Equality and the Symbolic Power of a Rainbow

Equality.

Here we are in June 2020 and that word, that concept, is more loaded than ever before. So much has happened this month, indeed this year, to test and redefine our notions of equality, that most if not all of us might be feeling exhausted and overwhelmed.

I’m a Hispanic gay man, so equality is an incredibly powerful reality for me. I am very passionate about personal freedom and inclusiveness. Both are at the very heart of why I’ve been a liberal since my first year of college. June is LGBTQ Pride Month, so the serendipity of this being the month with so many national events that transform and validate equality weighs heavily on my mind.

How does this writer sort out his thoughts and emotions? By writing. But this time, I’m going to forgo the usual neat outlines and perfect conclusions. I’m going to delve, stream-of-consciousness, into my psyche. You’ve been warned.

Gay Pride – For years I’ve always been ambivalent about celebrating Gay Pride Month. I’m proud to be gay 365 days a year, so why do I need to shout it out on this one specific month? Well, there is power in voices. There is strength in being counted. I’m married to the love of my life, and I don’t ever want to be discriminated against for being simply who I am. The recent Supreme Court ruling that LGBTQ workers are protected from job discrimination filled me with happiness and, yes, pride. Lots of pride. All of us – lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer – just want to be treated equally.

Black Lives Matter – They do, now more than ever. The systemic racism in this country hit its boiling-over point with the murder of George Floyd at the hands (or knees) of Minneapolis police. Protesting and preaching continues at fever pitch. It seems that maybe, just maybe, change is in the air. I, for one, welcome it with open arms. There is no reason – none! – why any human being should be killed over something they can’t control. Skin color comes to mind, and so does sexual orientation. Equality is inclusiveness.

Dreamers – I’m a dreamer, but I’m not a Dreamer. Dreamers are recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The Supreme Court delivered yet another monumental ruling in June, that President Trump can’t end DACA as he had planned to. That decision warms my heart, because back in 1967 I was a toddler arriving from Cuba with his family. I would soon have many dreams about my life in this country, which is the only country I truly know. I became a citizen, I graduated from college, I bought property. I live the American dream every day. I feel deep down inside the equality that Dreamers crave.

National Pandemic – Life in 2020 is indeed turned upside down by a virus that has wreaked physical and emotional havoc on the world. There are those of us that continue to do the right things – wearing masks inside public places, keeping that magical six feet social distance, refraining from mingling even with friends and family. But there are those others that can’t be bothered. Or, perhaps better put, refuse to see the life-threatening seriousness of a novel, deadly, and very contagious virus. I can’t convince them otherwise, nor will I try. What I can do is steer clear of them and continue to do the right things. Because this virus, like all viruses, is an equal opportunity scourge.

I keep thinking of rainbows. There’s the rainbow flag, which is the quintessential symbol of gay pride, of course. But even beyond that, rainbows are beacons. They colorfully light the way for everybody. They are perfectly drawn images where a variety of colors have equal presence. A rainbow is the festive manifestation of equality.