The American flag has been through several iterations from the 18th century on. It will be altered again one day, possibly with the addition of two stars for the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. What no one saw coming was the removal of 29 stars from the flag by the Human Rights Campaign—the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization.
The Human Rights Campaign removed the stars to galvanize public support for the Equality Act. Each of the 29 stars removed from the flag represents a state that continues to deny comprehensive protections for LGBTQ+ people.
“The Reality Flag campaign is designed to point out the inequalities LGBTQ+ individuals face every day,” said Joni Madison, Interim President at the Human Rights Campaign. “From housing and educational discrimination to denial of government and health services, LGBTQ+ people are confronted by hurdles to simply exist every day. This needs to change.”
The Reality Flag campaign was produced by a team of agencies from WPP.
Why Do We Need The Equality Act?
Seven years after marriage equality became a reality nationwide, millions of LGBTQ+ people in the United States remain vulnerable to being evicted from their homes, kicked out of a business that’s open to the public, surcharged unnecessarily for goods and services, or denied health care, home loans, taxis/car-sharing, and government services in a majority of states.
The Equality Act would provide consistent and explicit federal non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people across key areas of life—including housing, credit, education, public spaces and services, federally funded programs, and jury service.
The Equality Act has already been endorsed by more than 630 organizations, including civil rights, education, health care, and faith-based organizations. It has overwhelming support among business and corporate leaders, which includes more than 60 business associations, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Business Roundtable, and the National Association of Manufacturers.
