I thought of the vertical red, white, and blue tricolor from the French Revolution and how both flags owed their beginnings to a riot, a rebellion, or revolution. I thought of the American flag with its thirteen stripes and thirteen stars, the colonies breaking away from England to form the United States. In 1978, Gilbert Baker, an openly gay man, designed the first rainbow flag to represent the gay community at the request of San Francisco-based politician Harvey Milk, the first openly gay official elected to office. – Gilbert Baker, Creator of the Pride flag This was our new revolution-a tribal, individualistic, and collective vision. Here, we dive into the history of the Pride flag, what it stands for today, and how contributors and customers can incorporate Pride visuals in a respectful and ethical way.Īs a community, both local and international, gay people were in the midst of an upheaval, a battle for equal rights, a shift in status where we were now demanding power, taking it. How did the rainbow-colored Pride flag become a universal symbol of gay pride, queer love, inclusivity, and tolerance?
A flag really fit that mission, because that’s a way of proclaiming your visibility or saying, “This is who I am!” – Gilbert Baker, Creator of the Pride flag Our job as gay people was to come out, to be visible, to live in the truth. Celebrate Pride Month with a look at the most colorful symbol in LGBTQIA+ history and its changing role in how the community sees itself.
