A Life Guide for the Gay
There are many colors in the rainbow flag which corresponds to the many different types of people in the world. In 1978 a man named Gilbert Baker displayed a flag that represented being gay and proud of it. The standard rainbow as we know it has not been looked at the same since this San Francisco native associated it with the Lesbian, Bi-sexual, Gay and Transgender community. The formal artist wanted the Lesbian, Bi-sexual, Gay and Transgender community to have a symbol that expressed their diversity. Since 1978, the flag has been modified by adding and/or deleting colors. Nevertheless, whenever the flag is shown people across the world know what it represents.
Gilbert’s original flag started out with eight bold bright colors. The colors where hot pink, red, orange, green, turquoise, indigo, purple and yellow. The first color that was eliminated from this rainbow flag was the hot pink. Hot pink was not eliminated because the Lesbian, Bi-sexual, Gay or Transgender community did not like it, but it was due to a lack of availability of the particular color. Seem as if the color hot pink wasn’t as popular with the local fabric stores as it was the rainbow flag community. The companies had stopped making that color in the fabric that was used on the flag. The second color to get the boot was turquoise. The turquoise lost the bet amongst the other colors because it simply wasn’t popular enough. The truth is no one knows why turquoise among the other colors got eliminated but we do know why it had to be. The color had to be eliminated because when the flag was hung up it did not display every color so it decreased from seven to six stripes. The color indigo was eliminated also but only to be replaced by the color royal blue. Indigo and royal blue are close in color and the description used to describe the meaning of indigo is the exact same for royal blue. It has been well over 20 years since the eight striped rainbow flag has been used but there is talk of bringing it back. Although some believe it’s too much trouble to bring the eight colors back after so long, Gilbert think it’s a great idea and no trouble at all. He claims it will be used to honor some of the first open gay people in America that had been murdered for being open about their sexuality.
The colors of the flag also have a meaning. The hot pink color stripe stands for sex. The red color strip stands for life. The orange color stripe stands for healing. The yellow color stripe stands for sun. The green color stripe stands for serenity with nature. The turquoise stands for art. The indigo stands for harmony. Last but not least the violet stands for spirit. According to some psychologist colors have a great effect on your moods. For instance, if you want to relax you should surround yourself with blue. That maybe the reason why people enjoy fishing, swimming, boating or other activities near the water when they want to kick back. The green is associated with nature and good fortune. This is why inventors of money chose to use the color green because you are lucky to get some of it. Orange should be worn or used when attention getting is what you are looking for. It is known for its flamboyancy. One of my favorite colors is purple. It represent royalty and spirituality. Finally, red among many other things represents blood. When I think red I think of living souls and beings. When I see yellow I think of sunshine, happiness and joy. To my surprise psychologist believe this color will help to lift up your spirits and bring about happiness and joy.
After viewing the meaning of the colors in the gay pride flag and how psychologist associate color with moods, I noticed some similarities. Red, yellow green, blue and purple have very close if not exact meanings. For example, psychologist says red symbolizes blood and the gay pride flag says it symbolizes life. We associate blood with life. On the other hand orange brings about a mood of flamboyancy or attention getting, whereas the gay pride flags orange color is meant to mean healing. I find the color choices and meanings to be accurate and appropriate for the rainbow flag used by the Lesbian, Bi-sexual, Gay and Transgender community.
Life was not always so complicated when it came to same sex relationships. There was a time when men and women could have relations with someone of the same gender and not be persecuted for it. People began to associate sin with homosexual behavior which caused them to feel shamed about their sexuality. In 390, a Roman law was passed banning homosexual relationships and making it a crime that would be punished by death. This was an unfair law considering the acts where being conducted by consenting adults whom loved each other.
After laws came into place threatening to kill anyone living a homosexual life, people began to hide in what we know now as the closet. They started an underground society of same sex relationships. The underground community was not only made up of men who loved men and women who loved women, but also straight supporters of those men and women. Although it was a law against being gay, everyone did not agree with it. Some of the supporters of the homosexual community were friends, family or others who felt the law was unfair. These people worked together to protect one another while being able to freely love whom they want.
During the Holocaust, gay men and women who were put into camps separate from the straight prisoners were marked with triangles. Pink triangles were used for gay men and black for gay women. Now in modern day times the triangles are still displayed at parades to symbolize what previous homosexuals endured in past history due to their sexuality. Other symbols associated with the Lesbian, Bi-sexual, Gay and Transgender community is the butterfly, lambda, purple hand, rainbow flag, gender symbols (two intertwined female or male symbols), bisexuality symbols (two overlapping triangles or two half moons back to back); transgender symbols (has the female gender sign, the male gender sigh and the female and male gender signs connected together).
