User:Cinddy nguyenn/Rainbow flag (LGBT)

Transnationalism
The rainbow flag has outgrown its original purpose and has instead been repurposed to manifest a multitude of transnational and globalized ways of being queer. In a few scholarly articles, the rainbow flag is described as a "floating signifier". A floating signifier refers to the person giving the object its interpreted meaning and significance. Flags are ambivalent symbols that hold different ideologies, meanings, and agendas depending on the beholder. Therefore the rainbow flag is a boundary object that not only brings together queer communities locally and transnationally, but can also create debates and conflicts. In the hands of the beholder the rainbow flag can become malleable in its significance.

The rainbow flag is a symbol that goes beyond its four corners and is recognizable by its colors alone. The rainbow colors have become synonymous with pride, diversity, and liberation. In many cases activists and politicians have weaponized the rainbow to create a public and political statement to represent their liberal ideals and acceptance in diversity. There have been many activism statements made with using the rainbow colors to create “hidden flags,” in order to express their political agenda and support for gay rights and diversity. For example, in Poland on August 6th, 2020 President Andrzej Duda was sworn in for a second term supporting an anti-LGBTQ+ campaign and the opposing politicians planned beforehand to coordinate and wear a colored outfit to each represent a color of the rainbow to stand in protest. There is another instance where a group of Latin American activists created a “hidden flag,” with their outfits in Russia which bans the rainbow flag. The hidden flag is a subtle tactic that can be utilized in hostile environments for queer folks. The rainbow flag was created in America by Gilbert Baker in 1978, but the flag has become a visible cultural symbol that transgress national borders and has evolved to encompass more than just gay rights. It now connects queer communities across borders.

In March of 2016 rainbow stamps were created by a postal service in Sweden and Denmark to celebrate pride and is a physical evidence of the rainbow pride flag traversing across borders internationally. The rainbow flag can physically connect and spread its messages across borders physically, but it can also do this symbolically. The rainbow has become a symbol to show solidarity for queer rights, tolerance, and diversity. It has become common to display a rainbow in store fronts or on websites to indicate that the space if queer friendly. The rainbow flag is a symbol that not only creates a safe space for the queer community, but also creates interpersonal relations through experiences that connects queer folks across borders. The rainbow symbol grows increasingly globalized and radically altered by different queer communities based on their different culture and issues of concern. Therefore, in spite of its origin in America, the rainbow flag is now waved and donned by many individuals globally to represent their own version of solidarity. Many government official buildings in different countries, like Europe, America, and Sweden, display the rainbow flag as a way to demonstrate solidarity, diversity, and commonness. Today in the Economic South and North the rainbow flag is used to symbolize sexual rights and challenge heteronormativity.

There is a strong critique made by scholars and activists on the rainbow symbol being overly-commercialized and the circularization of these products is commodifying queerness. There is a concern of the rainbow symbol being white-washed and regressed to maintain a Eurocentric and colonial influence. Although rainbow products create a sense of connectedness and belonging for those who share similar experiences in oppression, exclusion, marginalization, and mistreatment, the products have become superficial at times. A concept called, pride for sale, during pride month there is an overflowing amount of publicity and advertising from big companies waving the rainbow flag and selling pride merchandise, but it has been noted by activists and scholars that as soon as pride month is over so are all of the promotions. There is also a critique made about how the pride flag has deviate too much from its purpose as a radical symbol for queer rights specifically. However, one constant feature that remains the same across the board is that the rainbow flag is used to create and symbolize a social change, liberation, and intolerance for injustice.