News·1 min read

The History of the Pride Flag

June 1, 2019

The Story

Grab your flag, it’s Pride Month.

Wait which flag?

The rainbow one. It’s become an iconic symbol for the LGBTQ+ community. It became a thing because of Gilbert Baker, an Army vet and drag performer living in San Francisco in the ‘70s.

Did he think of the idea alone?

Nope. He was tight with Harvey Milk, one of the first openly gay people elected into public office in the US. Milk and Baker thought a symbol would help rally people together.

How did they land on rainbow?

Baker wanted a lot of colors to represent the diverse LGBTQ+ community. So with the help of about 30 people, he dyed fabrics and sewed a rainbow flag together.

Is the rainbow flag the only flag I’ll see at Pride this year?

Nope. There are dozens of flags associated with the LGBTQ+ community. Some others you might see: transgender pride flag (blue, pink, white, pink, blue), asexual pride flag (black, grey, white, purple), and the non-binary pride flag (yellow, white, purple, black). You might also see flags with brown and black stripes to represent people of color and other groups in the LGBTQ+ community.

theSkimm

Flags are one of the many ways people display their pride during Pride Month. Check out more of our pride content here.

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