A Progress Pride Flag is raised Wednesday above the east wing of the state Capitol in Madison in observance of June as Pride Month.
JOHN HART, STATE JOURNALPeople are also reading…
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You already know what this flag stands for. It's one of the most recognizable symbols in the world, on par with the American flag or the recycling symbol, and especially during Pride Month, it's everywhere.Charley Beal, president of the Gilbert Baker Foundation: "It is unsurpassed as a global icon in terms of something that stands for hope and diversity, as opposed to a product being sold or a country. It is a global symbol."But this flag wasn't always so ubiquitous, and its predecessors included a lavender rhinoceros, the Greek letter lambda and the pink triangle all of which have their own separate meanings and histories, but weren't accepted by the LGBTQ community at large. So, how did we get here with the rainbow pride flag? Its history starts in the 1970s with artist and activist Gilbert Baker. Beal: "Gilbert had become fascinated with flags in 1976, during the Bicentennial. He just suddenly thought, 'These things are powerful.' He saw armies marching into war under a flag and he thought: 'We don't just need a new symbol. We need a flag.'"The very first rainbow pride flag was designed and hand made by Baker and a group of volunteers for the 1978 San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade. Originally eight colors , the flag's stripes stood for sex, life, healing, sunlight, nature, magic, serenity and spirit. After the parade and months later, after the assassination of San Francisco politician and gay icon Harvey Milk demand for the rainbow flag skyrocketed. James Ferrigan, vexillologist and former colleague of Gilbert Baker: "My little story in Polk Street was kind of the epicenter. Gilbert worked there, and I had access to some of the largest flag companies in the world." It was at the San Francisco-based Paramount Flag Company, where Baker worked with flag scholar James Ferrigan, that the rainbow pride symbol spread beyond the city not just as a specialty item, but something that could be as readily available as the Stars and Stripes. Ferrigan: "It was astonishing to me how quickly the rainbow, which truly was a flag of pride and not politics, eclipsed all the others." Ferrigan: "There were some hurdles. And some of the flag companies we approached said, 'Jim, do you know what that flag is?' I go, 'Yeah, I'm keenly aware of what that flag is. I need as many of them as I can get.' And then they go, 'Well, we'll make it, but we won't put our label on it.'" Those hurdles didn't stop the rainbow flag from being displayed across the country by allies, activists and even some government buildings. Baker even worked with the ACLU to make sure anyone could freely use it.In recent years, it's also become a seasonal symbol used by brands and corporations to use during pride month with activists being watchful and vocal about whether those efforts are genuine. Beal: "It's something were very passionate about. If youre not going to live up to the principles sewn into that flag, then dont use it. And if youre just trying to sell mugs and T-shirts, we cant stop you. But we will call you out."Today, the rainbow pride flag has also become a "mother of flags" for others within the LGBTQ community like the pink, lavender and blue bisexual flag created by Michael Page in 1998, or the blue, pink and white transgender flag created by Monica Helms in 1999.Beal: "You should fly the flag that speaks to your soul."Even after Baker's death in 2017, his rainbow flag has continued to live on and evolve through redesigns from artists like Daniel Quasar and Amber Hikes. With black and brown stripes, and the stripes of the transgender flag, the redesigns add visibility to the fact that the pride movement was led by transgender people of color a group that is still one of the most disenfranchised and marginalized groups in society.Beal: "It's a brave thing to do, to create an image and an icon and we totally encourage people to do it. And we're really proud that people would see the rainbow flag as inspiration for a new flag."
The Progress Pride Flag was created to symbolize inclusion of marginalized communities within the LGBTQ community and includes additional stripes forming a chevron pattern that represents LGBTQ individuals of color and the transgender community, as well as those who are living with and who have been lost to HIV/AIDS.
JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
The Progress Pride Flag was created to symbolize inclusion of marginalized communities within the LGBTQ community and includes additional stripes forming a chevron pattern that represents LGBTQ individuals of color and the transgender community, as well as those who are living with and who have been lost to HIV/AIDS.
JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Mandela Barnes
Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, who is the Democratic U.S. Senate frontrunner according to the Marquette Law School Poll, called for nationwide abortion protections and the abolition of the filibuster to achieve that goal.
“I firmly believe in every woman’s right to make decisions about her own body," he said in a statement. "Politicians have no right to put restrictions on that decision."
Alex Lasry
Milwaukee Bucks executive-on-leave Alex Lasry also said he supports Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin's Women's Health Protection Act.
Speaking from the U.S. Supreme Court the night the majority draft opinion came out, Lasry warned such a decision would lead to an almost complete abortion ban in Wisconsin.
Sarah Godlewski
State Treasurer Sarah Godlewski, the only female top-tier Senate candidate, campaigned on codifying Roe before the leaked draft opinion made national headlines.
She "opposes abortion restrictions that endanger or punish women," Godlewski spokesperson Sarah Abel said in a statement. She has also expressed support for the Women's Health Protection Act.
