autonomous Region and the flag of gay movements.
The official response of the State King of Arms G.V. Vilinbakhov states that "in the flag sphere there is an established flag of the gay movement, which is a cloth, consisting of seven equal horizontal bands of rainbow colors. Variable and subordinate homosexual flags are built on the basis of described with the addition of inscriptions and images on the cloth.
Obviously, with the flag described above, the flag of the Jewish Autonomous Region, the basis of which is a white cloth, has nothing in common"
.
In the Jewish Autonomous Region, the following explanations are given about the similarity of the two flags.
"God threw a rainbow from the sky to those lost in the desert as a symbol of hope. The originality of the flag of the Jewish Autonomous Region was noted by the Heraldic Chamber, there is a special conclusion. The gays used this divine symbol - the rainbow, but took the blue color out of the spectrum, and this is no longer a rainbow. When stupid people are trying to rebuild our lives, to impose their opinion on us - this will not lead to anything good, we will forget about honor, dignity, justice, and there will be no hope left, "Valyaev explained.
Now the question is, why do the two liberal symbols of the White Ribbon and Gay movements go hand in hand?
If we conditionally combine them, then we will get a flag no longer reminiscent of the "Pride Flag", as reported by the media, but the flag of the Jewish Autonomous Region of the Russian Federation. Then another question arises, what is the relationship of the EAO It has to the protests? Why was this flag design chosen for the JAO?
The perception of the JAO flag as a symbol of positive undertakings is natural for world history and culture, says Elena Troyan, chief curator of the regional museum of local lore. In her opinion, the flag with rainbow symbols adequately represents a multinational region with a common history. IA EAOmedia.
- At different times, there were waves of discussions related to the topic of the similarity of the flag of the region and a certain category of the human community. But for me personally, this topic was closed when representatives of the Heraldic Chamber gave clear explanations at the conference on heraldry. This was the starting point to find out for yourself the meaning of the rainbow as a specific symbol.
The rainbow is highly symbolic of Jewish culture. This is also a reflection of how a lamp was received at Sinai - a minor, along with the tablets and the oral Torah. Here the analogy simply suggests itself. Seven candles in minor - seven colors of the rainbow. The width of the stripe on the flag is one to 40 times the width of the flag. Again, we return to the Bible, the Torah - for 40 years Moses led the Jewish people through the desert, a new generation grew up, the people were freed from the slave psychology. We are talking about the traditions that are reflected on the flag of the Jewish Autonomous Region, - said Elena Troyan.
According to her, since people of different nationalities live in the region, one can recall the world history. In particular, the story of the global flood - after the rain, which poured for 40 days and nights, the first thing that a person saw in the sky was a rainbow - a symbol of peace, a sign of the covenant between God and man that such terrible events will not happen again. In the Bible, the appearance of a rainbow after the flood is interpreted as a sign of God's forgiveness of human sins. And this is also embodied in the flag of the region..In Russia, the rainbow is present on the flags of the cities of Raduzhny in the Vladimir, Moscow regions and the Khanty-Mansiysk district, on the flag of the Patriots of Russia party. The flag of the Jewish Autonomous Region is a white rectangular panel, along the horizontal axis of which there is a colored rainbow strip, consisting of seven narrow horizontal stripes: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, blue and purple. The rainbow flag was chosen as the flag of the "Party of Economic Freedom" founded by K. N. Borov, which caused subsequent embarrassment (it was confused with the "gay flag").
Flag of the Jewish Autonomous Region
If glad ugh, according to Elena Troyan, "is very symbolic for Jewish culture", then the question arises why gays provoke discontent of some citizens of Russia with their "Pride flag" on the territory of the Russian Federation? For example, Adolf Hitler, after coming to power, his partyThe flag of the National Socialist Workers' Party of Germany (NSDAP) approved as a co-national, and then as the state, national and commercial flag of Germany (Third Reich).
"Pride Flag" is named so because it can only be used in gay parades. And for those who are especially "inquisitive" they give an explanation, misleadingly call it the "flag of the world."
