Progress Pride Flag Goes Up Over The Wisconsin State Capitol: What Does It Stand For?

Every June since 2019, Governor Tony Evers waved a rainbow of pride at the eastern branch of Wisconsin State Capital as part of LGBTQ Pride Month.

But for the first time in the history of the state, the flag of proud progress will be hoisted. It features traditional Pride rainbow stripes with an arrow on the left, combining black, brown, light blue, light pink and white stripes.

Alex Corona is the director of the Community Program for Divers and Resilient, an LGBTQ advocacy group based in Milwaukee. He said the different colors of the arrow represent LGBTQ people and the transgender community as well as people living with HIV / AIDS.

The flag was designed in 2018 by non-binary American designer Daniel Quasar. Quasar points arrows to the right to indicate progress, while holding them to the left indicates that progress is still needed.

Koasar said the redesign was inspired after the original Pride Rainbow flag in Philadelphia was changed in 2017. Then in 2018, the Seattle Trans flag added light blue, pink and white colors.

These complementary colors were piled on top of the rainbow and met with opposition from some in the LGBT community, who said the Rainbow Pride flag was all-inclusive.

"There's been criticism of adding black and brown stripes to the flag because a lot of people are asking why we have to do it for racial reasons when it's about the LGBT community," Corona said. "But we cannot separate the race issue in this country. We are a country built on the back of black and brown. And we are the white land of excellence. "

Crown said that trans people deserve to be included in the Progress Pride list "because [trans people] have historically been ignored, but they are also very dangerous in all aspects of society."

She says there are transgender lesbians, transgender gays, transgender bisexuals, transgender queer and transgender heterosexuals. "We're in every case," Corona said, "and we need to make sure we're representing and focusing, because often we don't get involved in conversations about the release of foreigners, even though we started it."

Crown said the flag of progress is a quick reminder and a visual representation of the diversity and need to move forward in the LGBT community. He said it was not the only part of the move, but it was a good move.

"You don't all feel the best, happiest and most represented. But the communities I represent, the people I work with and the people I live with, I feel that everyone is more receptive to the flag of progress and more visible in it. . "

She said it really represents her, not just gay whites.

Crown said it was important to update the flag to make it as complete as possible. "It's very important because we're more than just homosexuals," he said. “And much more that is needed from our environment, our workplace and our country. And especially when it comes to transgender rights and racial equality, that should be the focus of all movements. "

The Crown was delighted to see the flag at the Wisconsin State Capitol, but said it was not over.

"I am delighted that I live in a state where we can fly the flag in our capital and our governor says it is a state that believes in inclusion for all," he said. “But it also feels like a performance industry. And in the end it wasn't enough, and it seemed like a gamble to get points from the community. "

Crown said it considers it risky to speak out in a state like Wisconsin, which has the support of conservative, LGBTQ people in most states. But he said it's not enough. "We need laws, governments and representatives who really care, not once a year but in a proud month."

He said he wanted it to be an ongoing conversation and not just a photo opportunity.

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