Faith

This Is How the Rainbow Flag Became a Global Gay Rights Symbol

Gilbert Baker Talks About His Gay Rights Rainbow Flag

(Image Credit: Gilbert Baker)

As most Christians know, the rainbow has Biblical roots, but it has also become the symbol of the international gay rights movement. This dichotomy, which is certainly interesting, causes one to wonder how the imagery came to be known as a rallying cry for gays and lesbians across the globe.

Recently, CBS Chicago caught up with Gilbert Baker, 60, the man who created the rainbow flag — one of the most recognizable symbols in the world. In an interview with the outlet, Baker, described his reasoning for using the image that is invoked in Genesis as a symbol of the covenant God formed with man.

“The rainbow came to mind almost instantly as an obvious expression of diversity and acceptance,” Baker explained. “The rainbow is a part of nature and you have to be in the right place to see it. It’s beautiful, all of the colors, even the colors you can’t see. That really fit us as a people because we are all of the colors. Our sexuality is all of the colors. We are all the genders, races and ages.”

It was in 1978, when Baker was commissioned by the San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Pride Parade to come up with something that could represent the community and be used annually. He spent time studying the rainbow’s placement in Biblical teaching, Native communities and the 1960s hippie culture and inevitably decided to use it to promote the movement.

Gilbert Baker Talks About His Gay Rights Rainbow Flag

CBS has more about Baker’s background and the flag that has grown into a cultural icon for the gay rights:

In his 20’s at the time, Baker, who was born in Kansas, settled in San Francisco after being discharged from the Army following a tour of duty in Vietnam. He taught himself how to sew and began using his new talent to make banners for gay events and marches. That’s how he met and became friends with Harvey Milk, who became the first openly-gay elected supervisor of San Francisco in 1977. Milk rode under Baker’s flag when it debuted to the public during the 1978 pride parade. Milk was assassinated later that year.

The first design of the Rainbow Flag included eight stripes, each a different color with its own symbolism. Pink represented sex, red represented life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, blue for art, indigo for harmony, and violet for the human spirit. Pink had to be dropped because at that time, it was not a commercially available color. Indigo would later be removed so that the flag would have an even six stripes.

Watch Baker describe his work in a 2008 interview, below:

Baker’s flag has been released into the public domain, which essentially means that it can be reproduced and re-purposed by anyone who seeks to utilize it. This matches his own views on the symbol, which he says “belongs to the people.” Baker also believes that it’s an image that is here to stay — one that will likely be embraced by generations to come.

“I think the Rainbow Flag will survive forever, primarily because it’s the perfect flag, regardless of whatever political meaning it may have or evolve to,” he said. “A rainbow is something in the sky, so a rainbow flag fits.”

You can read more about Baker and his creation here.

Comments (103)

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  • Infected
    Posted on June 26, 2012 at 9:48am

    Why is it that at the end of a multi colored rainbow, that it turns brown??

    Report Post » Infected  
  • Wurlitzer28
    Posted on June 26, 2012 at 9:44am

    I guess all the ignorance SSAD supporters carrying their rainbow flags must be racists. If they were not so ignorant of not only what to do with their sex bits, they would know when you combine all the colors of the rainbow you get…..WHITE.

    Report Post »  
    • Texasboy002
      Posted on June 27, 2012 at 12:09am

      Actually it black, the absence of color. roy g biv to black.hrmm

      Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, then white to black.

      Report Post »  
  • Truthbeliever2
    Posted on June 26, 2012 at 9:42am

    “THIS IS HOW THE RAINBOW FLAG BECAME A GLOBAL GAY RIGHTS SYMBOL”

    Who gives a flying ****?

    The people that flag represent make me want to puke. You people are so disgusting.

    Report Post » Truthbeliever2  
    • The Sergeant Major
      Posted on June 26, 2012 at 12:00pm

      Over the weekend I attended a Rodeo parade in downtown Hollister, Calif and the float for the democratic party had “rainbow flags” on the float with the obama signs. I was appalled to not see the US Flag. The people of Calif ere immune to this message from the dems.

      Pray for the Family!

      Report Post » The Sergeant Major  
  • djeffcoat
    Posted on June 26, 2012 at 9:37am

    Perversion is still perversion, no matter what color you try to paint it.

