They were soon mass-produced and flown at Pride events around the country, and the rainbow flag has become a ubiquitous symbol of Pride today. Rainbow flags was first flown at the 1978 “Gay Freedom Day” parade in San Francisco, and they quickly became the most popular symbol of gay pride.
Now the rioters who claimed their freedom at the Stonewall Bar in 1969 would have their own symbol of liberation.” Initially, the flag featured eight colors but due to production purposes and commercialization, it was whittled down to six. The first iteration of the Pride flag emerged in San Francisco in 1978 when artist and activist Gilbert Baker debuted it at the Gay Community Center. A Rainbow Flag would be our modern alternative to the pink triangle. But the Pride flag has also been a fluid document from its inception.
It was also found in Chinese, Egyptian and Native American history. “In the Book of Genesis, it appeared as proof of a covenant between God and all living creatures. The rainbow came from earliest recorded history as a symbol of hope,” Baker wrote. “A Rainbow Flag was a conscious choice, natural and necessary. He also considered the powerful symbolic significance of rainbows throughout history. We all felt that we needed something that was positive, that celebrated our love.”īaker thought a rainbow flag would better represent the beautiful diversity of the LGBTQIA+ community. It functioned as a Nazi tool of oppression. “Adolph Hitler conceived the pink triangle during World War II as a stigma placed on homosexuals in the same way the Star of David was used against Jews. However, that symbol “ represented a dark chapter in the history of same-sex rights,” he wrote. Related: The 21 LGBTQIA+ Flags (and Their Meanings) Up until that point, a pink triangle had symbolized the gay rights movement, Baker explained in his memoir, Rainbow Warrior: My Life In Color. He came up with the design after prominent gay rights leader Harvey Milk urged him to create a new, positive symbol that the entire LGBTQIA+ community could rally behind. The rainbow Pride flag was designed in 1978 by artist and gay rights activist Gilbert Baker.