Bittar's 'Reclaim the Flag' Doc Launches LGBTQ Movement
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- Alexis Bittar made his directorial debut with "Reclaim the Flag," a documentary short produced by Oscar winner Bruce Cohen that explores how the LGBTQ community relates to the American flag as a symbol intended to represent unity for all Americans.
- The film features interviews with Lena Waithe, Gus Kenworthy, Jim Parsons, George Takei, Marc Jacobs, Bill T. Jones, Gottmik, Cheyenne Jackson, Jenna Lyons, and others, with Waite stating, "Depending on how the United States feels about you, will depend on how you feel about the flag."
- Bittar said filming coincided with Trump targeting universities, making participants "nervous to talk about America at all," and that subjects were unexpectedly handed the flag on camera, producing visible shock and heightened emotion.
- Bittar argued the flag has been "co-opted" and "weaponized" by the right, adding, "The left really kind of let it be co-opted. They didn't address it."
- The New York Pride Month screening, held in partnership with the Human Rights Campaign, officially launched the Reclaim The Flag movement, with NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaking at the event about making the nation "feel more open and inclusive."
- Notably, the documentary contains no mention of Trump despite the political climate that shaped when and how it was filmed.
Why it matters: Backed by the Human Rights Campaign and a sitting NYC mayor, Bittar's short film doubles as the launchpad for an organized Reclaim The Flag movement aimed at reclaiming patriotic symbolism from political weaponization. With more than 20 high-profile LGBTQ figures lending their voices, the project gives a cultural-institution infrastructure to a debate over who owns the flag heading into future election cycles.