    Report Post »  
    • HorseCrazy
      Posted on June 26, 2012 at 12:17pm

      you are correct. besides this being a biblical symbol it is also a favorite symbol for children. kids love rainbows draw them paint them etc its just one more perversion of the gay movement. these folks cannot stop trying to be the center of attention as if our acceptance will somehow make them feel better about their perversions. it won‘t gays it won’t

      Report Post »  
  • romadave
    Posted on June 26, 2012 at 9:35am

    Please excuse an extended quote from Genesis, it really is instructive and facinating. I am not trying to be bigoted and fundamentalist, but I’m just quoting from a very interesting story.

    Genesis 9, after Noah’s family came out of the Ark and saw the rainbow.

    “The Sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth… Noah a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vinyard. When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside.

    But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father’s naked body. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father naked.

    When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, he said ‘Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.’ ”

    >>> So we see that sexual ‘sin’ did not perish from the Earth with the flood. And maybe homosexuality IS a genetic trait… among the descendants of Ham.

    It might also explain why a loving God could order the Israelites later in history to exterminate the Canaanites when they entered the promised land.

    And this explains perfectly the choice of the Rainbow as a symbol of homosexuality.

    Report Post »  
    • Annie Fannie
      Posted on June 26, 2012 at 11:53am

      Romadave, if you would look back to the original translation, you would see that there is an idiom used in that scripture and it doesn’t have anything to do with homosexuality. It’s quite the opposite. The scripture says that Ham “uncovered the nakedness” of his father. That idiom means “having sexual relations with the wife of the father.” Ham seeing his father naked is not forbidden in scripture, but having relations with his mom is strictly forbidden. That is the reason for the curse. Ham slept with his mom! This is a common misunderstanding that has come about by people not properly translating the language of the day. I hope this clears up any misunderstanding you have on that scripture.

      Report Post » Annie Fannie  
    • kryptonite
      Posted on June 26, 2012 at 4:57pm

      ANNIE,
      You are misreading the text (or your spiritual leader is)! Nowhere does it say that Ham “uncovered the nakedness” of his father. That idiomatic expression is used in Lev. 18, but not here. The text says that Ham “SAW the nakedness of his father.” The Hebrew word is “RA’AH” meaning “see, observe, look upon, perceive, watch, etc.” Nowhere does that word have a sexual connotation in the OT. Moreover, it says that Shem and Japheth walked backwards and “covered the nakedness of their father,” and because their faces were turned backward, they “SAW NOT the nakedness of their father…” The same word is used, plus the negative. “Covered” is “KACAH,” used as clothe numerous times in the OT, e.g., “you shall make them linen breeches to Kacah their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs (Ex. 28:42); And she put her widow’s garments off from her, and kACAH her with a veil, and wrapped herself, and sat in an open place (Gen. 38:14). Notice that “cover the nakedness” is a literal act. “UN-cover the nakedness” is idiomatic for having “incest,” which became forbidden much later, when sin had taken its toll on human genes and societal perceptions. (CONT.)

      Report Post »  
    • kryptonite
      Posted on June 26, 2012 at 5:03pm

      @ANNIE FANNIE (CONT.)
      Also, there is no way that the verses related to Shem and Japheth would make sense, since they could not use a mere garment to cover for adultery or rape, which is what this sin would have amounted to. Also, ponder this: committing adultery with or raping one’s mother would have been an abomination to God. The Lord would have had to KILL Ham himself. And whether his mother was complicit or not, it would have had to be addressed by Noah (and Moses in this narrative). Thus neither the language nor the spiritual context allow for sexual intercourse of any nature in this passage.

      Report Post »  
    • kryptonite
      Posted on June 26, 2012 at 7:59pm

      @ROMADAVE
      Your take is interesting, but that would be a second layer of interpretation given in allegorical language. Maybe; I’ll meditate on it. :) In re the first layer, i.e., the actual events, we don’t know the details because Moses doesn’t dwell on Noah’s sin, but this is my take:

      We know that Noah got wasted and passed out undressed. We also know that Ham’s reaction to Noah’s consequent nakedness (the “-ness” part is significant, since that is how Adam and Eve felt after they sinned) was disrespectful, because the other two sons behaved in exactly the opposite way. Delving deeper, it shows that he had a lax attitude towards sin.

      We don’t know if Canaan was directly involved in Noah’s drunken state or the subsequent indecent exposure of his private parts, BUT the biblical account strongly suggests that he did, because Ham is singled out at the beginning of this passage as Canaan’s father. So my guess is that Canaan already had a reputation and/or was directly involved in the incident itself. (CONT.)

