Listeners Redesign the Gay Flag
NEW YORK—Last night the New York state legislature passed the Marriage Equality Act. Once Gov. Cuomo signs the bill (legalizing gay marriage has been one of his signature issues), New York will become the sixth state—in addition to the District of Columbia—to allow same-sex couples to marry.
To mark the occasion, Studio 360—one of my favorite radio shows—recycled a program from 2009 when it asked Worldstudio to redesign the gay flag for the 21st century. (The rainbow flag was originally designed in 1978 by San Francisco artist Gilbert Baker.)
Mark Randall, principal and lead designer of the New York design firm, presented the hypothetical ideas for a new flag on the show which began with a sincere/funny exchange.
Randall, who is gay, said he took the project very seriously: “A job like this is like a dream job that probably no one will ever really get.”
This led Kurt Andersen, the show’s host, to add: “Until the gay government asks you to do this.”
“Right, exactly,” Randall said.
Listen to the interview below (which originally aired June 26, 2009), check out a slideshow of the Worldstudio designs and a PDF of the full presentation, as well as the Flickr photos at the top where suggested reinventions of the flag from Studio 360 listeners appear.
Studio 360 Redesign: Gay Flag