Gay people employ the use of rainbow flags and pink triangles for a number of reasons. The story behind how those symbols become icons for the gay community are just as varied. The rainbow flag has long been seen as a symbol of celebrating diversity (ie., you need all colors to make a rainbow = it takes all kinds of people to make the world go round). It also "speaks" to some gay people in a way that reminds them of the song "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", which has triple importance to some gay people: 1) a reminder of their youth, 2) a reminder of a gay icon (Judy Garland) of the past, and 3) a reminder of the actual LYRICS of the song, which hold a special place in the hearts of the gay community, since it serves as a metaphor for many gay people as they struggle to come to terms with accepting their own homosexuality and/or gaining acceptance in a world that is hostile to them. I'll reprint the lyrics here:
"Somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high
There's a land that I heard of
Once in a lullaby
Somewhere over the rainbow
Skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream
Really do come true
Some day I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where troubles melt like lemondrops
Away above the chimney tops
That's where you'll find me
Somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow
Why then, oh why can't I?
Some day I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where troubles melt like lemondrops
Away above the chimney tops
That's where you'll find me
Somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow
Why then, oh why can't I?
If happy little bluebirds fly
Beyond the rainbow
Why, oh why can't I?"
As for the pink triangle, that is a symbol that Nazi Germany gave to homosexuals, to recognize homosexuals for who they were. (Just as they required Jews to wear Stars of David.) Making use of the pink triangle today is often seen as a "reclaiming" by the gay community of something that was once a symbol of disdain and hatred. This tends to disempower the negativity; several cultures in our world's history have similarly adopted once-negative images and/or nomenclature.
The reason you would likely meet with a "less than happy" response from members of the gay community would likely be because your mockery of their sentiments of pride would be quite obvious. As a straight person, you've likely never been stigmatized, harrassed and/or marginalized in society because of your sexuality. There's never been a NEED for you to "stand up to your critics" to let people know that you're proud of who you are, despite their hatred/bigotry/ignorance. It takes a lot more courage (even these days) for a gay person to stand up for themselves against a hostile society than it does for a straight person the other way around.
Honestly, I think it's rather disingenuine of you to state that you don't have anything against GLBT people, because to me, it's quite clear that you do. And, what you've chosen to focus on in this thread is rather petty, to boot.
Also, it's a pretty hateful thing to say that "if (gay people) don't want people to cause trouble, (they) shouldn't go around stating private things like that."
First off, that's like saying that a woman that is date-raped is responsible for being raped, because she decided to dress up nicely for a date, or wore perfume, or had a few drinks with her aggressor. Like she was ASKING to be raped.
That's like saying that black people deserved to be lynched in years past because they DARED to refuse to sit at the back of the bus, or because they DARED to look at a white woman, or because they DARED to use the same water fountain as a white person, etc.
Sorry, but the SOLE responsibility for any act of hatred belongs 100% to the person (or people) committing the act. Period.
People deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, no matter what color their skin is, who they love, or whether they can hear or not.