      Report Post »  
    • kryptonite
      Posted on June 26, 2012 at 8:05pm

      @ROMADAVE (CONT.)

      Ham was Noah’s youngest son, and Canaan was Ham’s youngest son, so that may have been God’s way of meting out an “eye for an eye.” However, that stretches the boundaries of “eye for an eye” beyond the biblical standard, since clearly nothing happened to Ham himself, and I don’t see any other situation in the Bible where the children alone AND only one of them pays for his father’s sin. Moreover, God visits the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations (Ex. 20:5), but ALL the generations in Canaan’s bloodline were utterly wicked and depraved even by our modern standards, which strongly suggests that this curse fell on Canaan because he displayed the same traits as his father, only magnified.

      It took me years to fully understand generational curses and why God had to wipe out entire cities or peoples before the coming of Christ. Mafias and cartels are modern-day examples of how wickedness-perversion runs in families, and how it is perfected (as in “sharpened”) with each passing generation.

      Report Post »  
  • charjan
    Posted on June 26, 2012 at 9:22am

    One of my biggest gripes with the homosexual community is their bully tactics – touting those that see homosexuality as sin and degenerative to society as “haters”. If you disagree with them, they bully the political scene through politicians and leaders, and brand opposers as “haters”. They demand opposition to be silenced and punished. I will always be opposed to the wickedness of homosexuality, without hating the people involved and it is this, they cannot live with. There will be NO (zero) homosexuality in heaven.

    Report Post »  
    • Veteran Patriot
      Posted on June 26, 2012 at 12:37pm

      These bully tactics are not about acceptance, they are ENFORCEMENT!!!

      Report Post »  
    • walrus808
      Posted on June 26, 2012 at 3:46pm

      charjan, they don’t use those bully tactics on just those outside of the community either. Many of us within the gay community do not like the “ends justify the means” tactics that are used by them and these activists will use these tactics on their own! I would like to be accepted by the manner in which I conduct myself, not the manner in which I shove my agenda down your throat. If you have any gay friends that are conservative, ask them how they are treated when they express their views. We’re seen in the same light as black conservatives are, traitors to our cause. In the end, the only way we are going to come back together as a country is to let freedom prevail and love one another as he loves us and not worry about what the Jones are doing across the street.

      Report Post »  
  • carbonated
    Posted on June 26, 2012 at 9:20am

    “Our sexuality is all of the colors. We are all the genders, races and ages.”

    “…and ages”. See! They ARE coming for your children. The dream of the sexual perverse is NO LIMITS. NO MORALS. Just sex whenever, wherever, with whomever or whatever you want – even if that means with children, or animals. It is the abolition of morality.

    Using a symbol of God’s promise to represent the abolition of that which is good, is mocking God.

    Report Post »  
    • kryptonite
      Posted on June 26, 2012 at 12:03pm

      They already did. The fact that gay couples can adopt means they now have the worst kind of control over our children. Can you imagine a boy growing up role-modeling a man (two, actually) who is not a man? Same for girls. It is sickening, and the worst kind of perversion. Those children will grow up with a gay view of life as well. Obama has played a significant role in spreading both abortion and homosexual “rights” across the U.S. and around the world. The spiritual and moral harm he is causing is under-reported or just not evident, even to many Christians.

      Report Post »  
    • Smokey_Bojangles
      Posted on June 26, 2012 at 2:57pm

      Larry Brinkin

      Report Post » Smokey_Bojangles  
  • DIVINEPROVIDENCE1776
    Posted on June 26, 2012 at 9:16am

    That’s a horrid comment.

    Report Post » DIVINEPROVIDENCE1776  
  • kiwi1
    Posted on June 26, 2012 at 9:15am

    Interesting article. I was curious how the Rainbow, which used to be connected with Biblical teaching, as a promise from God, started being Used in this way. It’s another case of turning things upside down, right is wrong, wrong is right, Truth is a Lie, the Lie is the Truth. This is more of what Michelle was referring to when she said “We have to change our Traditions, We have to change our language” etc. This is just the type of thing that Progressives (commies/marxiists) do. They change the meaning of words and symbols. We really should recapture the Biblical meaning of the Rainbow once again as Gods promise so future generations know that this beautiful symbol from the Bible has been hijacked by the left.

