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First gay pride flag launched into space

Planting Peace, a non-profit group that seeks to "spread peace in a hurting world," launched the pride flag using a high altitude balloon with a GoPro attached near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on August 17.

Planting Peace launched the first gay pride in space using a high altitude balloon with a GoPro attached. (Photo: Planting Peace)

Far out!

A rainbow flag symbolizing gay pride was sent into space for this first time last month.

Planting Peace, a non-profit group that seeks to "spread peace in a hurting world," launched the pride flag using a high altitude balloon with a GoPro attached near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on August 17.

The pride flag was airborne for three hours, soaring 21.1 miles above the planet's surface, before making its way back down to earth.

Organizers say the flag was a symbolic declaration to make space LGBTQ-friendly.

"Our hope was to create the largest safe SPACE possible for our LGBTQ community, It also offered us a chance to reinforce, in a peaceful, beautiful way, our ongoing message to our LGBTQ family: You are loved, valued and beautiful. There is nothing wrong with you. You are not alone, and we will stand with you."

Earlier this year in a similar campaign, Planting Peace declared Antarctica "the world's first LGBT-friendly continent," reports Huffington Post.

Planting Peace has been involved in a number of high visible campaigns supporting LGBT rights and other social issues. For example, the non-profit created The Equality House, a rainbow-colored building across the street from the Westboro Baptist Church compound in Topeka, Kansas, as well as a nearby Transgender Pride house. The houses stand in opposition to the church's hate, especially against LGBT people, Catholics, Orthodox Christians, Muslims, Jews and other groups.

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