Comments on: An Unequal Flag For Unequal Citizens

By: Jason D

Jason D — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 03:06:00 +0000

Emily,
Just to clarify, the flag’s home page is here:
http://makeitequal.org/

As you can see, it’s based on a suffragette protest flag. They do not mention the contest. Their facebook page only mentions it was chosen for the contest.

By way of context, it appears, at least, that the flag was designed first and then the contest came along later and they decided to enter. Or at least the flag does not appear to be designed specifically for the contest. So no one designed this flag to intentionally forget the transgender folk. It appears this flag was created for a specific issue, much like the white knot or the red ribbon.

You do have a point, however, that as a replacement for the rainbow flag, it’s underqualified as marriage equality isn’t the only LGBT issue. I agree. But that’s not what the article here, or the original flag’s creator is saying. It’s what the contest is saying.

Rebecca seems to have missed the point that the flag wasn’t designed to address the LGBT community at large. She seems to have missed what the flag was created for, and conflating the purpose of the contest with the motivation for the flag creation.

Of course, it doesn’t help that studio360 seems to either have two contests running, or has decided to call this contest both the”Gay Flag Design Challenge” and something called the “Listener Design Challenge” so it’s difficult to tell what’s going on.

By: Emily K

Emily K — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 01:26:40 +0000

Obvious flame war is obvious, as we say.

I understand where Rebecca is coming from. The contest was for a new LGB*T* flag. And this one only represents gays. It’s a wonderful flag. It’s a great symbol and I’d like to see it adopted.

But I don’t agree that it could truly replace the rainbow flag, as it only covers a single issue in the gay community.

By: Jason D

Jason D — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 22:04:23 +0000

Rebecca you appear to have skipped over the first sentence of the post, here it is again(bold is mine):

“This six star “Flag of Equal Marriage” represents the six states which have marriage equality, by order of their entry into the Union.”

As the kids say: EPIC READING FAIL.

By: Burr

Burr — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:42:50 +0000

It’s the marriage equality flag, not the trans rights flag. Though I’d like to see one of those, too.

By: Rebecca Juro

Rebecca Juro — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 17:18:18 +0000

Interesting how you count Mass. and NH as deserving of stars for having marriage rights even though neither state has any legal protections for its transgender citizens.

I frankly find your qualifications to be considered worthy of a star on your flag to be at best flawed and at worst outright discriminatory.

As the kids say, Epic Fail.

By: Marriage Equality Flag « Play Happy.

Marriage Equality Flag « Play Happy. — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:56:52 +0000

[...] Via Box Turtle Bulletin. [...]

By: Scott

Scott — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 20:30:22 +0000

Of course, those of us residents who live in the District of Columbia will be left out of a National Symbol yet again. Ironic considering that there are large chances that we could become that 7th star on the flag in the next few days.

Equal marriage recognition from other jurisdictions is set to become law tomorrow (July 7, 2009). It’s pretty much a test case for introducing full gay and lesbian marriage rights by the City Council later this fall.

Go figure.

By: Cthulhu\'s Quill

Cthulhu\'s Quill — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 18:36:17 +0000

Two more and it could be a dipper!

By: Jim Burroway

Jim Burroway — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:20:02 +0000

The beauty of this flag is that whenever it is filled in, it could be argued that there would be no need for a separate rainbow flag.

By: Christopher Waldrop

Christopher Waldrop — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:10:48 +0000

I heard about this flag on the NPR program Studio 360. It was one of several offered up as an “alternative” to the rainbow flag.

I like this design, but, needless to say, I hope in time it will be more filled-in.