The original design of this rainbow flag had eight stripes: Pink stood for sexuality, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for the sun, green for nature, turquoise for art, indigo for harmony/serenity and purple for spirit. The presence of the ubiquitous stars and stripes everywhere impressed upon Baker the need for a similar “rallying sign” for the LGBTQ+ community.īaker decided to create a flag of colorful stripes, with each hue representing a distinct, important characteristic. I was like: ‘Wait a minute, we are a global tribe, and a flag really fits our mission,'” the artist said in a 2015 interview with CNN. flag was spotted everywhere from porches to articles of clothing. The United States had celebrated its bicentennial in 1976, and the U.S. Only 27 years old at the time, Baker’s beautiful rainbow was inspired by the symbolism behind the American flag. A Powerfully Symbolic Design Comes to Life Baker put his creativity (and expert sewing skills) to work and began developing something that would impact the community forever. Though the LGBTQ+ community had reclaimed the pink triangle as their own as a symbol of remembrance and a reminder of taking action against discrimination, Milk believed that there needed to be a better symbol - something new with roots in positivity and pride, not one of the darkest times in recent history. The new flag was intended in part to replace the negative imagery around the pink triangle, which Nazis had used to identify and persecute gay people.
Photo Courtesy: Taylor Hill/FilmMagic/Getty Images Milk had been elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors a year prior, becoming one of the first openly gay people to hold this type of visible and influential public position in a major American city. The official Pride flag was created in 1978 by Gilbert Baker, a gay artist and activist who lived in San Francisco and who had been tasked by politician Harvey Milk to come up with a positive symbol for the gay community. Let’s dive into the history of this important flag that represents a vital community. Though it’s colorful, bright and impossible to ignore, there is also great significance behind the design of the flag and the variations created over the years. But it’s also become an enduring, year-round symbol of unity and identity. With its array of vibrant colors that resemble a rainbow, the Pride flag is boldly and joyfully visible at Pride events and protests and throughout the month of June as a major symbol of solidarity, acceptance, hope and love for the LGBTQ+ community.