Gilbert Baker Rainbow Flag creator

Rainbow Flag And Blue Skies

Gilbert Baker, Gay Activist Who Created the Rainbow Flag, Dies at 65 – The New York Times.

The first flags had eight colors, each stripe carrying its own significance: 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.

“A flag translates into everything, from tacky souvenirs to the names of organizations and the way that flags function,” Mr. Baker said in an interview in 2008. “I knew instantly when I saw the reaction that it was going to be something. I didn’t know what or how or — but I knew.”

The flag itself has changed since 1978, going to six colors from eight. Pink fabric was too expensive, Mr. Baker said, so it was removed, and turquoise and blue were combined into one color, royal blue.

Mr. Baker refused to apply for a trademark for his creation. “It was his gift to the world,” Mr. Jones said. “He told me when the flag first went up that he knew at that moment that it was his life’s work.”

Read more, Wikipedia, site, and see our previous post “MoMA acquires the Rainbow Flag.”


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1 Comment

  1. I suspect that the International Co-operative Alliance maybe a bit surprised to find that their adoption of the rainbow flag, symbolizing unity in diversity and the power of light, enlightenment, and progress, in 1925 has been forgotten.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Co-operative_Alliance

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