Rainbow flag (LGBT movement)

LGBT Pride Flag

The Rainbow flag has been the symbol of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community since its creation in 1978. It is also called the 'Pride Flag.' The flag was created by Gilbert Baker of San Francisco, California in 1978.

History

The flag was first used at a LGBT pride parade in San Francisco in 1978, at that time it had eight colors. The next year it was changed to six colors, so it could be easier to make.

The flag was first made by Gilbert Baker, to be used instead of the pink triangle symbol used before. The pink triangle was used by Nazis to show who was homosexual. Homosexual people were sent to concentration camps in Nazi Germany, where they made homosexual men wear a pink triangle. This was like the yellow Star of David that Jews had to wear to show who was Jewish. LGBT people were not ashamed of the pink triangle, but they wanted a more positive, happier symbol.

Meaning

This was the original flag design

In the LGBT version of the rainbow flag, each color has a different meaning:

• Red = Life
• Orange = Healing
• Yellow = Sun
• Green = Nature
• Royal Blue = Harmony
• Violet = Spirit

It used to have a pink stripe, which meant sexuality, but was removed because the pink cloth was unable to be mass produced.

Rainbows are also a symbol of gay union. Tens of thousand of people use the rainbow symbol everyday.

Other websites

• Unsung Heroes of the Gay World: Vexillographer Gilbert Baker
• How Did Gay Pride Flag Originate? KPIX-TV (CBS 5), December 1, 2006
• - VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH GILBERT BAKER - 30 YEARS OF RAINBOW FLAG, June 2008, London
• Gilbert Baker speaks to Homovision.tv about the importance of the Rainbow Flag in the 21st century and why it shouldn't be forgotten.