What about the segment of the gay population, which is huge that is "drag queens and showtunes gay"? I love both and I love the rainbow flag. Plus, how do you outgrow the need for a community symbol? That is like saying we've outgrown the American Flag or perhaps we can just make a new one of a silhouette of an American Soldier killing something?
A flag with a clear cut image is useless, but a symbolic image like the rainbow can be interpreted different ways by any person who views it. You look at it and see GAY, which I can't find a problem with, means it's doing its
job. I look at it and see a rainbow that represents the many facets of the gay community: lesbians, transgender, gay, feminine, masculine, bi, straight acting, gay acting, drag queens, showtunes, horny immature assholes, etc:. Your flag represents one side. I for one, do not want to be represented by a flag that paints me only as a guy humper: there is so much more to me than that; I am a variable rainbow of mutli facets!
Furthermore, these silhouettes, would they have short cropped hair like African Americans, or long hair emphasizing Caucasion attributes? Would they be tall and lanky or short and buff....could they be fat? See what I mean, your flag can only represent a very small part of a huge, diverse, and colorful community. A community that has made huge strides in the past several years in large part because of PRIDE and because of our symbol. Furthermore, the pioneers of the LBGT community were "GAY". I mean, drag queen and showtunes gay, the kind of people who could not hide under the curtain of social acceptability like you can. People who had to celebrate their differences not hide them. What better way to celebrate such startling apparent features than with a startling apparent symbol?
Really, it fills me with PRIDE and joy everytime I see it and it fills enemies to my loving who I want with contempt and indifference. Although not all, it is a logical, non offensive symbol. I think it's prominence and the fact that it is so unintimidating serves to soften contempt and indifference from outsiders
Unfortunately, the gay community has seen an upsurge of gay anti gay men. People who try to cut a swath between themselves and everyone else in their community who doesn't fit their ideal in much the same way society originally treated the entire gay community. I think it's foolish. You can be as masculine and discreet as you want, but you are still gay and what you do is still not fully accepted by large portions of society. By what you do: I mean, love men. The sexual aspect of homosexuality is still very much a taboo in society. Trust me, person, your sexuality is more acceptable in society than your sexual practices.
It's true that the term gay refers to men who hump men like you, but again, I think its true prominence lies with obviously gay individuals who can't hide in the darkness and don't desire too. They'd rather stand out like a rainbow. They'd rather be respected for their varying abilities and talents. Unlike your suggestion, the rainbow inspires respect and thought. Your flag would just outline what we do in the bedroom, which is noone's business.
