![is the rainbow flag the gay flag is the rainbow flag the gay flag](https://www.cbc.ca/kidsnews/content/FINAL_FLAG_GFX_2020.jpg)
![is the rainbow flag the gay flag is the rainbow flag the gay flag](https://designwanted.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Pride-flag-3-scaled.jpg)
In the years since, the rainbow flag has only grown in popularity and is now seen around the globe as a positive representation of the LGBT community. Popularity spiked again a decade later when a West Hollywood resident sued his landlord over the right to hang his flag outside his residence. After the assassination of Harvey Milk on November 27, 1978, demand for the rainbow banner only increased. Baker then took the design to Paramount Flag Company, which sold a version of the flag without hot pink and turquoise, which were replaced with blue for practicality purposes.
![is the rainbow flag the gay flag is the rainbow flag the gay flag](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2a/Bisexual_Pride_Flag.svg/1280px-Bisexual_Pride_Flag.svg.png)
It was first showcased at San Francisco’s Gay Freedom Day Parade on June 25, 1978.Īfter the design was unveiled, participants of the parade proudly waved the new symbol in solidarity. With the help of close to 30 volunteers working in the attic of the Gay Community Center in San Francisco, Baker was able to construct the first draft of the now world-renowned rainbow flag. He instead opted to use a rainbow as his inspiration. Using a symbol with such a dark and painful past was never an option for Baker. And as a struggling drag performer who was accustomed to creating his own garments, he was well-equipped to sew the soon-to-be iconic symbol.Īt the time, the most commonly used image for the burgeoning gay rights movement was the pink triangle, a symbol used by the Nazis to identify homosexuals. As Baker told the Museum of Modern Art during a 2015 interview, he had been inspired by the celebrations marking America’s bicentennial in 1976, noting that the constant display of stars and stripes made him realize the cultural need for a similar rallying sign for the gay community. The decision to enlist Baker proved serendipitous, as the idea of a flag to represent the gay and lesbian community had occurred to him two years earlier. He was commissioned to create a flag by another gay icon, politician Harvey Milk, for San Francisco’s annual pride parade. The rainbow flag was created in 1978 by artist, designer, Vietnam War veteran and then-drag performer, Gilbert Baker. But who created the rainbow flag, and why did it become a symbol of the LGBT community? It’s not uncommon to see rainbow flags flying outside of homes and bars, pinned to shirts and on the back of bumpers-all with the universal and proud proclamation that #LoveIsLove.