Campaign hopes to save rainbow lifeguard tower from being erased
A new campaign hopes to save a rainbow Pride lifeguard tower from being erased.
The tower, funded by Venice Pride in California, was erected earlier this year.
But it will be “erased” on 8 September, and some people have set out to save it, and make the installation permanent.
Colin Campbell started a Change.org petition to save the tower, which has been signed nearly 10,000 times.
It urges the county board of supervisors to save the tower from being removed.
The petition reads: “Located at Brooks Ave. on Bill Rosendahl Memorial Beach in Venice, CA the Venice Pride Flag Lifeguard Tower has become a beloved destination for locals and tourists alike. In nine weeks thousands have flocked to photograph the dramatic tower and broadcast its powerful message of equality and inclusion to millions across the globe.
“On September 8th the rainbow-colored tower is set to be erased… forever. At a time when so much of what the LGBT community and its allies fought for is under attack, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors should save the Venice Pride Flag Lifeguard Tower by designating it a permanent public art project.
“Funded by Venice Pride, a local non-profit dedicated to saving LGBT lives, and Dunn-Edwards Paints, the tower serves as an important visual reminder that Los Angeles will always welcome people no matter whether they are gay, straight, lesbian, bi, transgender, queer or questioning.”
Check out a video via Change.org below:
The creator of the rainbow flag, Gilbert Baker, died earlier this year aged 65.
Baker, a civil rights activist, army veteran and tailor created the Rainbow Flag 39 years ago.
Born in Kansas, Baker moved to San Francisco in 1972 after serving in the US Army for two years.
“Flags are about power,” Baker told ABC7 news.
“Flags say something. You put a rainbow flag on your windshield and you’re saying something.”
Of the rainbow flag, which is flown at Pride events and protests around the world, Baker said each colour represents something different.
“Pink is for sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sun,” He told ABC7.
“Green for nature, turquoise for magic, blue for serenity and purple for the spirit. I like to think of those elements as in every person, everyone shares that.”
And shortly after, this ‘Christian’ activist said she wanted to reclaim the rainbow from the LGBT movement who said it had been “raped” by the community.
London’s transport network this year celebrated Pride with its biggest ever campaign, wrapping vehicles and stations in rainbows.
And this group in Philadelphia has proposed adding two extra colours to the Pride rainbow flag as a symbol of inclusivity within the LGBT+ community.
