The flag is just a symbol of an idea, not an official organization or government, and based on some of the tacky uses for the American flag I’ve seen at Pride before, even that has never bothered you. They complained that it breaks with tradition, that there’s no brown in a rainbow, and that it singles out people of color for special treatment.
This person probably said, “OK, cool,” and moved on like everyone should.īut of course, a lot of people didn’t. Throw in that there have long been issues of racial division and discrimination in the LGBT+ community nationwide for years, and it’s a good gesture. This makes sense when you consider that Philadelphia has had some issues with racial discrimination over the past year. Turns out, Amber Hikes, the head of Philadelphia’s Office of LGBT Affairs, approved her committee's decision to add the stripes as a way to give more visibility to LGBT+ people of color. As people clapped and cheered, someone inevitably asked, “Wait, why is there a black and a brown stripe on there?” That person was right to ask why, because, well, black and brown stripes on the Pride rainbow flag are a new thing.
Last week in Philadelphia, as part of its month-long Pride celebrations, the city hoisted the rainbow flag on a pole outside City Hall.
