Given this:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/jnb4liv4rc1x ... rawing.svg

How do I make the stars transparent "all the way through"? I can make them transparent, but then the black stripes behind them show through. None of the Path options, like Intersection, seem to work.

Thanks.

Are you sure the stars have been converted to paths? If so, try Path>Difference.

EDIT:
Just looked at your file. You need to convert the stripes and the field behind the stars to paths (CTRL-SHIFT-C). Then select all the black paths and do Path>Union. Now select all the white stars and convert to path. With all the star paths selected do Path>Combine. Now select the star path and the black path and do Path>Difference.

Welcome to InkscapeForum!

First, make sure that the star is on top of the black/white stripes. Select the star and the black/white stripe and do Path menu > Difference. If the stripes are individual units, you'll have to do it once for every stripe. But depending on your goals for the image, you might be able to select all the black stripes, and do Path menu > Combine, and then the same for all the white. That will allow you to only have to do the Difference once for the black and once for the white. (If you used rectangles to create the stripes, you'll have to use Path menu > Object to Path before doing Combine.)

Let us know how it goes

Oops, there goes llogg, posting a message a fraction of a second before me

haha. Sorry Brynn. You were posting as I was editing.