Our Pride Flag is an international 2SLGBTQQIA+ symbol - but the evolution of this symbol is what truly showcases our expansion as a community.
Who created the first pride flag symbol?
Gilbert Baker, an openly gay man with a drag persona, created the first 8-stripe version in Baker later revealed that he was urged by Harvey Milk, one of the first openly queer elected officials in the U.S., to create a symbol of pride for the gay community. Baker decided to make that symbol a flag because he saw flags as the most powerful symbol of pride.
"Our job as gay people was to come out, to be visible, to live in the truth, as I say, to get out of the lie. A flag really fit that mission, because that’s a way of proclaiming your visibility or saying, 'This is who I am!'" -Gilbert Baker
In , the rainbow flag was internationally recognized as the symbol for the 2SLGBTQQIA+ society. That year Baker made a mile-long version for the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in , considered by many as the beginning of the 2SLGBTQQIA+ human rights movement.
How has our prid
A Brief Look at the Pride Flag’s History & IP
Photo Credit: The Artistic Exchange on Unsplash.
Natalie Bravo is an IPilogue Writer and a 2L JD Candidate at Osgoode Hall Statute School.
The colourful Pride flag is a widely established LGBTQ+ symbol. The rainbow flag was designed by the late Gilbert Baker, an American artist and activist (). The plan was inspired by the American flag and the history of the nation. According to Baker, “I thought of the vertical red, white, and cobalt tricolor from the French Revolution and how both flags owed their beginnings to a riot, a rebellion, or revolution. I thought a gay nation should have a flag too, to proclaim its own idea of power.” The political activism of Baker’s close friend, Harvey Milk, further inspired him to develop a apparent proclamation of pride.
Today, the rainbow flag is an established symbol—so much so that it is established by a prominent art institution, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). In , the flag connected MoMA’s permanent design collection as a “politically strong and aesthetically effective symbol.” Despite th
The History of the Pride Flag
With its bright colours and significant interpretation, the Rainbow Flag is a symbol recognised all over the world to represent the Queer communities. It’s a symbol of desire, unity and empowerment to allow affectionate to be admire regardless of gender, ethnicity or labels. But where did this renowned flag come from? And how was the design chosen?
The authentic Pride Flag originates from San Francisco Activist Gilbert Baker, who desired to create an emblem of pride for the gay people. In the Rainbow Flag was created, as Baker recognised that a flag is one of the most significant aspects of culture, and wanted his creation to be a unified symbol of gratification for all those who identify within these communities.
In England, homosexuality was decriminalised in , with Scotland following in , and Northern Ireland by Before this time, it was illegal to occupy in ‘private lesbian acts’, and those caught or believed to be engaging in same-sex relationships could face imprisonment, public shame and a life-long criminal records. Society was homophobic, with th
History of the Rainbow Flag
The history of the rainbow flag is a rich, fascinating, and very recent one!
Artist and activist Gilbert Baker is credited with creating the first pride flag, meant to represent the gay society. He was approached by Harvey Milk, the first openly queer person elected to public office in California, in to generate a symbol of pride for the community. “Flags are about proclaiming power” Baker said.
Baker was inspired by the United States flag, with its series of stacked lines, and also by Pop Art of the period. Several communities at the day had reclaimed the Pink Triangle as a symbol of gay power. The Pink Triangle was used in Nazis concentration camps to identify men imprisoned for their homosexuality. Despite the Pink Triangle’s prevalence, Baker argued that there was a need for a new symbol “We needed something beautiful. Something from us.”
The flag was first flown in San Francisco’s United Nation’s Plaza in June of Some historians have argued that the notion of the rainbow flag came about because of the rainbow’s link to actress Judy Garland