A Flag Raising

About a month prior to the flag raising ceremony, a meeting of the campus Diversity Committee was held to open discussions for seeking an all encompassing and inclusive symbol of diversity. GLoBe faculty advisor, Ryland White proposed the rainbow flag . As a year end salute to diversity, Thomas Lavenir, SIT student and GloBe member, then petitioned the SIT Diversity Education Series Committee suggesting a flag raising ceremony.

On the noon hour of Friday, May 22nd, the ceremony began with an introductory speech on SIT’s commitment to diversity and to the rainbow flag. A history of the flag followed.* World Learning President, Judy Hendren Mello and the new SIT President, J ames R. Cramer presided over the ceremony. The flag was raised with the accompaniment of local bagpiper, Dan Toomey. Not everyone supported the flag raising, however. Though most recognized this event as a great sign of the commitment by World Learning an d SIT to diversity, some expressed feelings that the rainbow flag has stood as an important symbol particular to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community. The fact that some people feel they have an inherent right to alter that speaks to the kind of privilege that the rainbow flag is standing in opposition to.

Contributions from Thomas Lavenir, Carol Morales, Ryland White, Linda Gobbo, and the Brattleboro Reformer.

* In 1978, Gilbert Baker of San Francisco designed and made a flag with six stripes representing the six colors of the rainbow as a symbol of gay and lesbian community pride. Slowly the flag took hold, offering a colorful and optimistic alternative to the more common pink triangle symbol. Today it is recognized by the International Congress of Flag Makers, and is flown in lesbian and gay pride marches worldwide. http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs.cmu.edu/user/scotts/bulgarians/rainbow-flag.html