the flag of equal marriage

The flag of equal marriage.

This is a protest flag for equal marriage rights in the United States. The flag only has two stars, for Massachusetts (the 6th state in the union) and California (the 31st), the only states with legalized gay marriage. Here are two tiny versions of the flag for use on your website. You can support equal marriage rights by buying a t-shirt for $16.99; proceeds will benefit Marriage Equality USA.

The back story

in 1902, when the women's suffrage movement was just getting warmed up, the American flag had 45 stars:

1896 flag
(source: Flags of the World)

In protest, the suffragists created their own US flag with only four stars, representing the four states that allowed women to vote:

womens suffrage flag
(source: The Oldest and Largest Herstory Site on the Internet)

This flag flew at the podium of the First International Womens Suffrage Conference in 1902, where Clara Barton gave a little talk.

The suffrage flag was my inspiration for a 2004 re-appropriation of the American flag. Unfortunately, three of the four states that were so progressive about women's suffrage in 1902 have state-wide gay marriage bans today. And the American flag has been co-opted by conservatives as the logo of pro-war nationalism and "family values". I'm taking it back for gay marriage. My flag design has only the 6th star, for Massachusetts (the 6th state), the only state which allows gay marriages. I'll republish this flag with more stars when more states follow suit.

Buy a T-shirt and let your feelings be known; proceeds will benefit MassEquality, an organization that is fighting to uphold the Massachusetts court decision on marriage equality.

A few gay marriage resources

The Rest

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For general inquiries, contact Carl Tashian.