LOVE by romoexiem on DeviantArt (original) (raw)

This artwork is a personal piece about the importance of LGBTQ+ voices in media, specifically music.
Made January 25, 2022

Get ready for a bunch of words!

Many young queer people gravitate towards media to find a sense of community, and to not feel so alienated. I always felt a connection with music. Music has been a way for minorities to use their voice, express their feelings and experiences, even if it had to be done ambiguously.
That is what I wanted to capture in this piece. I put both colours representing the gay pride flag and transgender pride flag. They can be interpreted as flowing inwards towards the person, as if they are absorbing it, or expanding outwards, spreading the joy of pride.
The particular rainbow colours I used were from the first official gay pride flag, made by Gilbert Baker, a San Francisco Activist. Not many know this flag existed, and only know of the "Traditional" 1979 pride flag. The flag had only been redesigned because of how hard it was to obtain certain dyes and to make the flag in large quantities due to high demand. The original pride flag was both hand-dyed and hand sewed by Gilbert Baker. At the request of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in the history of California, Gilbert was commissioned to create an image of pride for the gay community.