One little unknown fact that many people don’t know is bi-sexual have their own pride flag. The colors are magenta, lavender and blue. The magenta stripe represents same sex admiration, the lavender stripe represents a fondness of both male and females and the blue stripe represents an attraction to the opposite sex. Also, the transgender have a pride flag to represent their individuality. Their flag has five stripes on it with two light blue, two pink and one white stripe. The blue represents young boys, the pink represents young girls and the white represents none male or female gender.
The gay pride movement has been linked with the Stonewall riots of 1960. During this time law enforcement officials would use their power to mistreat Lesbian, Bi-sexual, Gay or Transgender men and women. One night some cops in New York decided to break in on a gay party going on at an underground location. It was a peaceful party free of violence. The cops came in and began to brutally beat the men and women. Tired of the harassment the gay men and women fought back. That one incident did not put an end to the mistreatment that cops did, however, it did mark a movement that was recognized all over the U.S. and some neighboring countries.
Ever since the Stonewall riots in the 1960’s the Lesbian, Bi-sexual, Gay and Transgender people have been fighting for their rights to be free and treated fair. Brazil is one of the many South American countries that also face and have faced attacks on the Lesbian, Bi-sexual, Gay and Transgender community. Today they are one of the largest supporters of gay pride, attracting many gay tourists year after year. Other countries that support Gay pride is but not limited to London, England, Quebec, Amsterdam and Canada.
Gay pride is a celebration of where the Lesbian, Bi-sexual, Gay and Transgender came from, where they are and where they going. The community has come a long way and continues to grow. The pride parades are used to educate people about what same sex relationships are about.
Originally the top 3 cities that held Gay Pride Parades were San Francisco, New York City and Chicago. The Gay Pride Parade became very popular after the Stonewall Riots of the 1960’s. People began to use the parades as a chance to fight for what they believed to be right. Gay pride parades began to grow bigger and stronger each year and spread worldwide like wild flowers. Gay pride soon becomes a household name and people everywhere knew what it represented. Some places like Jerusalem, India and Poland have or has had gay pride parades to support the LGBT community unfortunately, places like Russia bans the parades and even the parades that were attempted in the past were very violent with attacks being put on the participators.
Many gay pride parades take place in June or close to June, annually in remembrance of the Stonewall Riots. Major cities such as Philadelphia, New York City, San Francisco, Atlanta, Seattle, Los Angeles, San Diego, Washington, D.C., Phoenix, Tuscan, Chicago, Indianapolis, Key West, St. Louis, Las Vegas, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Austin have people visiting from all over the world to attend their parades. Although other cities participate, these cities have very large participation and are more gay friendly than most others.
Philadelphia’s pride parade is held in June but they also have a coming out parade in October of each year. The coming out parade is the largest in the nation and has been very successful at getting support from known companies such as Petco, Citibank and Miller to help sponsor it.
Talk about a gay pride parade! New York host it’s annual pride events on the last week of June. Celebration is an entire week. They have 5 major events that are stretched out amongst that week. Those events consist of a Rally, Pride festival, a March, a dance and something called the Rapture on the river. The events are held near the largest gay friendly neighborhoods in New York.
The Rapture is a famous women dance team. The March goes through downtown, The Pride fest is a free festival for everyone, and The Dance is done on the Pier and is toped off with a fireworks show. Aside from the major 5 events held during gay pride week, others have special events as well. Many gay friendly businesses participate by having additional festivities taking place at their establishment.
San Francisco is one of the first and oldest parades around. Their events are held the last weekend in June and totally free. There are hundreds of parades, performers and exhibits. It is open to all. Unlike San Francisco, Los Angles has it’s pride celebrations over a 3 day period. It is held in mid June and has free as well as ticketed events. The celebration has a Dyke march, free parties, speakers and parades. Now gay pride San Diego is held in mid July and is the largest of the two previous parades. The weekend long celebration has a pride parade and pride festival.
Moving toward the Midwest, Phoenix and Chicago dominates the gay pride festivities. The Phoenix pride events are held the weekend of mid April. Chicago pride events take place close to the last week of June and last 7 days. Some of the festivities include but are not limited to singing, a pride run and walk, street festival, a Dyke march and the annual pride parade. In addition they have seminars, exhibits, concerts and venues, scattered throughout the area. Everyone is welcome and they have free as well as paid events taking place.
