The Ruth Institute, a subsidiary National Organization for Marriage, would like the rainbow flag back, thank you. The group’s president Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse insists the traditional marriage movement is part of “the real rainbow coalition. The gay lobby does not own the rainbow.” You’re right, Morse, we don’t. But tolerance and diversity do. Which is why I’m perfectly fine with you flying a rainbow flag outside your office. It’ll be good for our branding.
The “rainbow is a sign of God’s covenant with man,” OneNewsNow relays from Morse, who says, “Proposition 8 was passed by a great grassroots coalition that included people from all across the religious traditions, and also people of every race and color. We are the real rainbow coalition. The gay lobby does not own the rainbow.”
I guess if you just throw around the word “coalition,” you can lay claim to the rainbow flag? “A coalition of Hitler-loving Nazis gassed six millions Jews.” Give them the rainbow flag! Hey lady, whatever makes you happy.
But let’s not forget that the rainbow flag has been around for centuries, and while its adoption might have Biblical attachments, the flag has never once represented a pro-discrimination, pro-intolerance, pro-hate movement.
How about we take this to the next level?
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But that’s just what Morse wants it to be. She even wore a rainbow-colored scarf to the Prop 8 hearings at the Ninth Circuit. Which didn’t send the message that rainbows are for marriage equality opponents, but that Morse is a confused person.
“Families put rainbows in their children’s nurseries,” says Morse. “Little Christian preschools will have rainbows…Noah’s Ark and all the animals…. Those are great Christian symbols, great Jewish symbols.”
And great queer symbols. The rainbow flag might be new-ish to the LGBT movement (debuting in 1978, when Gilbert Baker designed it), and the mainstream LGBT movement might be new-ish itself, but it’s pretty damn well ensconced in the public consciousness that purples, blues, greens, yellows, reds, and oranges flying in the wind are the colors of queers. Not the folks who want to keep them down. And the more we see people wearing these colors, or displaying them outside their homes, or sticking them on their bumpers, the more others will see signs of LGBT visibility and acceptance.
So go ahead, Morse. Continue wearing that scarf. Put the rainbow flag on your business cards and letter head. And put your newborns in rainbow onesies. Just don’t be surprised when somebody pulls you aside and remarks, “Can you believe some people actually hate gays?”
[via TPM; bottom photo via Matt Baume]
Kev C
Oh wait .. she’s a looney. Just don’t touch my unicorns, lady.
Qjersey
Prior to the “gay flag,” rainbows were usually depicted with only 5 colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue).
So we didn’t steal your rainbow. You stole ours.
Wyatt
“Little Christian preschools will have rainbows…Noah’s Ark and all the animals…. Those are great Christian symbols, great Jewish symbols.”
Oh….So she’s fucking retarded. How are these ‘christians’ still allowed to be christians if they can’t tell the difference between the new and old testament?
Michael
Even she associates the rainbow flag as being a gay symbol. If she wants to try to re-brand, have at it. That’s about the same as trying to convince people that Apple iPods are sold under the Golden Arches of McDonalds.
Jim Hlavac
Odd, she wants to steal both our flags — not just our Rainbow flag, but our American flag. For she and her ilk are sure we’re not American or something. That’s what “export” is about — exporting American citizens! To where pray tell, she and Peter Sprigg and the rest don’t say. But “Export” it is! There’s nothing in the Declaration of Independence’s “All men are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, among them life, liberty AND the pursuit of happiness” that excludes gay folks. And she would have the statement read “all Heteros, and not gay people, are endowed…” and the “and” is really an “or” if your gay.
And too, there’s nothing in the Constitution’s “We the people, in order to form a more perfect union” which says “we the straight people, and gays shall have no unions.” Oh, let us talk about theft of symbols indeed.
And there’s nothing in the Command of Jesus to “treat others as you want to be treated” like “but keep the queers down.” No, she’s got her symbolism all kerfluffled. Perhaps her scarf is too tight around her neck and her judgment befuddled by the lack of blood to brain.
In fact, let’s double up the bet with the lady — and fly the American flag right there with our Rainbow flag — so that she might be all the more aflutter in her delusion. Then she can say “those gays can’t fly the American flag” and we’ll see how that plays out.
Silly woman, the Bible is clear — women should be home with the kids and not on the hustings talking politics with the menfolks. What a shameless Bible despiser. Not following the word of God. Oh, let’s call her out on that one, chapter and verse.
Egad, where do these people come from?
jacknasty
@Wyatt – Noah’s Ark is from the old testament, it is from Genesis and is both a Christian and Jewish symbol. Also, don’t say retard, it disparages people with cognitive disabilities by associating them with stupid people like her.
