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Rainbow flags are being proudly waved all over our nation this weekend, in honor of LGBT Pride Month, but especially in celebration of Friday’s historical U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage in the United States. One injustice has been righted in our country. One remains, however, and it concerns the rainbow flag, the very symbol of LGBT pride.
Why is it composed of six colors instead of seven? Where’s indigo? Every elementary-school child has learned to use the mnemonic device, Roy G Biv, to recall the colors of the rainbow. Those colors are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Poor indigo has been discriminated against in this flag, and in many other rainbow representations.
To discover why the flag is missing one of its colors, I did a little research and found an article (see link below) that explained that the designer of the flag, San Francisco artist, Gilbert Baker, originally had it composed of all seven colors, as well as pink. He had to drop pink because it was hard to manufacture that color for some reason or other. Then he deleted indigo because he wanted an even number. Why? Is even better than odd? Is the U.S. flag queer for having 13 stripes? The logic of his decision escapes me.
The rainbow flag symbolizes inclusiveness and to deny indigo its place is hypocrisy, plain and simple. I demand the reinstatement of indigo! We must right this wrong. Let indigo out of the closet. Otherwise, proud flag wavers will be considered “one color short of a rainbow,” and, really, who wants that?
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