Creator of Rainbow Flag Shares His Memories of the Movement On
June 19, artist Gilbert Baker, who created the rainbow flag in
1978, shared his memories of that period and the flag’s creation
in a discussion at the GLBT Historical Society in San Francisco
with longtime activist and friend, Cleve Jones. The rainbow flag
is so iconic, so ubiquitous, so universally recognized, that
there is a habitual tendency to think that it has always flown
to represent queer Pride. Yet it is not so: it was created and
consciously adopted in the streets of San Francisco, when
activists spoke of gay liberation rather than LGBT acceptance in
the after-fires of the political fires of the late 1970s. And
no, it wasn’t created because we’re all friends of Dorothy.
"1977 -- that was a pivotal year," Baker said. "That was the
year of Anita Bryant. That was he year Harvey (Milk) was
elected. That was the year we became galvanized." It was also
the year after the American Bicentennial Celebration, a period
that Baker said made him more