All across the globe people are celebrating gay pride through parades, concerts, marches, seminars. The goal is to honor previous LGBT community members for their heroic acts, helping pave the way for current Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and Transgender people. Also, they want to educate the public about what it means to be homosexual. It is also an opportunity to pass out literature about Aids. Finally, it allows the community a chance to celebrate who they are and be proud and not ashamed of it.
During the late 1930’s and 1940’s when World War II was taking place many gay men were released form duty because of their sexuality. Most of these men were released in San Francisco. Apparently the dismissal of the gay men started an epidemic because San Francisco has the largest group of same sex couples in the nation. The great number of gay men in San Francisco mad it an attractive place for other gay men to migrate to. They felt more secure and had more support there than anywhere else. San Francisco has some of the biggest gay communities that not only compromise gay men but also lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender people. San Francisco and West Hollywood has become the most sought after cities across the country, for the LGBT community.
The San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and Transgender Community Center was started in 1993 and provides a place for programs and bring the LGBT community together regardless of age, race, gender, or economic status. It also focuses on the history, differing backgrounds and developments of the community.
Some of the programs and services offered through the center are Economic Development, Health and Wellness, Children, Youth and Family, Community and Policy Initiatives, Arts and Culture and Access to the building facilities. The Economic Development program helps support employment seeking, business skills and help for starting small companies. The Health and Wellness program works hard to make the community aware about Aids/HIV. They also research doctors and send out referrals to the best ones. The Children, Youth and Family program has a childcare center that operates 6 days a week, provide free meals for very poor children, a teen gay/lesbian/bi-sexual/transgender prom and job training skills for the youth. The Community and Policy Initiatives help lead, organize and support local issues and discriminations faced by LGBTs. The Arts and Culture program host 8 performances and art gallery walk-thru a year. Finally, the building facility is used to rent space that can serve 10 and up to 400 people, provide free computer and internet access and is open to the public 6 days a week. The center attracts thousands of people year after year and is continuing to grow. Some of their greatest sponsors include AT&T, American Express, Bank of America, Wachovia, Comcast, AAA and Macy’s.
When the people who help make movie stars and televisions personalities look great moved to West Hollywood, the gay community began to grow. From the 1940’s till now, West Hollywood has the highest LGBT community in the U.S. Unlike San Francisco, West Hollywood attracts people who enjoy the night life as well as fame. Many movie stars, directors and producers have homes there as well.
Santa Monica is the most sought after place to visit when going to West, Hollywood because of the many things to do. The Santa Monica Strip is full of Night clubs, places to shop and great restaurants. For the star struck, Santa Monica is a great place to run into famous people. The June L. Mazer Lesbian Archives is a must see if you are interested in knowing about how the Lesbian Movement began. This place is full of history dating back to almost a century ago. One could get caught up looking through the many magazines, books and pictures or by exploring art and reading letters produced by lesbians who have fought for a place in this world.
The Beverly Center Acts as a community center for LGBTs. Although it is not as organized as say the San Francisco community center, it is a place where the gay community go to hangout, shop, watch a movie, have a drink, pick up hot guys, pick up hot girls or just relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery.
Another reason many LGBT members are attracted to West Hollywood is because of the large gay events hosted throughout the year. Aside from the Pride festival, the Out fest and Halloween carnival brings large crowds of gay and non gay participants. Last but not least, who doesn’t love the sunny California weather!
The LGBT community doesn’t find it easy to buy items that cater to their sexuality at regular department stores, shopping malls, etc. Due to this long on going problem, there has been great progress in providing items online to satisfy same sex taste. The Rainbow Depot is an online store that sells items aimed specifically toward the gay customers. They sell items for the home, clothing accessories and adult toys to say the least. A few categories that I found interesting were the baby pride, party supplies and pet supplies. The baby depot section carries bodysuits in sizes newborn to 18 months and colors blue, white and purple. They all have the rainbow colors and cute pride slogans on them. The party supplies section does not have a large selection to choose from. They do sell tissue ball and fan decoration plus madri gras necklaces. As far as the pet section goes, they sell tags, collars and leashes in beautiful rainbow fashions. Some miscellaneous items sold include mugs, magnets, buttons and key chains.
The Rainbow Depot takes orders over a secure internet site and accepts master card, visa, Amex and discover. Gift certificates can be purchased and used on the site too. The Customer service department is open Monday thru Friday from 10a.m. – 4:00p.m. to give assistance to it’s buyers. Other online stores that carry similar items are Over the Rainbow shop, Wild Marketing and Always Proud. Although there aren’t many shops that carry items catering to the gay community, the online stores make up for the slack.
