Our History

A long list of all events we consider relevant in Takemehomefromnarnia and Rainbow Direction's history:

(work continuously in progress - let us know if we missed an event or forgot to credit anyone)

2013

7 April: the #narnia #itgetsbetter tweet wreaks havoc on LGBTQ+ fans of 1D, Kat gets an idea

27 April: Takemehomefromnarnia is founded by Kat with tumblr launch| 1st Today's Action (>100 actions to date)

1 May: 1st TMHFN meeting, Ed joins, core group is set up, Ellis joins as volunteer

17 May: @homefromnarnia twitter launched with IDAHOT educational action on online homophobia

4 Aug: Our masterpost about homophobic slurs on Twitter causes a stir

29 Sep: Ed's educational series on 1D's abusive relationship launched

Oct-Nov: Li and Ellis each contact Kat with an idea on raising LGBTQ+ visibility in the fandom

2014

Jan: Kat invites Li & Ellis for a brainstorming session - Rainbow Direction is born

21 Feb: Rainbow Direction is launched with a banner contest by Kat, Li & Ellis

10 March: Our 1DFansAgainstHomophobia Thunderclap action for Grimmy works out!

28 March: Red's "You make me strong" rainbow banner wins| IDAHOT charity drive & stores launched with 1DFansGive

25 April: Danny is the first participant to bring a rainbow sign to the Bogota, Colombia show

30 April & 6 May: Louis wears a rainbow shirt at Chile & Uruguay shows

17 May: Proceeds of our charity drive are donated to ItGetsBetter International

30 May: Ashleigh throws a rainbow bear on stage at Manchester show

June: Rainbow bear shows up on stage in bondage gear & tours with 1D

10 Sep: LGBT Weekly runs 1st press article about Rainbow Direction (see press page)

Oct: We run our educational Coming Out Resources series on the TMHFN blog

11-12 Oct: On Coming Out Day 150 participants attend the WWA Tour dvd screening | In the film Louis says he was proud fans held up "You Make Me Strong" signs

1 Nov: Teaser video summarizing Rainbow Direction WWA Tour activities launched

3 Nov: Harry says "not that important" about the gender of a significant other

5 Nov: We launch the "Safe Spaces for All" Rainbow Heart Badges in support of Harry & LGBTQ fans (>22000 downloads)

Nov: +20 articles about Harry's quote, Rainbow Direction's badge action and Louis' rainbow Apple shirt thought to be in support of Harry, or newly out Tim Cooke

Dec: proceeds from our WWA merch are donated to Young Out Here Singapore, Stonewall UK, ILGA Europe & the Trevor Project

18 Dec: 1D address LGBTQ+ fans in press release quoting Niall, Zayn and Louis saying "Don't be afraid to be who you are"

30 Dec: Fans invited to vote for 1 of 3 Rainbow Direction OTRA Tour banner & shirt designs

2015

6 Jan: Rainbow Globe design wins contest & goes to our merch stores

10 Jan: A month ahead of tour we have doubled last years participation (862) and 68 of 72 shows covered

14 Jan: Harry tweets "I study rainbows"

1 Feb: Rainbow Direction WWA Tour video launched with Thunderclap (almost 21K views to date)

5 Feb: "Where Do Rainbow Hearts Go - Safe Spaces" campaign launched (dozens of submissions)

25 March: Zayn leaves 1D, kicking off discussion on racism and diversity in the fandom

7 April: Rainbow Direction's Asian participants featured in Attitude, we are so proud of it

19 April: RD does Louis' Doncaster Rovers charity match - he signs T's Rainbow Heart tote with a smiley quashing rumours that he hates Rainbow Direction

17 May: Project No Control's thunderclap becomes such a success, inadvertently upstaging our 2nd IDAHOT charity drive :-D | Still, we raise a chunk of money which we donate to the Rainbow International LGBT Activist Solidarity Fund

May/June: T joins Rainbow Direction with the intention to be more inclusive of diversity in the campaign

12 June: GayTimes features the planned meetup for Brussels

13 June: 300 participants at Brussels OTRA show get No Control live | RBB joins the rainbow hair squad & brings a little friend: Sugar Baby Bear

18 June: At the start of Ramadan, sister blog World Almighty, managed by T, kicks off with 1 Thing campaign for inclusiveness & cultural diversity

