Gilbert Pride Flag

The Gilbert Baker Pride Flag is the original eight-stripe rainbow flag flown at San Francisco's Gay Freedom Day celebration on June 25, 1978. Baker, an openly gay artist and drag performer encouraged by Harvey Milk, designed it as a positive symbol to replace the pink triangle. Each stripe carried a meaning: hot pink for sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, turquoise for magic and art, indigo for serenity, and violet for spirit. Hot pink fabric was hard to source, so the flag dropped to seven stripes, then to the familiar six (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet). The eight-stripe original is often revived today to honor Baker and the flag's roots.