Photo by James McNamara, via https://gilbertbaker.com/flags/
The Rainbow Flag
One of the most recognizable emblems of the LGBT+ community is the rainbow. From South Korea to Iceland and Argentina, the rainbow flag has flown proudly wherever we gather. For this, we have to thank Gilbert Baker.
Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images News / Getty Images
Gilbert Baker (1951-2017) was an American artist whose life's work centred around the celebration of life and being gay. In the 1970s, he was often asked by members of his community in San Francisco to create banners for various rallies and events. This led to the creation of the rainbow flag which debuted at the 1978 San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade. Baker's flag originally had eight colours:
Pink, for sex; red, for life; orange, for healing; yellow, for sun; green, for nature; turquoise, for magic; blue, for peace; and purple, for spirit.
Due to colour and space limitations, pink was later removed, and turquoise and blue were combined. In recent years, activists have begun including brown and black to give focus to the members of our community marginalised for their ethnicity; Gilbert himself was said to have added lavender, for diversity, early last year before his passing.
According to those who witnessed the birth of the rainbow flag, it was immediately embraced by the LGBT+ community. Since Baker deliberately chose not to file for trademark, and indeed actively promoted its use, the rainbow flag is now the most prominent symbol for the LGBT+ community around the globe.
Baker passed away last year, but his mark on history is indelible for giving us one of the most joyous, defiant, and celebratory symbols for our community.
“Flags usually tell us where we come from and who we are. Stateless and unbound, Baker’s flag told us who we could be.”
Some sources and further readings:
An interview with Gilbert Baker, by Tami Albin: https://kuscholarworks.ku.edu/bitstream/handle/1808/6895/Gilbert%20Baker%20Oral%20History.pdf?sequence=3
A photo-essay by The Guardian, covering the rainbow flag around the world: https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2017/mar/31/rainbow-flag-gay-pride-around-world-photos-gilbert-baker
Obituaries: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/31/us/obituary-gilbert-baker-rainbow-flag.html http://time.com/4728310/gilbert-baker-baker-rainbow-flag-lgbtq/