27 June: Rainbow Direction marches in Helsinki Pride ahead of show - Harry says crowd is "looking very colourful tonight, for some of you I know why and it's great"

10 July: Our Singapore crew make the press with their pic of Rainbow Safe Spaces Hearts and 1D's wax figures at Tussauds

18 July: In Vancouver, Harry picks up a participant's rainbow flag, put is on like a cape & parades around (his flag waving becomes a regular fixture)

21 July: MTV interviews Takemehomefromnarnia founder and Rainbow Direction co-founder Kat

21 Aug: Drag Me Down video features Harry drinking from an attention grabbing rainbow cup

10 Sep: an Attitude interview with Liam refers to rainbows at shows as "mainly about Harry and Louis" calling it "absolutely nuts" | RD explains that the rainbows are really for LGBTQ+ fans and have nothing to do with shipping| In an outpouring of support fans create #RainbowWaveBoston and the first #rainbowlights action

12 Sep: With 266 participants and numerous supporters at home #RainbowWaveBoston is a success and Boston is the 1st stadium to light up in rainbow colours

Sep: +15 articles on the interview and Rainbow Direction's purpose to create safe spaces for LGBTQ+ fans | Spin talk interviews RD co-founder Li

28 Sep: Ellie @freddieismyqueen posts a Youtube Tribute to Rainbow Direction (close to 400K views) | At London show, the stage lights up rainbow for Girl Almighty

20 Oct: Belfast show cancelled but Home comes out and we adopt it as our anthem | With Rainbow International founder Paul Penny, TMHFN founder Kat attends "the Abominable Crime" screening & hands Jamaican LGBTQ+ activist Maurice Tomlinson a Rainbow Heart Safe Spaces badge

27 Dec: we ask our followers about their favourite LGBTQ+ memories in 2015 and are overwhelmed by the responses

2016

10 Jan: Fresh into the 1D hiatus Lisa launches the #RainbowHeartsChallenge to craft 10.000 rainbow bead hearts by 2017

Spring: we reflect, regroup, craft, answer asks, do some today's actions & support #ProjectHome <3

June: LGBT Pride month: we do today's actions for Istanbul & Uganda | We take part in vigils for the Orlando Pulse victims

July: We attend London, Brighton, Paris, Stuttgart, Berlin, Stockholm and Helsinki Pride

17 July: Lisa hands out 2300 of the rainbow hearts at Stuttgart Pride

23 July: Li gathers 30 Rainbow Directioners to march in Berlin Pride in t shirts designed for the occasion

29 Oct: We re-launch Rainbow Direction for Niall's Jingle Ball tour

9 Dec: News of Louis' mom's death reaches the fandom & we support Project Just Hold On

10 Dec: Louis wears a shirt in rainbow colours for his first solo performance of Just Hold On

28 Dec: The Journal of Popular Music studies' special issue on Girls and Popular Music talks about Rainbow Direction in a piece about the (in)visibility of LGBT fans

2017

7 April: Sign of the Times released - Harry tells Rolling Stone "most of the stuff that hurts me about what's going on at the moment is not politics, it's fundamentals, equal rights"

8 May: Sign of the Times music video is released and has a rainbow in it, LGBTQ+ fans take note

June: @StylesPrideWW launches #PrideStylesWW: a different rainbow banner for each HSLOT date!!!

July: Rainbow Direction marches in (3rd) Helsinki and (2nd) Berlin Pride

30 July: MTV interviews Rainbow Direction co-founder Li

17 Aug: Millie Lovelock's thesis on 1D fandom makes the press, she refers to Rainbow Direction as a driving force of inclusiveness (see press page)

September: @hesprideflag starts documenting every pride flag ever waved by Harry (We bow to you!!!)

27 Sep: A participant's pride flag is confiscated at the Nashville show, but Harry "restores it to its rightful place" on the mic stand.

6 Oct: Our participant @HilaryDuff assembles & hands out hundreds of #miniprideflags to wave during Sign of the Times in Philadelphia, in remembrance of deceased members of the LGBTQ+ community, it's so serene and beautiful, and Harry goes "wow"

25 Oct: In Paris, opener Muna commends the fandom for having created this safe space and dedicates "Our Place" to them

26 Oct: Harry posts a picture of the Paris crowd with rainbow and other LGBT pride flags on his Instagram

30 Oct: Lucy, T and Sheena hand out #miniprideflags at Harry's show + lanyards & pins to recruit for London Pride

7 Nov: Li puts 30 strong LGBTQ+ women in the spotlight with a #miniprideflag action during Woman at Harry's concert in Berlin

9 Nov: #Key103Live acknowledges @tommogochi_xs participation in Rainbow Direction at Louis' Manchester solo performance

9 Nov: the New Statesman runs an article on the Harry fans who organised #BlackLivesMatter actions and how they used the RD model to their success - congrats!!!

