30 years, it’s actually not much. Only 30 years since homosexuals around the world have formed a community, truly accepted and integrated. The rainbow flag is not the sole reason for the change in mentality, but this emblem has left its mark. Gilbert Baker, the man who took it upon himself in 1978 to make it a gay icon, confides: “I love going to cities around the world and seeing the rainbow flag there, I know that it’s a safe place where I can be myself.” Six colors, six strong universal symbols: red for life, orange for health and joy, yellow for the sun, green for nature, indigo for harmony, violet for spirit. Two are missing from this list: art and sex, represented by turquoise and pink respectively, which are pillars of the community. These colors were removed during commercialization because they were not very common in the textile market at the time and thus not profitable. No matter, the idea was compelling and united gays in their quest for recognition.
A Logic of Struggle
But is this flag still relevant today? “I would prefer a pink and turquoise flag, but the concept itself is not obsolete. There are still many battles to be fought.” Alain Barelli, the owner of the gay bar Le 6 in Nice, complains about the complacency regarding AIDS. “I’m not given enough free condoms to distribute in my bar, even though many of my customers go clubbing afterward.” Like its counterparts, the “PACE” rainbow flag and the one against AIDS, this banner is part of a logic of struggle. Against violence, disease, homophobia. And the battles are far from over. That’s why, 30 years later, and even if its aesthetics are sometimes criticized, the gay rainbow still shines in the hearts of those who claim the right to free love.
