So, I have just finished The Mayor Of Castro Street by Randy Shilts, a biography of Harvey Milk. Harvey Milk– you know that movie Milk? Gay rights, San Fransisco, gets played by actor Sean Penn. Perhaps with the movie out (first of many puns) Milk can provide many LBGTQ people, especially younger ones, with a person to be inspired by, someone who fought for gay rights.
For better or for worse, it helps for a movement to have an image, a name, a person that people can identify with and associate with the cause being fought for. After awhile it stops being about the person who is a forefront fighting for things, and about the person being a catch-all for the basic ideas of the movement.
As Harvey Milk himself said, “Politics is theater.” That line has stuck with me, as someone who is diving deeper into politics from the not really paying attention in 2006, to the marathon campaigning for the Presidential Election of 2007-08, and staying awake and paying attention after for Prop 8 and Gay Marriage (NH seems close now).
Also, I have a heavy interest in graphic design. I was planning on being an art major before switching to English and creative writing. But I always was interested in what my graphic design friends have to do as a living.
Where the two meet is with the logos and images used in the gay rights movement. (So if you were expecting another post about how people should act in for the sake of some politics, don’t worry.)
For example, I have always wondered about the rainbow flag. I never really got it. It’s not like I out right hate it or anything, it’s just that I never really understood what it had to do with gay rights, or gay people for that matter. In my mind, I guess having all the colors represented diversity. But, I always thought there could be a better image. As I did some research (a.k.a. looking at Wikipedia), I’ve found some information that only helps my argument.
For example the rainbow flag has only recently been used for gay rights (1978) and has been associated with other movements. As for the use as the Pride Flag, one: It’s hinted that it was inspired by Judy Garland’s role as Dorothy and famous. Actually, that’s a point for it due to sheer audacity. My real first argument against it, is what it’s supposed to mean.
Yeah, the hot pink stopped being a part of it early on, and the turquoise/blue did for it being hidden when folded. More to the point is that, outside of sexuality. what does the rest actually have to do with LGBTQ rights? It just seems feel good, and doesn’t hint at any sort of power, not even subversively. It seems like something that DC Comics could use for their latest event.
Then there is the other reason I don’t like it: sheer aesthetics. Supposedly LGBTQ people are supposed to be creative and fashionable, but rainbow colors aren’t really all that good-looking. It’s equality by Lisa Frank. The use of the rainbow colors only really looks good in small doses, in conjunction with black, either in writing or graphics.
But I’m not going to say all this without presenting alternatives and what better alternatives than the ones that are already around? (I’m going for universal symbols, so the Labrys is out since it is usually tied with lesbians, and the (trans)gender symbols since it is multiple symbols.)
There is the Lambda, the Greek letter, adopted by the Gay Activists Alliance. It seems no one know what it really means. Speculative answers rang from from liberation, to fighting ignorance, to Ancient Greek culture (wink wink nudge nudge) including (This. Is.) Sparta / Theban Band, and the scales of justice. While a decent symbol, it suffers from the fact it doesn’t have one single concept/meaning behind it hurts usefulness.
Then there is the pink triangle. They were used during the Holocaust by the Nazi to label gays and lesbians who where killed alongside the Jews, pagans, Romani people, criminals, the mentally ill amongst others. I think this one of the symbols that is great to use, as it has a history behind it, a history that should not be forgotten. The group ACT-UP, uses the triangle pointing upward to symbolize activism.
However, my favorite symbol is more obscure, but once I explain it, my reasoning for liking it will make more sense. It’s the purple hand. It’s been only really used once during a Halloween Night protest in 1969, held in San Fransisco. It never really caught on, but I think it should.
For one, I think the color purple has more mileage that the rainbow. It’s a combination of supposedly masculine and feminine colors of blue and red/pink. You can go light with lavender or go with darker shades. Purple is also a royal color, for all use kings and queens.
I also think the use of a hand is important as it ties in with other human rights movements. The black power movement has the black fist jutting upward, feminism has Rosie the Riveter showing off her biceps or the Venus symbol with a fist in the middle. Hands are tied with humanity. Closed they represent power, and open they often represent helping.
It could be a purple fist… but for obvious reasons, it would be a bad idea. Besides irony is best used by anti-gay right groups:
What, you thought I was going to post the actual advertisement from (OM NOM) NOM?
But beyond that, symbols are only a side thing to fighting for equal rights. People need to be out, out and active. Not everyone has to be Harvey Milk, even Harvey Milk wasn’t always Harvey Milk. But we need to accomplish things so the symbols we have are fillled with meaning.
