Unfurled

I don't keep up with goings on in the LGBT et cetera community. I understand that June is Pride month, which is why one can find the flags flying in various places, but I hadn't paid enough attention to the evolution of the flag understand what all of the colors and their placements stand for.

But what I hadn't really noticed until I was looking at this picture on my monitor was the newness of this particular flag that had caught my eye. The creases where the flag had been folded into a square for sale/shipment are still clearly visible. It sort of reminds me of the relative newness of the awareness of the community and its assertiveness in voicing its concerns.

These flags strike me as existing in a space where the optimistic view is that they won't be needed for very long. Eventually, the community will feel enough acceptance so that they won't feel the need to call attention to itself with banners like this. I wonder what rituals will grow up around retiring these flags, when that day comes.