Fighting over the Pride flag

The history of the rainbow flag and the various modern debates around it. Do you like the rainbow flag? How about the various efforts to "update" it? Is it too corporate? Or too political?

FOLLOW ME:

HASHTAGS: #pride #flags #lgbt

[DanielQuasar]

Oh hi! So you're the reason my channel got a random boost! Thanks! haha Great video all around and really loved hearing your thoughts on...well, everything. I appreciate you taking the time to dive into the history and details most gloss over or pass up. You have a new subscriber in me. ^_^ And thanks for the lovely words about the other stuff I do! <3 99% of what people look to me for is the flag, so it's so nice to see someone acknowledge the stuff that I love doing, which is music and video.

(For what it's worth, I do not hold private ownership over my flag, I am actually pretty flexible with its use. It is large corpo use that I exert some control over for reasons involving *rainbow capitalism* but mostly from the perspective that they shouldn't just pander and profit but also give back to the community they are using symbols from.)

[scarxcr]

JJ: "I'm gay myself."
The freddy Mercury mustache makes sense now.

[alexrossouw]

The latest flag look strikingly similar to the South African flag 🇿🇦, also called "The Rainbow Nation" .

[bigcoce]

JJ slowly transforming into a rock band member in the 70s

[duskears]

As a bi trans person;
Putting the trans and race stripes on the LGBT flag is like putting the California Bear and Texas Star on the US flag. Are they important states in the union? Yes, but they're not the point. The point of the US flag is to be a symbol of unity that all states in the country - no matter how small - can rally behind, not a showcase of the two most popular states in the Union. The LGBT flag was no different, until the re-design. The re-design changed the pride flag from a symbol of unity into a cash grab preying on people's social insecurities to make a quick buck.

[IaMaPh]

I dont know what 1970s psychedelic rock tribute band JJ is about to join, but I want to be the first to buy their album when it drops! ❤😎👌

[LordBitememan]

"progressively sweatier"

lol JJ, I'm shocked, you did something progressively!

[MahDryBread]

I don't think I really have a strong opinion on the pride flag or how it's been changing recently. I'm a pretty big fan of colourful artwork, so I quite like the rainbow flag! As for the new one with the trans and black colours coming in like an arrow from the left, I think the intentions are good but to be honest, I think the flag looks kinda ugly. Plus, isn't it getting a bit literal? Why add colours for specific races? I kinda always thought it was a rainbow because all sorts of people are gay, no matter how you look or where you're from. At the end of the day though, I'm not gonna complain. Use whatever flag you like most!

I think my biggest issue with corporations using Pride stuff is just when they're clearly doing it for the money and not actually standing by a principle that they have. You know, like when a company puts all of their pride branding up on their social media for each language, except for in markets where they think that won't go over well, like their arabic twitter. If they genuinely were doing it for the sake of gay rights, they'd be willing to potentially lose out on money in those markets if it meant sticking up for their values.

It's like if a company claimed they're absolutely 100% pro human rights, but they make their products in a sweatshop in China. The values they say that they have don't align with their business practices. No one likes a hypocrite.

[royalrice]

My issue with the consumerism with the pride movement is that many companies are in fact homophobic and lobby anti-lgbt politicians and such. It’s hypocritical, companies shouldn’t be undermining a community while asking us to consume their products

[thkarape]

All the "updated" flags feel like they were designed by a committee, made to please everyone but resulted in an aesthetically unappealing mess of colors that don't work well together at all.

[mjh]

Everyone always ask "what's the pride flag?" But Never "How's the Pride flag?"

[shadwyenigma]

My favourite corporate use of the pride flag/colours was when skittles did the exact opposite. It made black and white skittles for during pride month, and then used them to raise funds for LGBTQ charities. Well played skittles, well played.

[mikeh]

I had to sit there for a sec when he said, "I'm gay myself."
He said it so casually but I literally never knew, good for you JJ!

[annemarie]

I myself (gay woman) have had a complicated relationship with the lgbt flag culture. Like you I never felt comfortable being loud out my sexuality. However when my small town turned the crosswalks rainbow for pride month, it made me smile a little.

[SirioResteghini]

Funny story: here in Italy someone had the idea to put the word "PACE" (meaning peace) in white lettering over the rainbow flag, so until fairly recently (roughly the mid-2010s I'd say) the average Italian thought of the rainbow flag as a flag used by peace activists and not by gay rights activists

[ogabrielcasanova]

JJ is looking so much like a GTA: Vice City character in this video

[booorue]

I don’t care much about flags now but I can’t say I really ever liked the progress flag much. As a black trans person I felt excluded by the flag but that’s because I felt accepted by what the original flag represented. It was kind of like saying “Hey you weren’t accepted before but NOW you are” . I don’t care when people fly the flag or if they prefer the flag because like the video said near the end, fly what you like or what feels right for you. If I had to fly any flag though it’d be the 6 striped flag.

[JETZcorp]

JJ: "I'm gay myself"
Me: *looks at mustache*
Me: Mother of God. It all makes sense!

[mattdorsey]

I absolutely love this line: “My own heroically centrist position is that maybe people should chill out a little bit.” Thank you, J.J. Stay cool.

[DDub]

The reason I’m against the whole “rainbow capitalism” thing is that it becomes evident the shallowness of it when the branches of the company in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, or parts of Asia dont adopt the rainbow flag. Appealing to different markets isn’t a bad thing, but it’s still irritating to see the lack of principles the supposedly progressive company has.