NYC: MoMA Adds Gilbert Baker's Rainbow Flag To Their Permanent Collection
Rainbow flag creator Gilbert Baker tips us that the MoMA has added one of his flags to their permanent collection. From their letter to him:
On behalf of the Department of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art, I am excited to formally announce that your work, the Rainbow Flag, has been acquired into the collection of The Museum of Modern Art, following our committee meeting yesterday afternoon. I am so delighted we will be able to share your work with MoMA audiences now and in the future, and I am grateful to you for all your help during the acquisitions process. We are thrilled to represent your work in MoMA's collection.
Rainbow flag creator Gilbert Baker made the below clip from his extensive photo archive. The images are somewhat in reverse chronological order. How many of these moments do you remember?
Radio Free Europe Interviews Rainbow Flag Creator And Activist Gilbert Baker
Radio Free Europe has posted a great chat with rainbow flag creator Gilbert Baker, who these days is a major force with Queer Nation here in New York City. The clip takes you inside Baker's Harlem apartment and you even get a look at his sewing machines. He's a JMG reader!
NEW YORK CITY: Queer Nation Protests Russian Investment Event
Photos by Scott Wooledge. That's activist Ken Kidd in the bottom photo. Queer Nation is posting more photos and Vine clips on their Twitter account, where you'll see other noted activists such as Gilbert Baker, Bill Dobbs, and Ann Northrop.
Montreal Pride was this weekend with rainbow flag creator Gilbert Baker as Grand Marshal. The host of this clip is Bugs Burnett, who is sometimes referred to as Montreal's version of Michael Musto.
Gilbert Baker: Don't Wave The Rainbow Flag To Cover Up Russian Atrocities
Via press release from Queer Nation:
Gilbert Baker, the creator of the Rainbow Flag and a member of Queer Nation made the following statement to New York Times columnist Frank Bruni: “Olympic flag waving gave a stamp of approval to Nazi atrocities in 1936. Please don't use the Rainbow Flag to cover up Russian atrocities in 2014. The Rainbow Flag is the international symbol of LGBT freedom — it is not an endorsement of repression.” In an August 5 opinion piece opposing a boycott of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, New York Times columnist, Frank Bruni, imagined U.S. Olympic athletes waving Rainbow Flags “no bigger than a handkerchief” during the event’s opening ceremony in Russia as a gesture in opposition to Russia’s recently enacted anti-gay law that makes any pro-gay statement or demonstration in public and on the Internet a crime. The Olympic Games were held in Nazi Germany in 1936 and other nations, especially the United States, hotly debated whether they should participate. There were also debates in Great Britain, France, Sweden, Czechoslovakia, and the Netherlands. Ultimately, more nations participated in the 1936 Olympics, than in any prior games. The Nazis went on to kill six million Jews in the Holocaust, an estimated 100,000 LGBT people, the Roma people, and political dissidents. Baker first raised the Rainbow Flag, with its iconic eight colors, at San Francisco Pride in 1978. Its positive visual and visceral message of hope, love, and liberation, was meant to transcend all languages and national boundaries. The flag has since become the internationally recognized symbol of the LGBT community’s struggle for freedom.
It was 35 years ago today that Gilbert Baker's rainbow flag made its debut at San Francisco Pride. Since then it has become the ubiquitous global symbol of LGBT pride, solidarity, and freedom. Below is the photo I took of Gilbert at this week's ACT UP reunion event here in New York City. I'm proud to call him a friend.
Rainbow flag creator Gilbert Baker showed Times Square what he thinks of staging a reality show episode around a critical LGBT rights issue. Click over to Wayne Anderson at World Of Wonder for more photos from today's protest in NYC. Andy Humm at Gay City News has the story.
At last night's Maine response rally in NYC's Union Square, rainbow flag creator Gilbert Baker said to me, "Where's the ANGER? Where are the pitchforks?" as he surveyed the glum crowd. I told him his opinion reflected much of what you folks here were saying yesterday. From the bullhorn came the usual speechifying to the usual audience of activist regulars. NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn urged the crowd to continue to pressure NY's state senators, as did Marriage Equality NY head Cathy Marino-Thomas.
Here's a report from the rally by Our Scene TV reporter Blake Hayes.
Even though I knew that today's AIDS Walk in Central Park would severely diminish our numbers, I'll confess that I'm disappointed in today's turnout to oppose Sen. Ruben Diaz' anti-gay rally outside Gov. Paterson's office. The haters bused in thousands (many out of state plates on those buses) and one cop told me the mayor's office had estimated the crowd at 10,000.
The evangelicals stayed mostly very positive, I will say, delivering nothing by smiles and heavily-accented "Jesus loves you" type messages as they passed the 50-60 LGBT activists waving "Thank You, Governor" placards and banners. Only the men shouted "REPENT!!", which I found interesting. The NYPD had set up eight block-long pens along Third Avenue, six for the evangelicals - which were full - and two for the good guys (which was about 1.75 more pens than we needed.)