26 Nov: Participant @hl-love & friends hand out 700 #miniprideflags in Sydney to wave during Sign of the Times in celebration of marriage equality in Australia- Harry congratulates them on their recent political decision :-D

2018

13 March: the arena in Paris lights up in rainbow colours for Sign of the Times and it's breathtaking (thank you @team1DFrance and @sunilouis !)

27 March: Munich does #rainbowlights and "we love every colour of the rainbow" pride flag signs

28 March: An incredibly successful #rainbowlights action during SoTT ever was organised by @Maike1D & friends - Harry says "you look amazing Oberhausen"

30 March: our last Instagram message detailing the rainbow bracelet our participant wore to Liam's Dubai show, despite the risk of arrest

2 April: Milan goes all the way and does #miniprideflags AND #rainbowlights during Sign of the Times

4 April: Bologna turns it up a notch with flowers and #rainbowlights for Sign of the Times

11-12 April: O2 London does the #rainbowlights thing too and finally the press "catches on" putting a spotlight on @RainbowHProject

22-29 April: It's Digital Pride week, and Rainbow Direction is FEATURED as GLOBAL DIGITAL ACTIVIST by GAYSTARNEWS!!! including interviews with a participant at Liam's show in Dubai & with founder Kat

30 April: Project @NHForestRainbow manages to #turnforestrainbow during Niall's Brussels show

May: The Rainbow Heart badges are referred to in a University of North Carolina graduate thesis as a successful example of how fanspaces can be deliberately inclusive.

25 May: amazingly effective #rainbowlights action in Santiago, Chile

27 May: and another one in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

5 June: HSHQ puts out rainbow Treat People With Kindness shirts for Pride Month

9 June: #rainbowlights in Sunrise, Florida

16 June: Toronto also comes through with the #rainbowlights

30 June: 4th time represented at Helsinki pride

2 July: Near the end of Harry's rainbow filled tour @hazprideflag gives a shoutout to Rainbow Directioners who paved the way 2014/15. Touching memories are shared

24 Aug: our last Tumblr message advertising @flagthisconcert's #miniprideflag project for Niall's Clarkston show

15 Sep: in the Journal of Transformative Works Bri Mattia credits Rainbow Direction's use of social media to combat the erasure of LGBT+ fans

23 Sep: our last tweet calling for participants for Louis' show in December

The team is dealing with issues in their personal lives, has run out of energy & takes a break

22 Oct: Rainbow Direction featured in Lund University's Ethnology course

2 Nov: GAYTIMES gives Harry the HONOUR AWARD for LGBTQ ADVOCATE. for waving (our participants' :-D) pride flags & making his concerts "safe spaces". (The fans' "Rainbow Project" gets a mention - no specific location so credit to everyone who's ever done a rainbow project cause let's be frank, we collectively deserve it!)

2019

3 June: BTS plays at Wembley and the technicions organize #rainbowlights for them.

29 July: Rainbow Direction walks Helsinki Pride for the 5th time - amazing @feanorblack!!!

The team comes out of hiatus

27 Aug: We launch Rainbows for Madrid for Liam's and Louis' shows at the CCME festival in September

23 Sep: in an interview with the Guardian, Australian Yve Blake mentions Rainbow Direction as an inspiration for creating her musical Fangirls

24 Sep: Little Rainbow/Rainbow Mixers do #rainbowlights in Cologne

27-28 Sep: 17 registered participants for Liam's and Louis' Madrid shows, a beautiful collection of rainbow gear pics, and a rainbow smiley, Rainbow Direction is back!

14 Oct: Signups are up for Liam's, Niall's & Louis' Fall concert dates. We launch #RainbowLightsUp

15 Oct: We've made it into the serious music press: Emma Madden writes about Rainbow Direction in Pitchfork, and Prof Allison McCracken calls us a "great example of how tumblr queered popular culture".

