Re: 'Flag Day and June Gloom' [Village News, Letter, 06/15/23]

The Pride flag flown at the White House was not in violation of the flag code. I’m sorry you were misled by a doctored image where the U.S. flag that always flies atop the White House, high above the Pride flag, has been photoshopped out. Your ire might be better directed at the man who set up shop at the 76 and Old 395 that had a variety of flags which actually violated flag code. Fun fact: the Pride Flag was created in 1978 by Gilbert Baker, an Army Veteran.

The outdated tradition of June weddings has often been attributed to hygiene practices; that annual spring bath and a handy fragrant bouquet helped dissipate any olfactory offense. Couples have been getting married in months other than June for ages. Though if a couple gets married in June, I don’t see how Pride being the same month would affect that.

The Pride flag does not mock God. The colors of the Pride flag represent Life (red), Healing (orange), New Ideas (yellow), Prosperity (Green), Serenity (Blue), and Spirit (Violet). Do these ideas not align with the tenets of Christianity? Are they not also a promise of hope?

The tradition of colors of blue and pink representing boys and girls, respectively, is relatively recent. It wasn’t until the 1940s did the trend gain popularity; prior to then pink was traditionally for boys.

The creator of the Trans Pride flag explains the use of pink and blue in the design: “The stripes at the top and bottom are light blue, the traditional masculine color. The stripes next to them are pink, the traditional feminine color. The stripe in the middle is white, for those who are transitioning or consider themselves having a neutral or undefined gender.”

Your assertion that the “baby” colors have some kind of nefarious meaning in the Trans Pride flag is a poorly veiled attempt to unjustly vilify and target the trans community by encouraging hateful, dangerous rhetoric.

If you weren’t so focused on hating the LGBTQ+ community, you would have seen plenty of American flags on flag day, or noticed that graduation ceremonies and celebrations went on as usual, and that Father’s Day cards, ads, sales, etc. are right on schedule.

I’m sorry that you can’t use your umbrella but that seems like a personal choice.

Gretchen Martin