Noted LGBT activists on hand: Eric Leven, rainbow flag creator Gilbert Baker, and DADT victim Lt. Dan Choi, who outed himself again, this time as a JMG reader. Slideshow below, video to follow shortly. Then it's back to midtown for a much more uplifting event - Broadway Impact's massive rally of stars and supportive politicos. Full-screen versions of the below photos are here.
BELOW: The crowd squealed with the Holy Spirit when they spotted their messiah, Homophobe #1 state Sen. Ruben Diaz walking towards the stage. This clip will be active shortly, I have to run to the big rally near Times Square.
NYC: Protest At Iraq Mission Over Murders Of Gay Men In Iraq
Led by activist Brendan Fay, today a small group of LGBT activists protested in front of NYC's Iraq Mission over the recent spate of gay men murdered in Iraq. What would have been a relatively low-key demonstration turned somewhat ugly due to the NYPD, who at first refused to allow activists to stand on the public sidewalk in front of the Iraq Mission, then threatened to arrest anyone who attempted to ring the building's bell and deliver a formal letter of protest.
Reporter Andy Humm of Gay City News vehemently objected, shouting, "You can't ring a bell and deliver a LETTER in NYC?" Eventually two men appeared from inside and a man who identified himself as Yassar Mohammed accepted and read the letter but said he would have no official comment, as the Mission was observing "Great Friday." Below is my slideshow of the protest and my video of Brendan Fay's passionate speech in support of LGBT people in Iraq.
Today a group of LGBT rights and sexual freedom activists gathered just down the block from Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Upper East Side mansion to protest the false arrests of gay men in NYC's adult bookshops. Robert Pinter, a victim of this campaign, gave interviews to a number of local and national newsmedia outlets as two dozen gay men marched with placards denouncing Bloomberg and the NYPD.
On hand were a number of familiar LGBT activists: Brendan Fay, Gilbert Baker, Ann Northrop, Father Tony, Eric Leven, John Weis and journalists Andy Humm and Duncan Osbourne. It was Osbourne's relentless pursuit of this story that brought the entire illegal campaign to light.
Also present were protest observers from the National Lawyers Guild and Susan Wright, the founder and spokesperson of the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom, with whom I had a chat about our mutual enemy, Peter LaBarbera. The NYPD was generally friendly and cooperative, although they did not allow the protesters within 100 feet of Bloomberg's home.
Curious passersby and tourists exiting Central Park took photos of the protest and were handed fact sheets about the action. Many of the men giving interviews to the press stressed that the entire "prostitution" campaign was in fact meant to close the city's adult businesses under nuisance abatement laws.
BELOW: Father Tony gets video of playwright George Tynan Crowley reading his special Valentine's poem to Mayor Bloomberg. Go to Father Tony's site for more on the rally, including photos and more video.
UPDATE: Robert Pinter tells his story to Eric Leven.
UPDATE II: The New York Times has published their coverage of the protest.
I finally found my memory stick from Pride 2008, so here's a quick photo recap of the day. Our gang gathered at the corner of Christopher & Gay, as always, and while the intermittent rainstorms drenched the crowd and the marchers, each crack of thunder only brought a joyous roar from attendees and nobody seemed to flee.
Below are the first few Dykes On Bikes, rainbow flag creator and grand marshall Gilbert Baker coming over to greet us, Eric Leven waving from one end of Gilbert's banner, crowd favorites the gay cops, assorted hotties and flamers, a family photo courtesy of Father Tony, and some baby Dominican dykes having a party stomping in the puddles.ABOVE: Pier Dance was mobbed with its usual 6000 happy men. BELOW: Gorgeous DJ Tracy Young likes to come out from behind her turntables and work the front of the stage.ABOVE: Eric Leven, bookended with handsomeness. BELOW: My longtime pal Mark Fernandez, looking just as he did when we were tearing up the clubs of South Beach twenty years ago, damn him.My buddy Ned and I happened to be trapped against the front of the stage when Pier Dance headliner and Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson closed the day with a three song set including her new single Spotlight and, of course, And I'm Telling You. I got sweated on by an Oscar winner! I think you can spot Ned and I in the clip below that a party attendee has YouTube'd. Hudson seemed to have a great time and turned the mic over to the audience many times.
The perfect day (made more so by the rain, somehow) ended with the usual fireworks show, only this year the fireworks barge began firing shells when it still quite downriver, only finishing the show when it actually got up to the pier. Curious. Thanks to all my pals and all the JMG'ers that I met for such a great day. And here's a couple dozen more pics from the previous night's Blowoff, in case you want to oogle some furry monsters and rock stars.
