Once the developers sold the last house in the subdivision and a homeowners' association was formed, Duvall and Graham resumed flying their rainbow flag and no one complained. Indeed, both men were elected to the association board.

Sponsor Message.

The rainbow motif, whether in the form of a flag or not, has come to symbolize gay pride. In Traverse City, Michigan, in 2000, in the wake of a series of hate crimes including an attack on a worker at a gay bar, the city commission approved a bumper sticker with a rainbow pattern with stylized human figures resembling jigsaw-puzzle pieces and the motto "We are Traverse City."

The intention of the commissioners was to put some of the stickers on city vehicles and distribute the rest to citizens in order to promote unity. Instead they found themselves in the middle of a heated debate. Gay-rights groups praised the choice of the rainbow design, while opponents condemned it.

The commission eventually stopped distributing the stickers, removed those on official vehicles, and sold the remainder to a local civil rights advocacy group, Hate-Free TC, which made them available to the public.

The Rainbow Sash Movement

The rainbow has also been adopted by the Rainbow Sash Movement (RSM), a group of gay Catholics and their supporters. Founded in Australia in 1998, RSM, which now also has branches in England and the United States, is seeking a dialogue with Catholic leaders about the church's teachings regarding homosexuality. Members wear their rainbow sashes when seeking to receive communion during Mass.

In Melbourne, Australia, Westminster, England, New York City, Washington, D.C., and Chicago, sash-wearers have been refused the eucharist, but the dioceses of Rochester, New York, and St.Paul-Minneapolis, Minnesota have welcomed RSM members.

The rainbow flag continues to be a powerful and popular symbol. It is used as part of the design of many products, including apparel, jewelry, decorative objects, and items for pets.

The site of contentious battles for glbtq rights, Miami is home to a vibrant glbtq community; as is Key West, which has a long tradition of celebrating diversity.

The various symbols of glbtq pride render marginalized communities visible and assert self-esteem in the face of discrimination and oppression.

Amsterdam's Homomonument is one of the world's foremost public memorials acknowledging the persecution endured by gay men and lesbians during World War II and throughout history.

By challenging the United States Air Force's ban and gay and lesbian service members, Leonard P. Matlovich, Jr. became one of the glbtq community's most visible activists in the 1970s.

Originally a mark of criminalization and persecution under the Nazis, the pink triangle was later reclaimed by gays both as a memorial and as a celebration of sexual identity.