I’ve already discussed knick knack items sold at the above stores, now I’m moving on. Physique bodyware USA sells Fitness gear specifically for the LBGT community. They have tops and clothing for men and women. They also carry body building supplements, accessories and give out free diet and workout tips. The site offers gear for all but the styles and cuts of the clothing tend to be more popular among the gay community.
Gay weddings online store is one of the most talked about sites used for same sex wedding planning. They sell photo albums with your choice of two men or two women on the cover, cake tops with two grooms or two brides in different nationalities (they can be mixed and matched as you like), they have customized wedding certificates, guest books, invitations, his and his or hers and hers wedding rings and offer a gift registry. Aside from the merchandise, the site offers a forum and wedding planning tips to help assist the brides or grooms to be with their very special day.
The gay community is hoping that the success of the online stores will open the eyes of other retailers to begin carrying items that yield to them. The market is large and there is much money to be made. Although online shopping is very convenient, some also enjoy having the option of going out and shopping as well. We will be looking for a transition in the near future.
If you live in or are planning to be in the Las Vegas area and is looking for the hottest gay club in town, you should visit the Krave. It is located on the Las Vegas strip in the heart of everything. The club offers different events to cater to certain groups throughout the week. It would be a great idea to check the schedule to ensure what is going on is to your liking and if tickets need to be purchased. They do huge pride events and have a dance floor out to this world. All are welcome at the Krave nightclub.
Texas is becoming thy gay place to be, dominating the Midwest. Houston, home of Destiny’s child, is flooded with spots for gay’s and lesbians to hangout when the street lights come on. Chances is the biggest and best lesbian nightclub in Houston. They have three DJ’s. One rocks hip hop, the other spins old skool and techno and the last one brings on the country hits. There is always something going on here to keep things fresh, new and exciting. This is a 21 and up establishment with fare prices.
The men don’t have to feel left out because club Meteor is just one of many top spots that the gay men in Houston are hanging out at. Although this is a bar it is decorated to the nines. It is a great spot to have a drink with friends, relax on the oversized chairs or sofas and watch a game. Meteors is always offering specials and happy hours to its customers. So you can kick back and enjoy top of the line taste at discount prices.
Gong to the Big Apple and need somewhere to hangout? Hmmm, should you go to Therapy and party in the Old Hell’s Kitchen Warehouse, dancing to the sickest jams made in history or do you want to relax in a lounge style atmosphere and listen to a live band while sipping on some Grey Goose at XES Lounge. Naw, how about watching the latest basketball, football, wrestling, etc. game on one of the many flat screen plasma televisions at GYM Sports Bar. Hey! Whatever you decide is fine with me. My point is, no matter what kind of scene you are looking for, New York has the spot just for you. Be it lesbian, gay men, bi-sexual or transgender. The Big Apple doesn’t disappoint! Word of advice though, New York is known for its hot fashions! So a chic and sleek look should be acclaimed when visiting.
Where will the wind blow you in Shy Town? Chicago is definitely another big gay friendly city packed with gay friendly establishments. Two top places nominated the best in the U.S. are the Berlin and the Closet. The Berlin welcomes everyone. Although it is a gay club many straight people patronize it due to its well decorated surroundings, great music, sweet dance floor and many live events. They have cash giveaways, live professional performances, karaoke nights and discount drinks on Monday.
The Closet however has been open for 25 years and doesn’t look like much from the outside. Can you say looks can be deceiving? When you step into this bar you know that it is more than meets the eye. It is a well put together spot started by two lesbian women back in the day. To date it is a place where gay men and women go to chill and check out the view. One main attraction is the Karaoke Contest. Also, they run daily beer specials that will put the average Joe bar out of business. It’s no wonder why the Closet was named one of the top gay bars in the U.S.
Last on my list of must visit places, is Miami, Florida. Aside from the beautiful palm trees and tropical weather, Miami has some great bars too. Ozone is loved by everyone because it offers variety for all. It is one of the only clubs that cater to gays and straights under one roof. They have a night for those that are into Goth, one night is dedicated to the lesbians and the other nights are swarming with gay men. However, the live shows and dancing is so mind blowing that straights, lesbians, transgender, etc. come out to share the experience.
The LGBT has gone from the underground to being on top. The community is growing more and more with each wakening moment.