I
wonder how many people know exactly what the gay pride flag looks like.
Although the gay pride flag was made specifically for gay and lesbian people, the
rainbow design has been used around the world as the symbol of all LGBTQ+
communities. There were many efforts that went into the creation of the flag.
In 1951, Gilbert Baker, the
creator of the gay ride flag was born in Kansas. He has been creative and
artistic since a little child. When he was in training for the U.S. military, Baker
identified as gay, however, he faced serious homophobia there. After he left
the army, he put his energy and artistic talent into his political efforts and
designed a banner for anti-war and pro-gay movements. At San Francisco Gay
Freedom Day Parade, the first rainbow flag, which he designed then dyed and
sewed with some volunteers, was raised in 1978. It was composed of 8 colors:
pink for sexuality, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sun, green for
nature, blue for art, indigo for harmony, and violet for spirit. “It all goes
back to the first moment of the first flag back in 1978 for me. Raising it up
and seeing it there blowing in the wind for everyone to see. - It was the most
thrilling moment of my life. Because I knew right then that this was the most
important thing I would ever do – that my whole life was going to be about the
Rainbow Flag.” Baker said. After the parade in San Francisco, he contacted with
the Paramount Flag Company to mass produce the flags, and they started selling
it with the pink removed from the first flag Baker designed due to the
commercial issue. Eventually, indigo was also eliminated from the design. A six
striped rainbow flag has since spread around the world as the most common
version of the gay pride flag. As a fun fact, Baker created a mile-long rainbow
flag for the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall Riot, which won a
World’s record in 1994, and it was carried by 5,000 people.
Even though Gilbert Baker passed
away March 31st in 2017, his achievements and messages still live on
today. The gay pride flag as his legacy not only made LGBTQ+ community visible
but also made them unit tightly.
References
A Brief History of
the Rainbow Flag. San Francisco Travel.
About Gilbert Baker. gilbert baker.
By Minori Sakurai
Queer Program Intern
Pronouns: She/Her
