You’ve Seen It On Facebook, But Does This Gay Pride Meme Deserve All The Outrage?
Photographer Ed Freeman created the gay flag image to the right more than 10 years ago for the cover of Frontiers magazine. Since then, it has been used across countless social media posts for its highly recognizable features — four men work to raise a rainbow flag, instantly evoking Joe Rosenthal’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 1945 photo at Iwo Jima (left).
Most recently, Freeman’s image resurfaced after last week’s Supreme Court victory. Freeman himself posted the picture to his Facebook account with the following message:
When I took this picture almost ten years ago, it never, never occurred to me that it would someday come to symbolize the victory we are celebrating today. Congratulations to all of us! Love to you all.
But many were upset at the implied comparison between the struggle for gay rights and the sacrifice on the battle field.
“Im all for gay rights and equal for all but DO NOT DISRESPECT THOSE WHO SERVED, SACRIFICED, AND DIED FOR YOUR COUNTRY AND YOUR RIGHTS AND FREEDOM,” wrote one commenter in response to Freeman’s post. “Its this shit that will drive ppl to hate on you. You WANT RESPECT THEN GIVE IT TO THOSE WHO DESERVE AND EARNED IT.”
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more
http://www.queerty.com/youve-seen-it-on-facebook-but-does-this-gay-pride-meme-deserve-all-the-outrage-20150703?
= new reply since forum marked as read
The USPS's revised the photograph for a stamp. The original photo wasn't inclusive enough and had to be edited to be inclusive. This was considered an offensive rewrite of history. It could be argued that only racists would argue against changing the race of some of the flag raisers, but the claim that revising history was a bad thing stung. What to do?
The NY Times editorial folk said it was a retake. That the flag was raised, the photographer missed it, and so he had them redo it. That made it into a photo-op, really, but had two consequences. It had net effect of taking what had become a patriotic symbol (or a "jingoistic fascist symbol"
and making it into a symbol of cynical scorn. And they said that since it was staged, anyway, there was no revising of actual history.
That quickly just became "the photograph was staged," with all the false outrage that accompanies such things when iconoclasts long to see an icon clast down.
The photographer denied this, but, of course, that was iron-clad evidence for iconoclasts that it was staged--only somebody lying would deny such an obvious truth.
At the same time, there's a nice bit of film footage taken by a guy last name Genaust of this flag's being raised. Once. And the photograph matches the film footage perfectly.
There immediately followed the claim that the film was of the re-do. In other words, the film is also staged. After all, if the photograph was staged, a fake, how could the film be anything else?
The most reasonable explanation is that the NYT editors so wanted to get it wrong that they overcame various hurdles to do so. Early in the day a small flag was planted at the top of the hill, according to those who were there (unlike NYT editors). Easy enough thing to do, one guy plants it. It wasn't large enough to be seen from far away or from ships, and that was a real desideratum. Later in the day, soldiers were told to take a larger flag to the hill and raise it. That they did. It wasn't raised as a photo-op. That flag wasn't raised, taken down, and raised again. It replaced a smaller one.
How is it disrespect? It is an honor imo. Gay men and women have died by the thousands for their right to be treated as equals, a lot have died from AIDS (which was a topic no party wanted to touch in the 80s).
I am PROUD to have served in the Army and am PROUD to see gay men raising their flag in victory over those that would oppress them into second class citizen status!
I love the smell of freedom in the morning! 
Can you spot the gay soldier?
Of course the Wackadoodles in the GOP think this is the end of the world...because you know, gays. Bible. Freedumb. Stupid people getting our military professionals killed and then using them for cheap political points.
Thank you. 
is all male.
Where are the lesbians in the picture?
:candle