Rainbow gay guy
This highly visible symbol of pride arose from an idea of hope and power more than 40 years ago at a site that could be worthy of national recognition.
On our streets, at our parades, even on our clothing, the rainbow flag has become a worldwide symbol of LGBTQ self-acceptance. Yet few of us ask: Where did this flag come from?
The first rainbow flag was created by Gilbert Baker, a prominent figure among homosexual political activists in San Francisco in the s. Baker was close friends with now-famous politician Harvey Milk. Milk was the first openly gay person to win a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and was tragically assassinated during his first term.
The first flag was hand-stitched and dyed with the aide of volunteers and friends, including Lynn Segerblom (Faerie Argyle Rainbow), James McNamara, Glenne McElhinney, Joe Duran and Paul Langlotz, for its debut at the San Francisco Gay Independence Day celebration.
Baker created the flag in , at a time when there were few symbols available to represent LGBTQ communities. Milk asked Baker to create a symbol for LGBTQ people that had a positive definition behind it. The most popular queer symbol at the time was the pink triangle — pre
You might be familiar with the six-colored rainbow flag that is widely used to represent the Diverse community. But did you know that this is a relatively new rendition of the original?
The unique flag (shown here) was designed by activist, veteran, drag queen, and designer, Gilbert Baker, and made its debut at the San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Freedom Day March in He was inspired by the Rolling Stones song She’s a Rainbow, and the s hippies movement, assigning each dye with a specific meaning:
Pink: Sex (later removed)
Red: Life
Orange: Healing
Yellow: Sunlight
Green: Nature
Turquoise: Magic (later removed)
Indigo: Serenity
Violet: Spirit
The evolution to the six-colored flag used today happened out of practicality.
After the parade in , require for the Pride Flag increased, but the boiling pink fabric was hard to find in immense quantities. Then, the Paramount Flag Company started making a version out of the standard rainbow colors to help meet require, and a seven-color celebration flag was the modern norm.
A year later, the flag evolved once more…
LGBTQ+ Pride Flags
In the LGBTQ+ community, we signify our pride with flags. With many unlike identities in the people, there comes many other flags to know. We have collected all of the flags and a guide to learn about all of the unlike colors of our community’s rainbow. We know that this may not be all of the flags that represent our society, but we will update the page as recent flags become popular!
Explore the flag collection below! Watch a flag's name by hovering or clicking on the flag.
Umbrella Flags
Gilbert Baker Pride Flag
Traditional Pride Flag
Philadelphia Pride Flag
Progress Pride Flag
Intersex-Inclusive Progress Pride Flag
Queer Pride Flag
The original Pride Flag was created in after activist Harvey Milk asked artist Gilbert Baker to design a symbol of gay pride. Each paint represents a different part of the LGBTQ+ community: hot pink represents sex, red symbolizes life, orange stands for healing, yellow equals sunlight, green stands for nature, turquoise symbolizes magic and art, indigo represents serenity, while violet symbolizes the spirit of LGBTQ+ people.
After the assa
History of the Rainbow Flag
The history of the rainbow flag is a affluent, fascinating, and very recent one!
Artist and activist Gilbert Baker is credited with creating the first movement flag, meant to illustrate the gay community. He was approached by Harvey Milk, the first openly gay person elected to public office in California, in to create a symbol of pride for the community. “Flags are about proclaiming power” Baker said.
Baker was inspired by the United States flag, with its series of stacked lines, and also by Pop Art of the time. Several communities at the time had reclaimed the Pink Triangle as a symbol of queer power. The Pink Triangle was used in Nazis concentration camps to identify men imprisoned for their homosexuality. Despite the Pink Triangle’s prevalence, Baker argued that there was a need for a new symbol “We needed something beautiful. Something from us.”
The flag was first flown in San Francisco’s United Nation’s Plaza in June of Some historians have argued that the idea of the rainbow flag came about because of the rainbow’s link to actress Judy Garland. A strong supporter of the gay community, lgbtq+ men were occasionally called “friends of Dorothy”, in
.