The rainbow flag, long a symbol of gay pride, has been redesigned by activists to include black and brown stripes for to represent non-whites.
The campaign pushing the redesign is called, “More Color More Pride,” and was unveiled in Philadelphia for the beginning of “Pride Month,” MRCTV reports.
Activist and executive director of Philly’s Office of LGBT Affairs Amber Hikes said, “We’re proud to host this celebration for the community to come together not just for Pride, but also to reinforce our strides towards combatting discrimination within our community, honor the lives of our black and brown LGBTQ siblings, and uplift our shared commitment to diversity and inclusion within our community.”
She also said, “white people do not know what racism looks like, because that is not the definition of racism.”
A video has been created to explain the campaign:
“…there’s more we can do. Especially when it comes to recognizing people of color in the LGBTQ+ community,” the description to the promotional video reads.
“To fuel this important conversation, we’ve expanded the colors of the flag to include black and brown. It may seem like a small step. But together we can make big strides toward a truly inclusive community.”
It is unclear if other cities and activists will adopt the new flag.
This news comes after reports indicate divisions in the gay community over race and policing. Last Sunday, activists who saw it as too corporate and inclusive of police protested against the DC gay pride parade. They reportedly chanted, “Hey-hey, ho-ho! These racist cops have got to go!,” and “Black Lives they matter here!”
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