Tom Nelson
Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson said he would vote to eliminate the filibuster and codify Roe if he were a U.S. senator after Politico broke the news about the leaked draft.
"A woman's right to choose is absolute. I trust women to make their own medical decisions," the Democratic Senate candidate said in a statement. "I have a 100% NARAL and Planned Parenthood voting record over three terms (2005-11) in the state Assembly — no one else in the field can match that."
Gov. Tony Evers
- RUTHIE HAUGE, THE CAPITAL TIMES
Soon after the Roe leak made national headlines, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers led a coalition of 17 governors across the country calling on Congress to pass Baldwin's Women’s Health Protection Act.
Still on the books but unenforceable since Roe, a resumption of the state ban would swamp Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ efforts to stand as a bulwark between the Republican-controlled Legislature and a full-fledged abortion ban.
Rebecca Kleefisch
- JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, whom the Marquette poll shows is the clear Republican frontrunner in the gubernatorial race, said she supports Wisconsin's law that bans abortion in almost every instance except for when the mother's life is at risk.
Asked during a Fox6 interview whether she would support additional exceptions for rape and incest, Kleefisch said she wouldn't because she doesn't "think it’s the baby’s fault how the baby is conceived."
Timothy Ramthun
- RUTHIE HAUGE
State Rep. Tim Ramthun, R-Campbellsport, who is running for governor, also has called himself "100% pro-life."
Ramthun and Nicholson are the only two gubernatorial candidates endorsed by Pro-Life Wisconsin, a group that opposes abortion ban exceptions for rape, incest or the life and health of the mother.
Mandela Barnes
Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, who is the Democratic U.S. Senate frontrunner according to the Marquette Law School Poll, called for nationwide abortion protections and the abolition of the filibuster to achieve that goal.
“I firmly believe in every woman’s right to make decisions about her own body," he said in a statement. "Politicians have no right to put restrictions on that decision."
Alex Lasry
Milwaukee Bucks executive-on-leave Alex Lasry also said he supports Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin's Women's Health Protection Act.
Speaking from the U.S. Supreme Court the night the majority draft opinion came out, Lasry warned such a decision would lead to an almost complete abortion ban in Wisconsin.
Sarah Godlewski
State Treasurer Sarah Godlewski, the only female top-tier Senate candidate, campaigned on codifying Roe before the leaked draft opinion made national headlines.
She "opposes abortion restrictions that endanger or punish women," Godlewski spokesperson Sarah Abel said in a statement. She has also expressed support for the Women's Health Protection Act.
Tom Nelson
Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson said he would vote to eliminate the filibuster and codify Roe if he were a U.S. senator after Politico broke the news about the leaked draft.
"A woman's right to choose is absolute. I trust women to make their own medical decisions," the Democratic Senate candidate said in a statement. "I have a 100% NARAL and Planned Parenthood voting record over three terms (2005-11) in the state Assembly — no one else in the field can match that."
Gov. Tony Evers
- RUTHIE HAUGE, THE CAPITAL TIMES
Soon after the Roe leak made national headlines, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers led a coalition of 17 governors across the country calling on Congress to pass Baldwin's Women’s Health Protection Act.
Still on the books but unenforceable since Roe, a resumption of the state ban would swamp Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ efforts to stand as a bulwark between the Republican-controlled Legislature and a full-fledged abortion ban.
Rebecca Kleefisch
- JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, whom the Marquette poll shows is the clear Republican frontrunner in the gubernatorial race, said she supports Wisconsin's law that bans abortion in almost every instance except for when the mother's life is at risk.
Asked during a Fox6 interview whether she would support additional exceptions for rape and incest, Kleefisch said she wouldn't because she doesn't "think it’s the baby’s fault how the baby is conceived."
Kevin Nicholson debate
- SCOTT BAUER, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Management consultant and Republican gubernatorial candidate Kevin Nicholson has called himself "100% pro-life" and said he prays Roe gets overturned.
While he once supported abortion rights, Nicholson said in a survey that he would ban abortions in all cases.
Timothy Ramthun
- RUTHIE HAUGE
State Rep. Tim Ramthun, R-Campbellsport, who is running for governor, also has called himself "100% pro-life."
Ramthun and Nicholson are the only two gubernatorial candidates endorsed by Pro-Life Wisconsin, a group that opposes abortion ban exceptions for rape, incest or the life and health of the mother.
Where Wisconsin's top 10 gubernatorial and U.S. Senate candidates stand on abortion
Six months out from the November election, Republican and Democratic senatorial and gubernatorial candidates could hardly differ more on abortion policy.
Mandela Barnes
Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, who is the Democratic U.S. Senate frontrunner according to the Marquette Law School Poll, called for nationwide abortion protections and the abolition of the filibuster to achieve that goal.
“I firmly believe in every woman’s right to make decisions about her own body," he said in a statement. "Politicians have no right to put restrictions on that decision."
Alex Lasry
Milwaukee Bucks executive-on-leave Alex Lasry also said he supports Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin's Women's Health Protection Act.
