hello everyone. I knit and crochet blankets and throws. I have just finished a sofa throw in the LGBTQ colours of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple - finished the last stitch and my youngest son said “Did you know there are two more added colours now?” I wanted to double check so thought I would ask on this forum. Do I need to add the black and brown colours or not? Thanks for any help you can offer. XxxxxxxX
I’m going to have to get myself some more colours I’ve listed it for sale on a selling place but the next throw I do do you reckon I should add the extra 2 colours or do you think people still see the usual 6 colours as THE flag? Thanks for your reply.
Hey KnittyNora! Great that you want to make sure to be well-informed! The brown and black stripes are something that you'll find many people disagree on. Philadelphia added them to highlight the experience of queer people of colour, who often aren't as visible as white people who are queer and whose experience as being lgbt is a bit more complicated due to the addition of racism (amongst other things). There are people who think this is great and essential, but there are also people who feel like it's an unnecessary addition. There is something to say for both sides, if you're asking me (I personally feel like it's great to raise more awareness for queer people of colour, but feel like the addition makes it seem as though the original pride flag is for white people only - which it definitely shouldn't be). Then there is of course a whole nother side, the racist one, that doesn't want the stripes for purely racist reasons, but I don't want to give them too much attention here On this forum, I've seen multiple discussions about this which sometimes got very heated... so there's no real straightforward answer to give you. I'd say, whether you should add the stripes or not depends very much on how you personally feel about the addition of the brown and black stripes, for which a little reading into why people added it in the first place might be helpful. The attitude towards these added stripes also varier greatly depending on where you are, as some places have adopted the flag with the additions as their official one, whereas others stick to the old version. Are you planning to sell what you're knitting, or is it just for yourself? Because that's also a consideration - the old flag might be easier to sell because it's not nearly as controversial. But really, it's a personal decision, there's no right or wrong in this matter and definitely no consensus on which of the flags is best
Ahh, I see, very interesting reading. Thanks for all that information. Yes, I sell the blankets/throws. They look lovely over the back of a sofa and I think I have got the colours just right. Not sure if I am allowed to show a photo as it might be regarded as touting for business which I’m not.
