Gilbert Baker's original 1978 pride flag, an eight-stripe rainbow created as a symbol for LGBTQ+ people—those of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities.
These colors represent important ideas connected to this flag and community.
History
LGBTQ+ people—those whose sexual orientations or gender identities fall outside straight and cisgender norms—gained their first widely recognized symbol when Gilbert Baker designed this flag. Baker, a gay artist and activist, hand-dyed the original in 1978 and first flew it at the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade on June 25 that year. Its eight stripes stand for hot pink (sexuality), red (life), orange (healing), yellow (sunlight), green (nature), turquoise (art), blue (harmony), and violet (spirit).
