Ruby Slipper activism on a T-shirt made by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NMAH) To those of you who still may search, we extend the hope that you may be very close to attainment.” “… to those of you who have found your Christmas rainbow, we extend a sincere hope that it will remain yours for always. tells of true love and tragedy, the rainbow taking on a particularly personal and aspirational meaning. She uses vivid color imagery to evoke quotidian details and draw an extended metaphor. Sterling’s work is slice of life, recounting the Sunday morning musings of two lovers. Two short stories appeared in The Ladder, a lesbian magazine published by the Daughters of Bilitis (the first lesbian organization in the United States)-"End of the Mixed-Up Rainbow" by Diana Sterling in 1961, and "The Christmas Rainbow" by L.A.L. Queer rainbow symbolism continued in the form of short stories-though it is hard to say who influenced whom or, indeed, if some simply claimed the rainbow independently as a symbol of their desires. In both novels, the rainbow symbolizes new beginnings, different stages in life, and the gradations of time itself. Nadia Legrand’s 1958 The Rainbow Has Seven Colors features another lesbian May-December love, though unrequited. Lawrence’s The Rainbow, featuring a lesbian affair between a student and a schoolteacher. Even a quick perusal of historical LGBT periodicals and magazines reveals a plethora of colorful references as far back as 1915, many of them in fiction writing. So the rainbow has only been a queer symbol for the past 40 years? Not necessarily.
In collaboration with other volunteer members of San Francisco’s 1978 pride parade decorations committee-among them tie-dyer Lynn Segerblom (also known as Faerie Argyle Rainbow) and seamster James McNamara-activists departed from the most popular queer symbols of the time to create the original, eight-color flag (complete with pink and turquoise stripes). A Los Angeles Times article recently dispelled the popular belief that artist Gilbert Baker was solely responsible for the design of the symbol that came next-the rainbow. Queer iconography once included pink and black triangles-re-appropriated by the LGBT community after the Nazis used them to label gay men and lesbians in concentration camps-and the labrys-a double-headed ax associated with the mythological, matriarchal Amazons. Here are the highlights of what I learned about this colorful, often-changing symbol. Where did the so-called “pride” flag come from anyway? I went on a research journey to find out, exploring works of fiction, newspaper articles, autobiographies, political parties, rock bands, a certain Technicolor movie, and more. can you? Well, it turns out that the rainbow as a symbol has appeared in many places and in many forms over the past century. Apart from failing to recognize the intersectional interests of queer and trans people of color, critics invoked the rainbow flag as something constant and abiding.
Many rejected the alteration of such a supposedly sacred symbol. In 2017, in response to a slew of racist incidents in the Gayborhood, Philadelphia added black and brown stripes to the traditional six-color LGBT rainbow flag. Miscellaneous objects from the museum’s collection that feature rainbows, including “That’s So Gay!” trivia game, coasters, and flags promoting marriage equality and immigration equality (NMAH)