A new picture book aims to give young people an LGBTIQ+ history lesson.
Inspired by the legalisation of same-sex marriage in the United States, PRIDE: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag introduces children to celebrated LGBTIQ+ activist Harvey Milk, with author Rob Sanders saying he felt a responsibility to share the story of how 'pride' and the now-popular rainbow flag came to be.
He continued: “Niagara Falls had rainbow lights shining on it, the White House had rainbow lights shining on it, and it dawned on me that this was a story that kids needed to know."
"They didn’t know the origin of the pride flag or its importance to our community, and I wanted to tell that story.”
lllustrated by Steven Salerno, the book shines a light on Milk's collaboration with Gilbert Baker, the man who designed the rainbow flag in 1978.
Sanders said that above all else, the book was a story of community.
"Volunteers came, dyed the fabric by hand, cut and stitched it together,” Sanders explained to NBC.
“A group of people had their hand on it, [and it] symbolises the way the community is today. That it really does take different parts to form the whole.”
Labeled as appropriate for children between the ages of 5 and 8, the book's website reads: "In this deeply moving and empowering true story, young readers will trace the life of the Gay Pride Flag, from its beginnings in 1978 with social activist Harvey Milk and designer Gilbert Baker to its spanning of the globe and its role in today’s world."
