Gilbert Baker increased production of his version of the flag, and he also dropped the pink stripe due to the unavailability of the pink fabric. To meet demand, the Paramount Flag Company began selling a version of the flag using stock rainbow fabric consisting of seven stripes of red, orange, yellow, green, turquoise, blue, and purple. The Rainbow Flag originally had eight stripes symbolising the diversity of the gay community:Īfter the November 1978 assassination of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and openly gay Supervisor Harvey Milk the Rainbow Flag began to be used in San Francisco as a general symbol of the gay community. He also designed the flags for the 1984 Democratic National Convention. Gilbert Baker has designed flags for many dignitaries and political figures, including then San Fransisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein. In 1979, Gilbert Baker went to work at Paramount Flag Company in San Francisco (which closed in 1987). Gilbert Baker and thirty volunteers hand-stitched and hand-dyed two huge prototype flags for the parade. The Rainbow Flag first appeared on 25 June 1978 at the San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Freedom Day Parade.
WHEN WAS THE BLUE GAY FLAG MADE FREE
It was about breaking free of an existence limited by fear and conformity, the right to express sexuality without shame or retaliation. The Rainbow Flag was designed in response to a local activist’s call for the need of a community symbol for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) pride, liberation and diversity.Ī flag that could be easily recognised and could be used year after year. He began making banners and ultimately the Gay Pride Rainbow Flag for his friend Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man elected to any substantial political office of San Francisco City Supervisor in 1978 and who was later assassinated on 27 November 1978. Army from 1970 until 1972.Īfter an honorable discharge he taught himself to sew. According to Quasar, the colors in the chevron represent trans individuals, people of color, those living with HIV/AIDS, and deceased members of the LGBTQ+ community.Gilbert Baker was born in Kansas on 2 June 1951 and served in the U.S. The flag was unveiled at Philadelphia’s Pride celebration in 2017 and remains the official LGBTQ+ flag of the City of Philadelphia.ĭesigner Daniel Quasar creates the “Progress Flag”, which combines elements of the 2017 Philadelphia flag and the trans flag with the traditional rainbow flag. “o matter which way you fly it, it is always correct, signifying us finding correctness in our lives,” Helms said of the flag.įollowing an outcry over racism in Philadelphia’s Gayborhood, the city commissioned the design of a new eight-color flag with black and brown stripes to recognize the contributions of LGBTQ+ people of color. The light pink and blue represent the colors traditionally associated with girls and boys, and the white represents transitioning, neutral or undefined genders, and intersexuality. Monica Helms, a transgender woman, creates the transgender pride flag.
Page explained that the pink represents same-sex sttraction, the blue represents opposite-sex attraction, and the purple overlap represents attraction to both. Michael Page designs the bisexual pride flag, a three-color design. The six-color flag is the most common LGBTQ+ flag worldwide. With only seven colors, activists noticed it was impossible to split in half to be displayed more easily in public, and so the turquoise stripe was eliminated as well. The six-color flag enters popular use following the assassination of Harvey Milk.The hot pink stripe was eliminated over the difficulty obtaining the fabric. From top to bottom, the colors represent sex, life, healing, sunlight, nature, magic and art, serenity, and spirit. The eight-color flag first flew over the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade in June of 1978. Gilbert Baker, a friend of San Fancisco’s openly gay City Supervisor Harvey Milk, designs the first rainbow flag. Here’s a timeline of some of the major LGBTQ+ flags and what they stand for.
The history of the Pride Flag goes back to the 1970s, and the design has changed numerous times over the years. Colorful flags are flown at many LGBTQ+ events.