Speaking from the U.S. Supreme Court the night the majority draft opinion came out, Lasry warned such a decision would lead to an almost complete abortion ban in Wisconsin.
Sarah Godlewski
State Treasurer Sarah Godlewski, the only female top-tier Senate candidate, campaigned on codifying Roe before the leaked draft opinion made national headlines.
She "opposes abortion restrictions that endanger or punish women," Godlewski spokesperson Sarah Abel said in a statement. She has also expressed support for the Women's Health Protection Act.
Tom Nelson
Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson said he would vote to eliminate the filibuster and codify Roe if he were a U.S. senator after Politico broke the news about the leaked draft.
"A woman's right to choose is absolute. I trust women to make their own medical decisions," the Democratic Senate candidate said in a statement. "I have a 100% NARAL and Planned Parenthood voting record over three terms (2005-11) in the state Assembly — no one else in the field can match that."
Gov. Tony Evers
- RUTHIE HAUGE, THE CAPITAL TIMES
Soon after the Roe leak made national headlines, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers led a coalition of 17 governors across the country calling on Congress to pass Baldwin's Women’s Health Protection Act.
Still on the books but unenforceable since Roe, a resumption of the state ban would swamp Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ efforts to stand as a bulwark between the Republican-controlled Legislature and a full-fledged abortion ban.
Rebecca Kleefisch
- JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, whom the Marquette poll shows is the clear Republican frontrunner in the gubernatorial race, said she supports Wisconsin's law that bans abortion in almost every instance except for when the mother's life is at risk.
Asked during a Fox6 interview whether she would support additional exceptions for rape and incest, Kleefisch said she wouldn't because she doesn't "think it’s the baby’s fault how the baby is conceived."
Timothy Ramthun
- RUTHIE HAUGE
State Rep. Tim Ramthun, R-Campbellsport, who is running for governor, also has called himself "100% pro-life."
Ramthun and Nicholson are the only two gubernatorial candidates endorsed by Pro-Life Wisconsin, a group that opposes abortion ban exceptions for rape, incest or the life and health of the mother.
Tim Michels
- ALEXANDER SHUR, STATE JOURNAL ARCHIVES
Michels
Mandela Barnes
Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, who is the Democratic U.S. Senate frontrunner according to the Marquette Law School Poll, called for nationwide abortion protections and the abolition of the filibuster to achieve that goal.
“I firmly believe in every woman’s right to make decisions about her own body," he said in a statement. "Politicians have no right to put restrictions on that decision."
Alex Lasry
Milwaukee Bucks executive-on-leave Alex Lasry also said he supports Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin's Women's Health Protection Act.
Speaking from the U.S. Supreme Court the night the majority draft opinion came out, Lasry warned such a decision would lead to an almost complete abortion ban in Wisconsin.
Sarah Godlewski
State Treasurer Sarah Godlewski, the only female top-tier Senate candidate, campaigned on codifying Roe before the leaked draft opinion made national headlines.
She "opposes abortion restrictions that endanger or punish women," Godlewski spokesperson Sarah Abel said in a statement. She has also expressed support for the Women's Health Protection Act.
Tom Nelson
Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson said he would vote to eliminate the filibuster and codify Roe if he were a U.S. senator after Politico broke the news about the leaked draft.
"A woman's right to choose is absolute. I trust women to make their own medical decisions," the Democratic Senate candidate said in a statement. "I have a 100% NARAL and Planned Parenthood voting record over three terms (2005-11) in the state Assembly — no one else in the field can match that."
Gov. Tony Evers
- RUTHIE HAUGE, THE CAPITAL TIMES
Soon after the Roe leak made national headlines, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers led a coalition of 17 governors across the country calling on Congress to pass Baldwin's Women’s Health Protection Act.
Still on the books but unenforceable since Roe, a resumption of the state ban would swamp Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ efforts to stand as a bulwark between the Republican-controlled Legislature and a full-fledged abortion ban.
Rebecca Kleefisch
- JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, whom the Marquette poll shows is the clear Republican frontrunner in the gubernatorial race, said she supports Wisconsin's law that bans abortion in almost every instance except for when the mother's life is at risk.
Asked during a Fox6 interview whether she would support additional exceptions for rape and incest, Kleefisch said she wouldn't because she doesn't "think it’s the baby’s fault how the baby is conceived."
Kevin Nicholson debate
- SCOTT BAUER, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Management consultant and Republican gubernatorial candidate Kevin Nicholson has called himself "100% pro-life" and said he prays Roe gets overturned.
While he once supported abortion rights, Nicholson said in a survey that he would ban abortions in all cases.
Timothy Ramthun
- RUTHIE HAUGE
State Rep. Tim Ramthun, R-Campbellsport, who is running for governor, also has called himself "100% pro-life."
Ramthun and Nicholson are the only two gubernatorial candidates endorsed by Pro-Life Wisconsin, a group that opposes abortion ban exceptions for rape, incest or the life and health of the mother.
Tim Michels
- ALEXANDER SHUR, STATE JOURNAL ARCHIVES
Michels
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