Not until 1994 did the rainbow flag become truly established as the symbol of pride. The rainbow Pride flag was originally created with eight different colours, and was later simplifed by removing the pink and turquoise The rainbow Pride flag was originally created with eight different colours, and was later simplifed by removing the pink and turquoise Still, the remaining spectrum of colour came to reflect the immense diversity and the unity of the LGBTQ community.Ĭurious to know about initiatives supporting LGBTQ+ creatives? Head to these 4 LGBTQ+ organizations that you should know, follow, and might as well join. Pink and turquoise were removed because the hot-pink dye was hard to source and because seven stripes were harder to mass-produce. The flag would later be simplified to become the six-tripe version, which is mostly used today. Something from us” he argued.Īnd so, the rainbow Pride flag was created with eight different colours, each with its own meaning assigned to it by Baker: The Pride Flag was designed by the artist and queer activist Gilbert Baker in 1978 – ©Ale_Mi/Depositphotos – Cover image – ©marcbruxelle/Depositphotosīefore that, the most popular emblem of queerness was the pink triangle, a reclaimed symbol from Nazi Germany’s persecution of gay men.ĭespite the Pink Triangle’s prevalence, Baker had a problem with its tainted history. The inspiration behind the design came from the United States national flag, which had celebrated its bicentennial in 1976, the Pop Art movement, which defined the decades leading up to the seventies with an optimistic investment in new and contemporary ideas, and of course, an actual rainbow. On that day, Baker along with thirty volunteers hand-dyed and stitched two giant flags and hoisted them above the city’s UN Plaza, near city hall. It had eight colours and was designed by the artist and queer activist Gilbert Baker who was commissioned to design something that could represent the LGBTQ community by his friend Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in California.
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"To achieve this, they needed an even number of stripes, so the turquoise stripe was dropped, which resulted in a six stripe version of the flag we know today - red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet," the website adds.June has long been recognised as Pride Month and on this colourful occasion, the rainbow Pride Flag takes centre stage.Įxpect to see it everywhere: stretched across balconies, decorating shop windows and draped over the shoulders of those displaying solidarity with the LGBTQ community.Ī queer icon and a ubiquitous symbol around the world, the Pride Flag first flew in 1978 during San Francisco Pride. The flag was modified in 1979 by the organizers of the 1979 San Francisco Pride parade, who wanted to "split the flag into two in order to decorate the two sides of the parade route," according to Virginia's Old Dominion University website. "In the original eight-color version, pink stood for sexuality, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for the sun, green for nature, turquoise for art, indigo for harmony and violet for the soul," the website of Amherst College in Massachusetts explains. The rainbow flag, seen first in the gallery above, was designed by Gilbert Baker for the 1978 San Francisco's Gay Freedom Celebration. Cameron Whimsey via Wikimedia Commons The demisexual pride flag. KiwiNeko14 via Wikimedia Commons The aromantic pride flag. McLennonSon via Wikimedia Commons The pansexual pride flag. Calcavorix via Wikimedia Commons The polysexual pride flag.
Marilyn Roxie, McLennonSon via Wikimedia Commons The gender fluid pride flag. Jim Evans via Wikimedia Commons The genderqueer pride flag. Kye Rowan via Wikimedia Commons The polyamorous pride flag. Britrek87 via Wikimedia Commons A non-binary pride flag. Michael Page via Wikimedia Commons The asexual pride flag. Dlloyd based on Monica Helms design via Wikimedia Commons The bisexual pride flag. L ke in Inkscape via Wikimedia Commons The transgender pride flag. Guanaco via Wikimedia Commons The lesbian pride flag designed in 2018.