Statement from Charles Beal, President, Gilbert Baker Foundation and Save the Rainbow Flag Campaign: Banning the Rainbow Flag: the Latest Act of GOP Madness " The Republican agenda is an obvious one: Distract from real issues by assaulting the most vulnerable. That's why they have focused their hatred on the LGBTQ+ community. After years of legislating book bans, curriculum censorship, bathroom restrictions and withholding medically needed gender therapy, their latest act is signature Republican cruelty: For a crucial trillion-dollar budget that would prevent a government shutdown, the GOP slipped in a measure to ban the display of Rainbow Flags at U.S. embassies all over the world."

October 11, 2023 - California is the birthplace of the LGBTQ+ Rainbow Flag. Artist and activist Gilbert Baker created this iconic symbol in San Francisco in 1978. For almost a half-century, this banner has served as a beacon of hope - not merely in the state where it was born but across the globe. That's why it's shocking to see the wave of homophobia and censorship sweeping across California this year, as towns and school districts vote to ban public display of the Rainbow Flag. Has the Golden State become the Hate State? If so, it's a terrible way to mark National Coming Out Day on October 11.

The Gilbert Baker Foundation http://www.gilbertbaker.com mourns the recent murder of Laura Ann Carleton, gift shop owner in Cedar Glen, CA. Longtime LGBTQ+ ally, Laura was shot dead by a man who complained about the Pride Flag displayed at her store. Carleton leaves behind a husband and nine children.

New York City (May 8) - There has been an alarming rise in anti-LGBTQ+ legislation on the community level across America. These measures have included Rainbow Flag bans, book bans, attacks on trans and non-binary students, school curriculum takeovers, and language shaming, disproportionately harming the rights of LGBTQ+ Americans. Since 2022, more than 20 communities and school departments across America, bowing to right-wing group pressure, have passed regulations to remove all Rainbow Flags.