PRIDE FACT 3
Gilbert Baker and the first pride flag!

The original pride flag was created in San Francisco in the 1978 by gay activist Gilbert Baker, at the request of his friend of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California. He dyed the fabrics himself and, with the help of volunteers, stitched together eight strips of brilliant color into a huge banner that spoke volumes: hot pink stood for sexuality, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for the sun, green for nature, turquoise blue for art, indigo for harmony and violet for spirit. He remembers vividly the moment when his new flag was first raised: “It all goes back to the first moment of the first flag back in 1978 for me. Raising it up and seeing it there blowing in the wind for everyone to see. It completely astounded me that people just got it, in an instant like a bolt of lightning – that this was their flag. It belonged to all of us. It was the most thrilling moment of my life. Because I knew right then that this was the most important thing I would ever do – that my whole life was going to be about the Rainbow Flag.”

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Source: A Brief History of the Rainbow Flag | San Francisco Travel (sftravel.com)