Philadelphia’s People of Color Inclusive Flag The result was the six-colored rainbow flag, which has become the main symbol for the LGBTQ community. He decided to split the motif in two, which meant that he needed an even number of stripes. The turquoise stripe was also dropped in 1979 when Baker wanted to decorate street lamps along the parade route with rainbow banners. Baker, who was also ramping up the production of his flag, also dropped pink because hot pink dye was hard to come by. The Paramount Flag Company decided to cash in on the rising popularity of the flag and started producing a flag that was made from stock rainbow fabric with seven colors, which meant that pink was dropped.
As opposed to later versions of the rainbow pride flag, the first flag had eight colors, which had the following meaning:Īfter Harvey Milk was assassinated in 1978, demand for Baker’s flag increased. It was first showcased on San Francisco’s Gay Pride Day on June 25, 1978. The colors of the flag are roughly sequenced in the same order as those displayed in a rainbow. Since the LGBTQ community consists of people from all races, genders, and ages, he based his flag on the rainbow. Baker was inspired in his design by the celebrations for America’s bicentennial anniversary in 1976. It was designed by gay artist and activist Gilbert Baker when his friend Harvey Milk, who was the first openly gay elected official in California, asked him to design a symbol for the LGBTQ community. The Gilbert Baker Pride Flag was the first-ever rainbow pride flag. Philadelphia’s People of Color Inclusive Flag.Here’s our inclusive list of 30 LGBTQ+ pride flags and their color meanings: These flags provide representation for the individual LGBTQ communities and also tell us a bit about their unique stories, perspectives, histories, and experiences. However, within the LGBTQ group, there’s a wide variety of subcultures, genders, and identities, who all have their own flags. The rainbow pride flag is widely recognized as the symbol of the LGBTQ community.