The artist proposed a rainbow as a "modern alternative" to the pink trianglea symbol used by the Nazis to mark and persecute gay people, and one which queer communities have since reclaimed as a symbol of pride. In his memoir, Baker wrote that the rainbow design was "natural and necessary," adding that the motif "came from earliest recorded history as a symbol of hope." Lynn Segerblom (Faerie Argyle Rainbow) pictured with one of the original rainbow flags she helped design in 1978 () (Later iterations of the flag dropped the hot pink and turquoise stripes because they were costly to produce.) One of the flags also featured a riff on the United States' national flag, with blue-and-white tie-dyed stars in its upper corner. (Viewers can peruse an online version of the show here.)īaker, Segerblom, McNamara and other activists first flew two versions of their brilliantly colored flag at the United Nations Plaza on June 25, 1978, in celebration of " Gay Freedom Day." Each measuring 30- by 60-feet, the designs were hand-stitched and dyed with eight colored stripes: pink to symbolize sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for the sun, green for nature, turquoise for art and magic, blue for serenity, and purple for the spirit, according to the online exhibition. It will be featured as the centerpiece of " Performance, Protest and Politics: The Art of Gilbert Baker," an ongoing exhibition about the activist's life and work. The rare fragmentpresumed lost for more than four decadesresurfaced last year, writes Peter-Astrid Kane for the Guardian.
Per a statement, its creators included queer artists Gilbert Baker, Lynn Segerblom and James McNamara, as well as more than 30 volunteers. Now an internationally recognized symbol of LGBTQ pride and civil rights, the rainbow flag design was conceived by a group of activists in San Francisco in 1978. Earlier this month, the GLBT Historical Society Museum unveiled a glass case containing a rare artifact: a segment of the original rainbow gay pride flag, its colors as vibrant as ever. June 2021 Smithsonian Magazine article Long-Lost Fragment of First Rainbow Pride Flag Resurfaces After Four Decades The brilliantly colored bannernow on view in San Franciscoflew on "Gay Freedom Day" in 1978Ī priceless piece of queer history has returned home to San Francisco, reports Ezra David Romero for KQED. The "International Congress of Flag Makers?".Keywords: rainbow flag | gay pride | baker (gilbert) | steve (tyson) | international congress of flag makers | flag of the race | stripes: 8 | stripes: 7 | stripes: 6 | stripes: 5 | This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website History of the Gay Pride / Rainbow Flag Sexural Orientation Flags