Gay Pride Flag flies over Vienna Academy of Fine Arts raises questions: does it symbolize LGBTQ+ claim to the institution, or mere solidarity? Also prompts debate on link between sexual orientation and artistic skill, and perception of LGBTQ+ persecution in arts.
What Exactly Does Gay Pride Flag Signify? Flag flying over Vienna Academy of Fine Arts raises questions. Wed, 21 Aug 2024 09:53:41 GMT https://petermcculloughmd.substack.com/p/what-exactly-does-gay-pride-flag This morning, as I was walking through Vienna’s Schillerplatz, I noticed a Gay Pride Flag flying on the roof of the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts. Note its conspicuous position when one is standing on the Schillerplatz—that is, directly above the statue of the German poet and playwright, Friedrich Schiller and the facade of the Academy.
What does this signify? In my experience, a flag flying above a public building—and the Vienna Academy is a public institution, largely funded by the state—typically signifies a national, state, or municipal governing entity. Historically in Europe, flags often displayed heraldic symbols of the aristocratic or royal families that held title to different counties, duchies, and kingdoms. During the Age of Exploration, it was common for explorers or conquistadores to “plant the flag” of the king or queen who sponsored their expeditions.
The logic of these historic conventions raises the question: has the Gay Pride movement laid symbolic claim to the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts ? Or is the flag flying above the academy merely a gesture of sympathy or solidarity with the “LGBTQ+ Community?”
This question prompts deeper philosophical questions: Is receiving education and training in the fine arts somehow bound together with one’s sexual preference? Does being gay or lesbian make one more artistically skilled or creative?
Finally, does a single person in the West actually believe that gay men and women are persecuted or treated as second class citizens in domain of fine and applied arts?
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