“Flags are torn from the soul of the people.” – Gilbert Baker

It’s unfortunately common in our community for people to be forgotten, so much so that projects like ours work just to remember. Sometimes that erasure is purposeful and sometimes it is only a matter of time. And other times still, we remember the important work that people have done without remembering them and the lives they led, such as in the case of Gilbert Baker. Baker, an openly gay man and a drag queen, was a creative and an activist for many causes, but he is most known for having designed the rainbow pride flag.

If we’re going to talk about pride flags, it’s important to acknowledge the commercialism and rainbow washing that surround our symbols and pride today. That’s why it’s vital that we talk about where the flags came from and when, why, and how they’ve changed. We could write an incredibly long article on all the flags, but it would be unreadably long and wouldn’t pay respects to any of them. Instead, we’ll be continuing to look at these flags and their history for the next few months, based on your input.

Gilbert Baker was born on June 2, 1951, in Kansas, United States of America. As an adult, he served in the US Army until he was honourably discharged in 1972. Afterwards, he worked for California's first marijuana legalization initiative, fought for gay rights, and protested the war. During that time, he also learned to sew from Mary Funn, a fellow activist. Artie Bressan, Jr., Baker’s friend and a filmmaker, pushed him to create a new symbol for the community. He also met Harvey Milk in 1974, who would also urge him toward the creation of the rainbow pride flag.

Milk approach him to create something that could be a symbol of pride for the LGBTQ+ community and go along with Milk’s campaign message, “hope.” Until now, the pink triangle had been the most common symbol for gay rights. The pink triangle comes from its use in Nazi concentration camps; the pink triangle was used to identify “homosexuals” in the concentration camps, though we know today that particular symbol was used for any men who had sex with men (MSM) and transgender women. This new symbol would be one of inspiration rather than reclamation. Baker was poor and used his craft as a form of activism, so the flag came naturally. He believed that “flags have power, flags say something.” In his book Rainbow Warrior: My Life in Color, Baker said:

“A Rainbow Flag was a conscious choice, natural and necessary. The rainbow came from earliest recorded history as a symbol of hope. In the Book of Genesis, it appeared as proof of a covenant between God and all living creatures. It was also found in Chinese, Egyptian and Native American history. A Rainbow Flag would be our modern alternative to the pink triangle. Now the rioters who claimed their freedom at the Stonewall Bar in 1969 would have their own symbol of liberation.”

Baker received $1,00 from the 1978 Gay Freedom Day Committee to make the first two rainbow flags. He recruited Lynn Segerblom and James McNamara to help create them. Segerblom created the dyeing process and McNamara helped to sew the flags. The original flag design had eight stripes, with a specific meaning assigned to each of the colours: hot pink for sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, teal for magic, indigo for serenity, and violet for spirit.

While the rainbow flag as a symbol of pride started in San Francisco, it grew to its popularity today worldwide. Demand for the flag grew after Milk’s assassination in 1978. However, the pink fabric was notoriously difficult to find. Paramount Flag Company, where Baker worked, began selling a version of the flag using the fabric that was available: red, orange, yellow, green, turquoise, blue, and violet.

Let’s talk about the claim the colour change was respectability. This is an unfortunate lie that gained some traction in recent years, and while respectability is a very real issue in our community, this claim is false. The claim suggests that the pink stripe was removed to make LGBTQ+ people, especially white middle-class LGBTQ+ people, seem more palatable and respectable since the pink stripe symbolized sex. This ignores several historical issues and the reality of the situation. It fails to acknowledge that teal and indigo were combined, essentially being removed as well. Pink was removed because of the difficulty of getting the fabric. Changing the design rather than limiting it was done in an effort to make the flag—a symbol of community pride—more accessible to the whole community. It was not an act of respectability. In fact, Baker refused to trademark even the flag, seeing it as a symbol that was for the LGBTQ+ community.

Baker also spoke on the topic of rainbow capitalism and the unethical labour conditions many rainbow flags and pride decor are made under today, noting that he didn’t design the flag for others to profit off of “rainbow junk.”

“Walking down Castro Street, I can’t pay my rent, but I see rainbow dildos in the shop windows and rainbow keychains, rainbow rings, rainbow candles and so on.”