This week marks the 30th anniversary of the creation of the rainbow flag by Gilbert Baker, who will head the 38th NYC Pride March on Sunday as a Grand Marshall.
The use of a rainbow flag actually goes back for hundreds of years, but it was Baker, the "gay Betsy Ross", who turned it into a globally recognized symbol of LGBT pride and solidarity. Yes, there have been some ridiculous appropriations of the rainbow flag (rainbow thongs anyone?), but our appreciation goes out to Gilbert Baker for his enduring and unifying idea.
So please give Gilbert an extra round of applause when he passes you on Sunday. And keep an eye out for our boy Eric Leven, who'll be helping carry the flag.
"All revolutions start with a word, and the word is no. No to injustice, no to discrimination, no to oppression, no to slavery, no to violence, no to lives dictated by fear. Yes to love. The defiant colors in our flag have unfurled that idea for thirty years.
"The Rainbow Flag lives because it represents us all in our diversity and beauty. It endures because it connects us to nature and transcends words to lift hearts, enlighten minds and inspire courage everywhere.
"My life has been devoted to creating, expanding and evolving its use. In the vernacular of vexillographers, a true flag is torn from the soul of the people, millions of people worldwide united in an expression of love and pride.
"The rainbow flag is an art action. When people fly the rainbow flag, put it on a bumper sticker, or t-shirt, or use any of its endless variations, they are saying something. Right out front they’re saying this is who I am.
"It is a direct visibility action gay people are doing everywhere, phenomenal in every sense. The rainbow is a connector, a global channel, it surfs the wind of change.
"Flags are of the moment. The rainbow flag is a conscious thought, a brave and fearless action. It belongs to everyone. And that is what makes it wonderful." - Rainbow flag creator Gilbert Baker, marking the flag's 30th anniversary. [Photo credit: Mick Hicks.]
Human rights activists will gather at the UN's Dag Hammerskjold Plaza at noon today, marching through the plaza and laying a wreath at the Raoul Wallenberg Memorial. LGBT activists including Brendan Fay and Gilbert Baker are calling on UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, to ensure the rights of LGBT persons are a “priority during the upcoming session.”
Finally. That hard-to-find rainbow-hued gay pride bikini you've all been waiting for is here - available now on Christopher Street - so please rush, ill-tempered Kazakhstani clerks are standing by, anxiously fingering their Saddam mustaches as you decide whether you want the matching suspenders, wristbands, and choker. Which, of course, you do. Sadly, the rhinestone tiara is for display purposes only. For your convenience, you can get a Brazilian wax for your new bikini at any of the 73 nail salons in the Greater West Village Shopping District.
With Russian news cameras rolling, rainbow flag creator Gilbert Baker and gay activist Brendan Fay poured Stolichnaya vodka into the street in front of New York City's Russian consulate in protest of the treatment of Russian gays by their government.
Under the wary eye of the NYPD (who did NOT want to be photographed) and U.S. State Department operatives (the earpieces are a dead giveaway), a small group of protesters marched on the sidewalk with placards. Brendan Fay attempted to deliver a letter of complaint to the consulate staff, but they did not come to the door.
I spoke briefly with the Russian news team, who seemed sympathetic to the cause and promised that their story will run on Russian satellite news later today. I will provide a link to their online streaming account of the event when it becomes available. Russian nationals waiting at the consulate were generally friendly, with one woman commenting that she worries for the safety of her gay cousin in St. Petersburg.
RELATED: SPI International, the Russian spirits manufacturer that has owned the rights to make and distribute Stoli since 1992, won an 18-month court battle against the Russian government in the U.S. District Court of Southern New York in April 2007, granting it the right to the trademark in the United States. Pernod Ricard, the international distributor of Stoli, acquired the brand last year when it bought Allied Domecq, a former co-defendant in SPI's case. When Russia stripped SPI's right to bottle and sell Stoli from Russian soil in 2002, SPI moved manufacturing to Latvia, despite continuing to label Stoli as "authentically Russian vodka". Pernod Ricard maintains the the vodka is merely bottled in Latvia and is shipped there in bulk from Russian distilleries, although that claim is disputed. The Russian state-owned import-export agency Soyuzplodimport continues to maintain that they alone hold the right to manufacture and sell Stoli, which is the 3rd largest selling vodka in America, with annual sales of $400 million.
UPDATE: Today's action at the Russian consulate is being criticized by some activists, who maintain that as a private (for now) brand that strongly supports gay events and causes, Stoli is not a correct target for a boycott. While I only heard of this boycott today, my understanding thus far is that Stoli was chosen due to its being the most widely-known Russian brand is the world, with the hope that the mainstream media would finally take notice of the plight of Russian gays. If the organizers of today's action would care to elaborate on Stoli's selection, I'll post their explanation here.
UPDATE II: The NY Blade used the top photo in today's cover story.
