See also: International Co-operative Alliance § The flagĪ seven-colour rainbow flag is a common symbol of the international cooperative movement. Rainbow flags in various cultures and movements Reformation (1525) There are several independent rainbow flags in use today. The pride flag has represented gay pride since 1978 and evolved into a symbol of the LGBT movement. Since 1961, the international peace flag, also known as the PACE flag, has been especially popular in Italy and to a lesser extent Europe and the rest of the world. 1920) is used in Andean indigenism in Peru and Bolivia to represent the legacy of the Inca Empire. The International Co-operative Alliance adopted a rainbow flag in 1925. Ĭontemporary international uses of a rainbow flag dates to the beginning of the 20th century. In the 18th century, American Revolutionary War writer Thomas Paine proposed that a rainbow flag be used as a maritime flag to signify neutral ships in time of war. 5 Use of rainbow flag colors in different designs.4 Use of rainbow flag in various settings.2.6 LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) Pride (1978).2.2 Armenian Republic proposed flag (1919).2 Rainbow flags in various cultures and movements.As Pride points out, a plethora of other flags were designed to represent different groups within the LGBTQIA+ community. Today, there are even more pride flags out there. Here are the meanings behind the colors in the current pride flag: The blue that replaced the indigo now symbolizes harmony. Baker dropped yet another stripe, which resulted in the six-stripe version of the flag we use most often today-red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet.
According to Baker's estate, that was because when it was hung vertically from the lamp posts of San Francisco's Market Street, the center stripe (turquoise) was obscured by the similarly-colored lamp post itself. As excerpted on the website for his estate, Gilbert's memoir, Rainbow Warrior, includes his memory of deciding to make the rainbow flag: The trio encouraged Baker to create a positive emblem for the LGBTQIA+ community.īaker agreed and he looked to his community for inspiration, specifically those dancing at San Francisco's music venue Winterland Ballroom one night. In the late '70s, Baker was living in San Francisco when he met writer Cleve Jones, filmmaker Artie Bressan, and rising activist Harvey Milk. The First Rainbow FlagĮnter: Gilbert Baker, the man who would create the first rainbow pride flag. Still, activists recognized the need for a more empowering symbol. "Gay people wear the pink triangle today as a reminder of the past and a pledge that history will not repeat itself," read one 1977 letter to the editor in Time. In the late 1970s, the pink triangle was somewhat reclaimed by the gay community. Throughout the Holocaust, the Nazis forced those whom they labeled as gay to wear inverted pink triangle badges, just as they forced Jewish people to wear a yellow Star of David. This triangle, however, had a loaded, anti-gay history. Before the rainbow pride flag was created, there was another symbol for the LGBTQIA+ community: a pink triangle.