Nola.com: New Orleans kicks off Pride Month with new, inclusive rainbow flags on North Rampart Street

BY MISSY WILKINSON | STAFF WRITER

They came wearing rainbow neckties, rainbow flutter-sleeve dresses and rainbow sequin-trimmed jackets. When a brief rain fell moments before the ceremony’s start, they deployed rainbow-striped umbrellas.

“You have to have rain to have a rainbow,” said former state senator JP Morrell, who was among the speakers at Wednesday's ribbon-cutting ceremony for new Pride flags on North Rampart Street.

Rainbow Pride flags have decorated North Rampart Street from June through October for the past 20 years. This year, local sponsors including French Quarter hotels and gay bars kicked off Pride Month by updating the colorful symbol of LGBTQ visibility.

A more inclusive version designed by Daniel Quasar in 2018 adds a multicolored chevron with black and brown stripes representing LGBTQ people of color and pink, pale blue and white stripes representing the transgender pride flag.

“It’s always been said that not all of the community is included when it comes to gay pride,” said Brandon Hebert, who works at Bourbon Pub. “Adding these stripes makes it a point to include people of color and trans people. It’s a start.”

Activist and former Executive Director of the City of New Orleans Human Relations Commission Larry Bagneris presided over the unveiling, which featured remarks by city officials including Sheriff Marlin Gusman, District Attorney Jason Williams and City Councilmembers Helena Moreno and Kristin Palmer. They praised the flag’s message of inclusivity and sharply criticized legislative bills that bar transgender youth from participating in school sports.

“The hateful pieces of legislation against our transgender youth are inhumane, and we will not stand for that in New Orleans,” said Moreno, who wore a shirt that read “Love Trumps Hate.” “Here in New Orleans, whether you live here or are coming here to visit, you’re welcome, you’re accepted, and you will be shown love.”

Keynote speaker and transgender activist Courtney Sharp echoed these sentiments and recognized the work of LGBTQ social justice leaders from the past.

In a speech laced with quotes from religious and civil rights leaders, she lauded New Orleans for becoming the first Southern city to pass a non-discrimination ordinance that included transgender protections in 1998. She acknowledged the chevron’s placement on the new pride flag represents that “progress still needs to be made.”

“Like the general public, our community has groups of people who bring biases and fears that were taught to them,” Sharp said. “It is difficult to dismantle biases and prejudices. That’s the work we do every day. We must devote ourselves to the work.”