Health & Lifestyle

White House Lights Up In Rainbow Colors To Celebrate Gay Marriage Ruling

Published on: June 26, 2015 at 9:48 PM
By Chanel Adams

The White House is becoming the Rainbow House, but only for one night. Rainbow colored lights are shining on the White House to commemorate today’s Supreme Court ruling in favor of same-sex marriage in all 50 states.

On Friday morning, June 26, the Supreme Court announced that the constitution gives the right to same-sex marriage in all 50 states. Because of this, the White House is glowing with rainbow pride on Friday night. The Obama administration is basking in the colors of the rainbow to celebrate the ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges , which gives same-sex couples the right to marry in the U.S.

The rainbow colors started shining as of 7:00 p.m., although it was hard to see, according to a pool report. There were also a crowd of almost 100 people looking at the lights on Pennsylvania Avenue.

According to a White House official, the rainbow lights were done to “to demonstrate our unwavering commitment to progress and equality, here in America and around the world. The pride colors reflect the diversity of the LGBT community, and tonight, these colors celebrate a new chapter in the history of American civil rights.”

You can watch a live feed of the rainbow lights shining brightly on the White House at the Politco article .

That’s not the only thing that’s lit up in rainbow colors. It’s also being reported on Twitter that the Empire State building and the One World Trade Center (also appropriately known as the “Freedom Tower”) are also lit up in rainbow colors tonight. Users have been sharing photos and sightings of the lights.

The New York City mayor’s office updated its official Twitter and Facebook accounts with a rainbow avatar. The new image features a white silhouette of the government office with a rainbow-striped background. Many companies, brands, and organizations have also updated their Twitter and Facebook accounts with a rainbow avatar to support the same-sex ruling.

MIAMI, FL – JULY 02: A protester holds an American flag and rainbow flag in front of the Miami-Dade Courthouse to show his support of the LGBTQ couples inside the courthouse were asking the state of Florida to recognize their marriage on July 2, 2014 in Miami, Florida. Six couples that identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) are in court asking that their same-sex marriage be recognized in the state of Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

So how did the rainbow colors or the rainbow flag originate? The rainbow flag has always been seen as a beacon of hope and inclusion for the LGBTQ community, according to Wired . The rainbow flag, also known as the LGBT pride flag, was created in 1978 by San Francisco artist Gilbert Baker. It took him two years to create the flag since he wanted to create something that stood out.

“I thought, a flag is different than any other form of art. It’s not a painting, it’s not just cloth, it is not just a logo—it functions in so many different ways. I thought that we needed that kind of symbol, that we needed as a people something that everyone instantly understands…that influence really came to me when I decided that we should have a flag, that a flag fit us as a symbol, that we are a people, a tribe if you will.”

Baker wanted his gay pride flag to be seen everywhere. What better way to do it than with rainbow colors.

“A flag really fit that mission, because that’s a way of proclaiming your visibility, or saying, ‘This is who I am!’”

Baker created the first rainbow flag inside the attic of a gay community center in San Francisco. He didn’t work on it alone. He had the help of almost 30 volunteers, according to the report. They used a sewing machine and cans of dye to make the rainbow flag what it is today. It wasn’t used until on June 25, 1978, at the United Nations Plaza in downtown San Francisco. Ever since, the rainbow flag was used all around the world. Baker never realized that his flag would become a global sensation.

“I hoped it would be a great symbol but it has transcended all of that. It became so much bigger than me, than where I was producing it, much bigger even than the US. Now it’s made all over the world.”

[Image: Mark Wilson /Getty Images]

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