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FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | NOVEMBER 2024 51 TOPS Take Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS) sent three members to the Fall TOPS Rally last week held at the Banning Estates. It was attended by 150 participants who came from as far away as 70 miles. We sang songs, listened to motivational speakers, and had a lot of fun. We brought a beautiful fall centerpiece for our table, made by one of our creative members, as the theme was "Lessons in the Garden." Three weeks ago, we went to the gym where two of our knowledgeable members taught us how to use the exercise machines. We also did a session of Musical Chairs where we learned four great exercises to do while sitting in a chair. You may find that a group like TOPS can help you as well. We meet on Tuesday at 8:30 am in the Ballroom. For more information, call Andi Henderson at (918) 497-6491. ~ Andi Henderson This month our selection for the Famous LGBT Americans series is Gilbert Baker, the creator of the Rainbow Flag. Baker was born in 1951 in Kansas. He developed an interest in art, but his parents discouraged him from pursuing it. They became more accepting after he won a scholarship to an art academy. In 1970, he was drafted into the army. There he experienced homophobic harassment from his superior officers because of their suspicion that he was gay. Nonetheless, he was sent to medic training and became a nurse. Stationed in San Francisco, he met another medic soldier, and they eventually fell in love with each other. The friend later left the military and got married. The experience with his friend led Baker to accept being gay. For the remainder of his time in the military, he was successful in avoiding detection. He was honorably discharged in 1972. Baker began volunteering at the San Francisco Gay Community Center, creating banners for the Center's marches. In 1975, he met gay activist, Harvey Milk, who, in 1977, became the first openly gay person to be elected to public office. He asked Baker to create a new symbol for the LGBT community to replace the pink triangle created by the Nazis to identify gay men in concentration camps but later reclaimed by gay activists as the symbol of gay liberation. Baker decided to use a rainbow to represent the diversity of the LGBT community. On November 27, 1978, Harvey Milk was assassinated, and his murderer received the lightest possible sentencing. During that time, hate crimes against LGBT people increased. In response to these events, Baker commissioned a f lag company to create four hundred Rainbow Flags to line the streets during the 1979 San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade. The popularity of the Rainbow Flag would eventually spread across the world. When marriage equality for gay and lesbian couples was legalized, the White House was lit up in rainbow colors. For the remainder of his life, Baker was involved in different LGBT activist campaigns. In 2016, he was invited to the White House to personally present President Barack Obama with a Rainbow Flag. He died in New York in 2017. For more information on Gilbert Baker and on the sources for this article, please go to the Rainbow Group's Facebook page or request a copy via our email (rainbowgroup@myyahoo.com). ~ Dan Hazeltine and Frank Galvan Rainbow Group Take Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS) sent three members to the Fall TOPS Rally last week held at the Banning Estates. It was attended by 150 participants who came from as far away as 70 miles. We sang songs, listened to motivational speakers, and had a lot of fun. We brought a beautiful fall centerpiece for our table, made by one of our creative members, as the theme was Three weeks ago, we went to the gym where two of our knowledgeable members taught us how to use the exercise machines. We also did a session of Musical Chairs where we learned We meet on Tuesday at 8:30 am in the Ballroom. For more information, call Andi

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