It had eight brilliantly saturated stripes-pink for sexuality, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, turquoise for magic, blue for peace, and purple for spirit-that could be flown proudly in the air.īefore long, it would become the most prominent symbol of the international gay rights movement. Then it hit him.Īrmed with sewing skills he had honed while assembling costumes for his lady alter ego “Busty Ross,” Baker pieced together the world’s first rainbow flag. He felt his people needed an icon that would simultaneously communicate beauty, diversity, and power. So Gilbert Baker, a 27-year-old artist and drag queen, began brainstorming. It was 1978, and San Francisco’s gay community was on the hunt for a symbol that represented their fight for equal rights.