The "Flag of Peace" (Italian: Bandiera della Pace) is one of the symbols of the international peace movement. Its author is the Italian philosopher, theologian and humanist Aldo Capitini, who demonstrated the rainbow banner on the first march for peace from Perugia to Assisi on September 24, 1961. The rainbow was chosen as a symbol of the celebration of diversity and a biblical sign of reconciliation. There is evidence that the rainbow banner as a sign of peace was proposed as early as 1949 and may have been borrowed from the cooperative movement.
On the territory of Russia, the "Pride Flag" has established itself in the hometown of the President and Prime Minister of St. Petersburg. Then, sooner or later, the hour will come when the "Pride Flag" will become, like the dream of the communists, not the flag of the World Revolution and not the "flag of peace" (in the sense of peace), but the "flag of the world" (in the sense of the Earth) under the rule of the world (Earthly) government.
Pride flag of St. Petersburg
Flag of Shalom
***
Along with other celestial phenomena, the rainbow is one of the ancient symbols of mankind.
Now let's look at the coincidences and history of this flag. O one of the most famous and recognizable variants of the rainbow flag is "Pride Flag" (symbol of the gay and lesbian movement) and "Flag of Peace" (symbol of the peace movement), as well as the flag of the Native American movement.
In 1924, the famous French economist Charles Gide made a rainbow flag to celebrate the International Day of Cooperatives. He emphasized that the rainbow symbolizes unity in diversity and the power of light, enlightenment and progress. The flag became the official symbol of the International Cooperative Alliance in 1925. In the post-war period, the Alliance begins to actively cooperate with the labor movement in many countries of the world.
Currently, the rainbow flag The Pride flag., The Freedom flag is an international symbol of the LGBT community. The rainbow flag consists of six longitudinal stripes, the colors of which are in accordance with the natural order of the rainbow from top to bottom: red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple.
The original idea of the rainbow flag is liberation. Any revolution begins with the word "no". No injustice, no violence, no discrimination, no oppression, no slavery, no existence under the yoke of constant fear. Yes, love. The rainbow flag was designed by artist Gilbert Baker for the 1978 San Francisco Gay Pride. The flag was first displayed on June 25, 1978.
It has been suggested that Baker was inspired by the African American civil rights "flag of races" proclaimed by Rev. Jesse Jackson when designing the banner: "Our flag is red, white, and blue, but our nation is rainbow—red, yellow, brown, black, and white. “and we are all precious in the sight of God.”
Initially, as conceived by the artist, the flag consisted of eight stripes. Baker assigns a specific value to each color:
rich pink - sexy
red- life
Orange- health
yellow- sunlight
green- nature
turquoise- magic/art
indigo- peace/harmony
violet- strength of mind / spirituality.
Subsequently, the pink and then the turquoise stripe were removed from the flag, and at the same time the indigo was replaced with blue. According to the official version, the changes were made due to the economic and technical difficulties of mass production. Other sources indicate that one of the stores, in order to meet the increased demand, began to sell surplus Rainbow Girls flags from warehouses, which did not have a pink stripe.
The six-colored flag has spread from San Francisco to other cities and has become a well-known symbol of the LGBT community around the world. There are various variations of the rainbow flag, as well as rainbow variations of national and regional Pride flags: Canada, South Africa, Spain, USA. 
Europride flag
The modern flag of Israel is unusual: two blue stripes and Magen David (Hebrew דגל מדינת ישראל - Degel Medinat Yisrael - "Star of David", "Shield of David") in the middle ... But why is he like that? What images gave him life?
The hexagram (six-pointed star) is made up of two equilateral triangles and serves as the emblem of Judaism and Zionism.
What do the two blue stripes mean, besides the color of the sky?
In the creation of the flag of the State of Israel, the image of a tallit was used - a prayer coverlet, a cape. Tsitzit tassels are threaded into the four corners of the tallit. It is customary for worshipers to wear a tallit during morning prayers and Torah readings. It is customary for Sephardim to wear it at a wedding. A tallit accompanies a pious Jew all his life, it is even customary to bury him in a tallis (talit). So this image for the flag of Israel is not at all accidental.
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