This look didn’t really take off, but there was, however, another flag design reboot that did get a little more traction. With this in mind, Gilbert recently made a newer version of his original 8 stripe flag with a ninth stripe, lavender to represent diversity.Ģ017 Black, Brown, Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Royal Blue, Violet This is how the flag which we are all familiar with today, was born.Ģ017 Lavender, Pink, Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Royal Blue, Violet The organizers wanted to flank the parade with half of the flag on each side, but because seven colors wouldn’t split evenly they made another adjustment and pulled turquoise from the arrangement and change the blue to a royal instead of indigo. Right before the 1979 parade, there was another change made. Because of that, the pink stripe was simply pulled from the design of the first version of this symbol of unity and pride.ġ979 Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Royal Blue, Violet As popularity grew, large scale production started and the company producing the flag ran out of pink fabric to complete the flag. The San Francisco community felt inspired to continue using the rainbow flag and therefore it became more popular and was intended to be flown again in the 1979 pride parade. Unfortunately, later that year Harvey Milk was assassinated. From hot pink to violet, the first flag was hand-dyed and stitched together by volunteers and flown with pride for the first time on June 22, 1978.ġ979 Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Turquoise, Indigo Blue, Violet
The flag was created that year and it had eight stripes. Milk asked a prominent, local gay artist at the time, Gilbert Baker, to create something new to represent and inspire the queer community. Because the pink triangle was originally used as a tool for Nazis to identify and persecute homosexuals, Harvey Milk, (the first) openly gay politician in California at the time wanted a new, more uplifting symbol to be presented at the pride festival that year. At the time of its creation, the pink triangle was still the only symbol being used to represent the gay community. In its design, each color is meant to have a different symbolic meaning like pink for sex, red for life, and green for nature, to name a few. Originally flown in San Francisco during the pride event of 1978, the rainbow flag is now a global symbol of peace and unity for the LGBTQ+ community. Here is a rundown of how what we know as an old, fixed symbol of pride has a bit of a fractured youth narrative.ġ978 Hot Pink, Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Turquoise, Indigo Blue, Violet Though we see its commercial use, its roots are in activism and it’s grounded in the idea of change. From decorating car bumpers to lighting up national buildings, the rainbow flag has been a symbol intended to acknowledge and signify justice and respect for the queer community.