It’s official. Space has been declared LGBTQ-friendly.
GIFs by Planting Peace.
With a GoPro, a pride flag, and a high-altitude balloon, a nonprofit set out to make an important statement about human rights.
On Aug. 17, the team at Planting Peace followed in the footsteps (though, with significantly less genocide) of explorers like Columbus, Magellan, Raleigh, and others, laying claim to the vast nothingness that is space!
How did they do that? With a flag, of course.
Just outside Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Planting Peace launched a high-altitude balloon carrying a pride flag and a GoPro.
The pride flag soared 21.1 miles above the Earth’s surface before coming back down. While the three-hour flight was short-lived, it was powerful in its symbolism.
The purpose of Planting Peace’s action was to emphasize the importance of LGBTQ rights as universal human rights, with LGBTQ individuals able to live free from fear and discrimination on the basis of who they are.
“The backdrop of space gave us a stunning, inspiring and peaceful canvas for our message of hope to our LGBTQ family,” wrote Aaron Jackson, president of Planting Peace, in an e-mail. “I would love for LGBTQ children who are struggling to see this, and look up to the stars and remember that the universe shines brightly for them, and they are not alone.”
You might remember Planting Peace for some of their other awesome work.
They’re the folks with the rainbow-colored house across the street from the Westboro Baptist Church, battling the notorious organization in Pokémon Go.
And earlier this year, Planting Peace brought a flag to Antarctica to declare it the world’s first LGBTQ-friendly continent!
Spreading a message of love (and having fun at the same time) is important work. It’s something we can all do.
Maybe you don’t have the ability (or desire) to paint your house all the colors of the rainbow, and maybe sending a GoPro 21 miles into the air doesn’t sound like your idea of a great way to take care of your electronics. Even so, there are little things you can do, just like Planting Peace, to help make the world a better place.
The group’s message is something we can all get behind, and something we can all help spread in our own little ways: “You are loved, valued, and beautiful. There is nothing wrong with you. You are not alone, and we will stand with you.”
