Apr 12, 2006  |  By: MARTA DONAYRE  | COMMENTS     

NATIONAL COMMENTATORS ARE heavily criticizing immigrant protesters for their use of non American flags, especially the Mexican flag. Critics argue that if immigrants are so proud about their home countries, why not simply return?

But as a lesbian immigrant from Brazil, I cannot help but think that these flags symbolize both pride and visibility, which are the same reasons we fly the rainbow flag.

I started out in activism as a member of a speaker's bureau. I would go to schools and colleges and talk about what it was like for me to be a lesbian. Mostly, I answered embarrassing questions that students did not dare ask their gay friends and family.

Although I was trained to answer questions about God or sexual activity, the most common question was about rainbow flags and bumper stickers.

Students were confused by my desire to be fully integrated into society, yet at the same time setting myself apart through showing this flag. In their minds, the flag would immediately identify me as the "other" rather than "one of us."

Immigrants and gay people share the stigma of being the "other" and are "outcasts" from the norm. People who think they are better — be it because they are heterosexual or because they are citizens — tend to look down upon both groups.

Ironically, many gay Americans look down on immigrants because they are citizens. Likewise, many immigrants look down on gays because they are heterosexual. In the end, each group perpetuates the "otherness" stigma that oppresses both communities.

DURING THE HUNGER Strike for Immigration Justice in San Francisco, my partner, Leslie, and I fastened an American flag, a Brazilian flag and a rainbow flag to the tree next to our tent. As we camped in front of the San Francisco Federal Building, we wanted to make sure that everyone knew that the group on the hunger strike was indeed diverse.

We were not all Mexican, we were not all heterosexual, and we were not all immigrants. We were proud to display all these colors and proud of our identities, all of which help weave the fabric of this nation. After all, beautiful fabrics are woven from different threads.

We ended our strike by eating soup outside the office of U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.). As I sat on the cold cement, I reflected on previous waves of immigrants.

The week before the hunger strike, the entire country celebrated St. Patrick's Day. The city of San Francisco still had four-leaf clovers hanging in some places. I remembered during my childhood years when I went to an American high school abroad and we were encouraged to wear green on March 17.

It was part of American culture, and we celebrated it just like we did Thanksgiving - an immigrant-related holiday. But years ago, the Irish were also the despised "other."

Their fight for respect prevailed because it was in their best interest and that of the entire country. Their story teaches us that embracing our differences and building on our similarities is always a win-win proposition.

WHEN WILL TODAY'S immigrants and the gays be considered as American as St. Patrick's Day? When will Cinco de Mayo and Gay Pride be reasons for national pride?

Will kids in American schools abroad be encouraged to wear green, white and red on May 5, and the rainbow colors during the month of June?

I have hope that the immigrant suffering we see on TV and read about in the papers will help lesbians and gay men understand that immigrants are human beings who are only looking for a fair shot at happiness.

I also have hope that immigrants will see that gays are demonized when they too only seek the same happiness. And I sincerely hope that one side stops calling me "illegal" and the other "immoral." As an immigrant and a lesbian, I never get a break.

In the end we are all human beings. The anti-gay and anti-immigrant rhetoric portray us as something less than human. Let's not allow our differences, our flag, our citizenship, or our sexual orientation divide us further.

So let's bring out the flags, of every origin, and let's join them together. Maybe we'll end up with the most beautiful flag of all, the one we most desperately need — the human flag.