From this week’s Flavorpill newsletter:
Until 1978, one of the gay community’s only logos was the pink triangle, originally created by the Nazis to identify homosexuals in concentration camps. Then Harvey Milk asked SF drag queen Gilbert Baker to design a more positive symbol. Inspired by the Rolling Stones’ song “She’s a Rainbow,” Baker came up with the rainbow flag. Each color in Baker’s original eight-striped flag represented an aspect of the LGBT community: hot pink for sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sun, green for nature, turquoise for art, indigo for harmony, and violet for spirit. Baker and 30 other volunteers hand-made two giant flags and flew them in the 1978 Gay Freedom Day Parade (the forerunner of SF Pride). Thirty-two years later, the flag reigns as a symbol of diversity — and never more so than during Pride. This month, salute its rainbow hues along Market Street and at hundreds of events — from same-sex swing classes in the Civic Center to drag Golden Girl episode reenactments.
- Joey Stevenson, Managing Editor
Isn’t that interesting? I always wondered about the rainbow flag’s provenance. Unfortunately, I won’t be partying in celebration of Pride Week in San Francisco the way I used to, but I will continue cherishing (and practicing) its message of diversity, acceptance, joy, and being true to yourself.