13 Nov: Lots of rainbows and smiley faces at Louis' & Niall's Premios Telehit concert in Mexico city | Rainbow Direction launches signups for Louis', Harry's & Niall's tours

30 Nov: Louis fans throw up a rainbow barricade and shower the stage with pride flags at the LiveLifeLove suicide prevention concert in Nashville.

5 Dec: Louis points & smiles at every single rainbow flag in sight at Poptopia, San Jose.

6 Dec: Harry knits a rainbow sweater for his jewel coat fish and we are very emotional about it

9 Dec: Louis Instagram video features dozens of rainbows brought by fans to Nashville and San Jose

13 Dec: The Forum lights up in rainbow ahead of Harry's One Night Only show introducing Fine Line

2020

12 Jan: Livestream of artist Jay Caes spraypainting Louis' face in a rainbow coloured river, and the Walls setlist, on a wall in Brick Lane

19 Jan: We pass the mark of 100 participants for Louis' Walls Tour

31 Jan: The stage is showered in flowers and pride flags at the intimate Walls launch gig. Louis has kind words ("Be Proud") for the LGBTQ+ fans there.

1-4 Feb: LGBTQ+ fans at signings report feeling very safe in their interactions with Louis, and he carefully signs a pride flag with his signature smiley

March: A team of five Rainbow Hunters forms to cover the rainbows on display during the upcoming tours

9 March: LTWorldTour kicks off in Barcelona. He covers RD favourite "Through the Dark" (our 2015 WWA tour vid started w TTD lyrics). Tons of rainbows in the crowd.

The worldwide COVID19 crisis puts all tours on hold and Rainbow Direction, and its Rainbow Hunters go back on hiatus :-(

21 July: Rainbow Direction makes the history books with a mention in Maria Sherman's Larger than Life - it doesn't get the founders or founding date right, but the recognition of our legacy is flattering.

23 July: On the occasion of 1D's 10th Anniversary, CelebMix cites Rainbow Direction as one of the 4 most memorable fan projects. Pride!

4 Dec: The Advertiser tips Yve Blake's Fangirls as one of the 6 not to miss at Adelaide Festival and mentions Rainbow Direction as an inspiration. Apparently there's a book, and a movie coming up from this musical. WOWS.

12 Dec: The Rainbow Smiley & the Rainbow Wheel from We Made It's music video make a comeback for Louis' Livestream. We love Copy of a copy of a copy.

2021

30 Aug: Fans show up in all pride colours for the Away from Home Festival. Louis smiles and points to several flags in the audience.

6 Sep: Rainbows abound in the Away From Home Livestream documentary with a fan wrapped in a rainbow flag being interviewed, and rainbows featured heavily during Only the Brave, a song that means so much to LGBTQ+ fans

6 Sep: Harry dances wildly with two rainbow flags at the first Love on Tour date. In the following week the Philadelphia rainbow flag, the Black Lives Matter flag, the bi, trans and lesbian flags all make an appearance on stage.

Rainbows Direction is no longer needed to ensure LGBTQ+ visibility at concerts and we feel its time to rethink how we can make the biggest impact for LGBTQ+ fans. We go back to the basis for inspiration and on Sept 2013 launch the Rainbow Direction Reboot Survey. Results are published throughout October and November.

6 Oct: Following the survey, Rainbow Direction launches "This Day in TMHFN history" category with a post on the 2015 Philadelphia pride flags project by Rachael. We also reactivate our Twitter (and later on Instagram) tweeting about rainbow outfits.

13 Oct: Our post collecting all of "Only the Brave" inspired pride signs gets lots of shares, and attracts several new submissions bringing it to a total of 21 different signs is almost as many pride parades and countries. The gays love this song.

?? Oct: Cute interaction with a fan who thanks Harry for helping her come out where he says " you did that".

24 Oct: At her request, H helps fan Lexi come out. He raises her bi flag as "he's heard that's how it works" and yells out "freeeedom!!!!"

30 Oct: At MSG for Harryween we get all time LGBTQ favourite, Over the Rainbow, by Harry / Dorothy, with rainbow stage lights

31 Oct: On night two of Harryween, the people behind @Harryweenpride manage to turn the whole arena into a sea of rainbow .

4 Nov: Harry helps fan McKinley come out to her mom at his Milwaukee show, and this time it gets a bit more press! A fan throws a rainbow bear on stage and Pauli ties it to his mic stand causing rumours about the return of Rainbow Bondage Bear.