    Report Post »  
  • biffo
    Posted on June 26, 2012 at 9:02am

    In September of 2010, Reuters reported: “Nearly one in five gay and bisexual men in 21 major U.S. cities are infected with HIV, and nearly half of them do not know it”. A September 2010 report of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported : “Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) represent approximately 2% of the US population, yet are the population most severely affected by HIV and are the only risk group in which new HIV infections have been increasing steadily since the early 1990s. In 2006, MSM accounted for more than half (53%) of all new HIV infections in the United States…” In August of 2009, LifeSiteNews reported: “An official with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced the CDC’s estimate Monday that in the United States AIDS is fifty times more prevalent among men who have sex with men (‘MSM’) than the rest of the population.” Of newly diagnosed HIV infections in the United States during the year 2003, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimated that about 63% were among men who were infected through sexual contact with other men.
    Wave that flag, boys, wave that flag…

    Report Post »  
    • Dismayed Veteran
      Posted on June 26, 2012 at 2:51pm

      I thought MSM meant Main Stream Media. I guess we are talking about the same thing.

      Report Post » Dismayed Veteran  
    • kryptonite
      Posted on June 26, 2012 at 8:39pm

      @DISMAYED VETERAN
      LOL! I think it’s the so-called sex vs. gender distinction. The official term used to be “male-on-male,” but I guess since the faaries have a peenis instead of a p e n i s, and “bawls” instead of b a l l s, THEY, namely, the MSM, academia and all the other cultural rapists in this country, dropped the word “male” and opted for a long, unnecessary phrase to label qu*eer sex.

      Report Post »  
  • Tankertony
    Posted on June 26, 2012 at 9:01am

    The left are masters at manipulation and deception. Make a colorful and happy symbol to represent something that is anything but.
    In electoral politics, even as recently as the 80′s, republican states were coded in blue, the democrats in red. But that was making things too obvious, red representing marxist revolution and leftist upheaval. So they got together with their media friends and simply changed the colors around.
    Deception is the primary tool of evil.

    Report Post » Tankertony  
  • HigherRoad
    Posted on June 26, 2012 at 8:56am

    Interesting that the rainbow was chosen as the Gay Pride symbol. God gave Noah the rainbow as a symbol of His promise not to destroy the earth by flood again. The Great Flood, of course, was sent because humanity had become too depraved to exist! Do I see some irony here?

    Report Post »  
  • Carol1955
    Posted on June 26, 2012 at 8:54am

    If people who don’t care for the concept of the rainbow being associated with the gay movement are bigots what do you call the people who mock them for their beliefs? We need not surrender the rainbow to become just a symbol of the gay movement. Their multicolored banners are simply multicolored banners. The rainbow is a sign of a covenant between God and mankind.

    Report Post »  
  • reasonableconservative
    Posted on June 26, 2012 at 8:53am

    The whole reason for the biblical flood was because the fallen angels (demons) inter-bred with women which would have resulted in the genetic obliteration of humanity within 120 years according to Genesis 6. God dealt with this situation by wiping everything out that pursued or was a result of the pursuit of “unnatural flesh.“ Only Noah and his family were ”righteous“ which is a poorly translated word which really means ”forensically pure.” Noah and his family had not been tainted by the demons. Therefore, they were saved in order to allow the human race to continue. The rainbow IS God’s promise that He will never flood the earth again because Messiah has come. Messiah spoke of how things would be prior to His return in Luke 17–”as in the days of Noah.” Genetic obliteration is happening all around us: sex-selective abortions, genetic manipulation to achieve the star of the sports team or the virtuoso are just a couple of examples. It is no mistake that people who pursue unnatural flesh today have removed the color indigo from the real rainbow. Indigo is God’s color. Hmm. Coincidental or other?

    Report Post »  
  • momrules
    Posted on June 26, 2012 at 8:47am

    Whenever I see a rainbow in God’s sky I tend to marvel at the beauty of it and the promise from God that it represents.
    ……….I never think about the homosexuals that have *claimed* it to represent them while watching God’s glory..

    Report Post »  
  • jackact
    Posted on June 26, 2012 at 8:39am

    I wonder how it will be received in the future when we start waving ‘Hetero Sexual Rights’ and ‘Hetero Marriage Rights’ flags.
    ….And we will too.

    Report Post »  
    • Lloyd Drako
      Posted on June 26, 2012 at 10:19am

      Can you suggest a design for a hetero flag? Perhaps the gay one turned upside down, with violet on top and red on the bottom?

      Report Post » Lloyd Drako  
    • DarthMims
      Posted on June 26, 2012 at 11:55am

      DRAKO, red on the bottom is what started the movement.

