Baker's first rainbow flag had eight colors, though the most common variant consists of six stripes: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. Originally devised by artist Gilbert Baker, the design has undergone several revisions since its debut in 1978, first to remove colors then restore them based on availability of fabrics. Using a rainbow flag as a symbol of gay pride began in San Francisco, but eventually became common at LGBT rights events worldwide. Also known as the gay pride flag or LGBT pride flag, the colors reflect the diversity of the LGBT community and the spectrum of human sexuality and gender.
Web.The rainbow flag is a symbol of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender ( LGBT) and queer pride and LGBT social movements. Transgender Flag Flies In San Francisco’s Castro District After Outrage From Activists | HuffPost. A Brief History of the Rainbow Flag | San Francisco, CA. The pattern is such that no matter which way you fly it, it is always correct, signifying us finding correctness in our lives” Sources The stripe in the middle is white, for those who are intersex, transitioning or consider themselves having a neutral or undefined gender. The stripes next to them are pink, the traditional color for baby girls. “The stripes at the top and bottom are light blue, the traditional color for baby boys. The original transgender pride flag was donated to the Smithsonian in 2014. The first transgender pride flag was designed by transgender woman and Navy veteran Monica Helms in 1999, and flew at a pride parade in Phoenix, Arizona the subsequent year. In 1988, a man named John Stout and the LGBT Pride Flag found national attention when he sued his West Hollywood landlords for the right to display the flag on his balcony. Turquoise was removed to make the flag appear more symmetrical when hanging vertically. Hot pink was removed from the original pride flag because fabric and dye in that color was difficult to find.
The original LGBT pride flag contained the colors hot pink, meant to represent sexuality, and turquoise, meant to represent magic or art, depending on the source. “It’s a natural flag” Baker stated, “It comes from the sky”. Baker stated, however, that the idea of a rainbow pride flag did not stem from Garland’s singing of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”.Īccording to Baker, “It’s a natural flag. A strong supporter of the gay community, gay men were occasionally called “friends of Dorothy”, in reference to her role in The Wizard of Oz. Some historians have argued that the idea of the rainbow flag came about because of the rainbow’s link to actress Judy Garland. The flag was first flown in San Francisco’s United Nation’s Plaza in June of 1978. Something from us.” Harvey Milk being sworn into office. Despite the Pink Triangle’s prevalence, Baker argued that there was a need for a new symbol “We needed something beautiful. The Pink Triangle was used in Nazis concentration camps to identify men imprisoned for their homosexuality. Several communities at the time had reclaimed the Pink Triangle as a symbol of queer power.
#Official gay flag colors series#
“Flags are about proclaiming power” Baker said.īaker was inspired by the United States flag, with its series of stacked lines, and also by Pop Art of the time.
He was approached by Harvey Milk, the first openly gay person elected to public office in California, in 1977 to create a symbol of pride for the community. The history of the rainbow flag is a rich, fascinating, and very recent one!Īrtist and activist Gilbert Baker is credited with creating the first pride flag, meant to represent the gay community.