In 1979, the flag was changed again. Baker wanted to decorate the street lamps along the pride parade route, so he combined the teal and indigo stripes in order to split the flag in half on each side of the street. In doing so, he created the six-stripe version of the flag most commonly used today. This new design became the standard for many years: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet.

In 1994, Baker moved to New York City, where he lived for the rest of his life. He continued his creative work and activism, and that year he created the world's largest flag in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riots. That same year, he advocated for the community to restore the flag to its original eight-stripe version.

On March 31, 2017, Baker died at home in his sleep. Shortly before his death, Gilbert Baker unveiled his final version of the rainbow flag; in response to the election of Donald Trump, Baker added a ninth stripe in lavender (above the hot pink stripe) to represent diversity. He said that he wanted to add the stripe for some time, as he recognized racism and sexism that are huge issues in the queer community. He had made 39 copies of this flag with the intention to have them displayed in San Francisco in June, for the 39th anniversary of the Rainbow Flag.

The original flags created in 1978 were lost until after Baker's death. A portion of one of the flags was found in Baker’s things in 2020 and was donated to the GLBT Historical Society in 2021. This section is the only known surviving piece of the two rainbow flags.

It is too easy to forget about the people behind the incredible achievements and moments of pride we feel for our community, which is why we must always put intentional effort into remembering and celebrating queer people who have done the work and are doing the work while we can. Baker created a source of pride for our community, and that accomplishment should not be forgotten, but neither should his other activism nor the everyday life he lived. Queer people, and our history, are worth remembering at every level. As we celebrate our community this month, we should look to the places where we can learn more, do better with and for each other, and uplift each other for the thing we do and the things we are. We are more than what we create, no matter how remarkable those things are. Happy pride month, everyone.

REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING

Disclaimer: some of the sources may contain triggering material

Allday, E. (2017, April 1). Gilbert Baker, designer of gay pride rainbow flag, dies. SFGATE. https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Gilbert-Baker-designer-of-the-rainbow-flag-dies-11042312.php

Baker, G., & Black, D. L. (2019). Rainbow Warrior: My Life in Color. Chicago Review Press.

Gilbert Baker Biography. (n.d.). Gilbert Baker. Retrieved June 26, 2022, from https://gilbertbaker.com/biography/

Gilbert Baker, Creator Of Rainbow LGBT Pride Flag, Dies. (n.d.). Retrieved June 26, 2022, from https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/gilbert-baker-creator-of-rainbow-lgbt-pride-flag-dies/

Gilbert Baker, Gay Activist Who Created the Rainbow Flag, Dies at 65 (Published 2017) (via: Nytimes.com). (n.d.). Retrieved June 26, 2022, from https://clearthis.page/?u=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/31/us/obituary-gilbert-baker-rainbow-flag.html

GLBT History Museum Presents “The Birth of the Rainbow Flag” | EDGE Palm Springs, CA. (n.d.). EDGE Media Network. Retrieved June 26, 2022, from https://palmsprings.edgemedianetwork.com/story.php?134270

How The Pride Rainbow Flag Came To Be. (2016, June 23). NBC News. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_bzpr2jalQ&t=150s

How the rainbow became the symbol of gay pride. (n.d.). Washington Post. Retrieved June 26, 2022, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/06/29/how-the-rainbow-became-the-symbol-of-gay-pride/

itlmedia. (2010, June 16). Gilbert Baker—The Gay Betsy Ross. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rx-SjnRf-c

Melendez, L. (2017, March 2). LGBTQ PRIDE: Gilbert Baker, creator of rainbow flag, shares story of strength and pride. ABC7 San Francisco. https://abc7news.com/pride-flag-rainbow-the-colors/1780322/

MoMA | MoMA Acquires the Rainbow Flag. (n.d.). Retrieved June 26, 2022, from https://www.moma.org/explore/inside_out/2015/06/17/moma-acquires-the-rainbow-flag/

Online Exhibition—Gilbert Baker. (n.d.). GLBT Historical Society. Retrieved June 26, 2022, from https://www.glbthistory.org/gilbert-baker

Our Enduring LGBTQ Symbols. (2017, March 9). San Francisco Bay Times. https://sfbaytimes.com/our-enduring-lgbtq-symbols/

Rainbow Flag Creator and Activist Gilbert Baker Has Died at 65. (2017, March 31). http://www.advocate.com/people/2017/3/31/rainbow-flag-creator-and-activist-gilbert-baker-has-died-65