Andrew
Just an FYI to all of you living in liberal locales, you’d be surprised to see how many people have no idea that the rainbow/rainbow flag is a symbol of the gay movement.
My point being that just because she’s wearing rainbow doesn’t mean that ignorant people will see her as supporting anything gay.
FreshFit
Please look for posters who will troll this thread by stating we need to stop pretending we’re a community, the rainbow flag is tired, it’s silly, we need to give it up all while they shout they’re being gay. It’s nothing but trolls trying to create division and friction and frankly, arguments on here, usually from conservative blogs who come here and sniff out threads like this and plant seeds of trouble. Ignore the posts that raise an eyebrow and just seem off. We’ve been getting quite a bit of troll activity lately. It’s that time of year for the holy folks.
John
Sorry NOM, but we called dibbs on refracted light first. You can have the leftover crayons like “flesh color”, which is appropriate for so many reasons…
Steve Rosenberger
Will someone please drop a house on her?!
Doug Morrison
You can’t Have it! We gays already claimed it so ” NA NA na na NA!!!
Jeff K.
@jacknasty: Agreed. “Retard” is quite a rude word. I prefer to call them “Palins.”
Mark
Ignorant bitch – the rainbow has 7 colours…there are only 6 in the rainbow flag. God I hate bigoted ignorance.
Mack Robertson
Wow! I’ve always heard that ‘looks are deceiving’. Dr. (?) Morse looks like a human. However, humans have hearts. Obviously, in her case, looks are deceiving.
Michael
I think there’s something in the Bible about thou shall not covet thy neighbor’s flag or jealousy is the highest form of flattery or such.
Katie Murphy
Notice how these creeps steal “Judeo” also. Jews are most likely to support gay marriage etc it comes from a history of being demonized by christians. Including Hitler , a catholic who murdered 55 million of them and has yet to be excommunciated.
We should grab these freaks and ship them with their bibles to Afghanistan. Politics makes strange bedfellows (nothing to do with gay sex btw), but the deal would be that the taliban could solve our problem with these “anything but” Christians in their own way, in return they would also take care of Al Qaeda.
Presto everyone is happy. sure beats having 100,000 troops trying to change a 700 year old religious / governmental culture
stan Smith
Palin? Palinism is a mental disorder characterized by delusions of grandeur, belief that seeing an island qualifies someone for solving civilizations life or death issues, and also worships snakes.
BTW, her husband was part of the Alaska independence movement, which wanted to split alaska from the USA.
And re birth control, maybe Bristol Trash Palin should name her poor daughter “Abstinence”? Or should we simply have the courts declare the Palins are a dysfunctional family and take away the baby for the many intelligent and deserving parents who will give it a good home, rather then bring it up in a place described in the 1970s movie “one flew over the cuckoos nest”.
jeremy Wingarden
Maybe they will be murdered by their own kind.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
I reserve this nugget for only a select few: Jennifer Roback Morse, you are a fucking cunt
David Ehrenstein
http://fablog.ehrensteinland.com/2010/12/17/hommage-a-bradley-manning/
Mack Robertson
Her title (?) Dr. is a joke. She should be called Nurse, as in Nurse Ratchet. Thank you Stan Smith for reminding me of “One flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”
Jessica, NJ
Oh… So that’s why I am a lesbian. My Mom put rainbows in the nursery and that made me gay…
Jeffree
Every day I check the NOM/Ruth Institute websites to see when they’ll be hawking their rainbow-themed garments. I cant wait ro see Maggie Gallagher in a size 24 rainbow tent/dress, and Brian Brown in his fab new necktie.
May I suggest bumper-stickers too?
Bongo
My issue is the fact that I can’t use the rainbow in a piece of art or tshirt or painted wall without people wondering if it’s concerned with LGBT. How many groups or movements in the world have taken over entire colours or colour schemes? Usually they have a unique SYMBOL.
Maybe communism comes close with the colour red?
Or heavy metal or black panthers with the colour black?
Those are very weak comparisons.
No other group comes to mind as having taken over an entire colour scheme.
I just wish the LGBT group had a definite symbol instead, like every other group in the history of the world.
Mack Robertson
The Rainbow flag is here to stay. Regardless of why someone wants to change it, it doesn’t matter. It ain’t gonna happen. Get use to it.
Elsewhere
How is this woman ‘anti gay’ I hate how people are labled anti gay just for having an opinion.
I am against gay marriage but that certainly doesn’t mean I am anti gay.
However she raises a strong point the rainbow flag in most peoples eyes is the sign of the Incas and possibly Cuzco is you are South American and Jewish Autonomous Oblast if you are from the Far East.
Though flags and symbols have been stolen by groups for ages.
The Nazi’s stole the Swastika for example.