      Report Post » DarthMims  
  • 1956
    Posted on June 26, 2012 at 8:38am

    Awwww… and I always thougth it had to do with Dorothy loving “Over the Rainbow”singing transvestites. I was wrong….

    Report Post » 1956  
  • The Catbird
    Posted on June 26, 2012 at 8:33am

    The Almighty phoned in… He wants His rainbow back NOW!

    Report Post » The Catbird  
    • 4truth2all
      Posted on June 26, 2012 at 8:52am

      Did that 2000 years ago on the cross. Now we patiently wait on His patience.

      Report Post »  
    • DeathRattle
      Posted on June 26, 2012 at 11:03am

      It can’t be soon enough, Lord we are ready.

      Report Post » DeathRattle  
  • toomuchgovt
    Posted on June 26, 2012 at 8:27am

    Aren’t we always told how imaginative and creative “they” are, so why is it they must steal other symbols, words and images in order to define themselves? I always hear conservatives don‘t ’get it’ because we a “boring, have no creativity and unimaginative”. Well from what I see on the big screen and TV (now run by the extreme left and their cronies) I’m and bored.

    Report Post » toomuchgovt  
  • teddyc73
    Posted on June 26, 2012 at 8:26am

    I heard that Rainbow Bright has been so traumatized by the rainbow being taken over by gay people that she dyed her hair black, became a drug addict, and legally changed her name to just Bright.

    Report Post »  
    • troymac20
      Posted on June 26, 2012 at 10:45am

      Yeah right…..like Rainbow Brite wasn’t gay

      Report Post » troymac20  
    • formidable_foe
      Posted on June 26, 2012 at 5:12pm

      Yeah, it kind of aggravates me that the homosexual community hijacked the rainbow for their flag. Now, people can‘t enjoy one of nature’s most beautiful events without thinking about homosexuals. Then again, I guess they couldn’t very well use a big rear end or a ***** on their flag.

      Report Post » formidable_foe  
  • lqtm
    Posted on June 26, 2012 at 8:24am

    LOL just read this little gem of an article and was looking forward to making fun of some bigots, but the two posts that are up each have spelling errors that reveal the people posting them are mentally handicapped, which takes the fun out of it. I will say I find the idea that gays stole the rainbow from Christians very funny. You poor things just can’t catch a break can you?

    Report Post »  
    • huntinwabbits
      Posted on June 26, 2012 at 8:42am

      LOL I just read this little article and was looking forward to making fun of some gay lovers, but your post that is up has a horribly long run on sentence that reveals the person posting it is mentally handicapped, which takes the fun out of it.

      – see what I did there?

      Report Post »  
    • Wayn007
      Posted on June 26, 2012 at 8:49am

      The **** community has a habit of corrupting words and symbols…even the word “gay” which used to mean happy and playful has come to represent sexual immorality and a perverted lifestyle. Your comment is typical of a condescending liberal troll…condescending and sarcastic when you read something that you perceive to be in your favor, but quick to kick and scream “hate speech” when someone says something you don’t agree with.

      Report Post »  
    • Steelheadisadouche
      Posted on June 26, 2012 at 9:25am

      Wayne
      Lets not forget the all powerfull scream an scratch routine perfected by the LGBLTers. LQTM sounds like a rainbow man. Steelhead is barely out of the closet, but special indeed.

      Report Post »  
    • Steelhead
      Posted on June 26, 2012 at 9:30am

      Wow , now I have a stalker. Must have really got into your head dbag

      Report Post » Steelhead  
    • Steelheadisadouche
      Posted on June 26, 2012 at 9:41am

      All this talk of head and db’s on the rainbow page. Mmmm. Ding ding ding. Scream and scratch Head.

      Report Post »  
    • formidable_foe
      Posted on June 26, 2012 at 5:24pm

      @Wayn007,

      I refuse to use the word “gay.“ They are ”homosexuals,” and that’s the term I exclusively use.

      Report Post » formidable_foe  
  • Steelhead
    Posted on June 26, 2012 at 8:21am

    Billy are you afraid the gays adopted a so called Christian symbol?

    Report Post » Steelhead  
  • Baddoggy
    Posted on June 26, 2012 at 8:21am

    Wave one of those in rural Texas around some of our kids and see what it is…

    Report Post » Baddoggy  
  • JamesonLewis3rd
    Posted on June 26, 2012 at 8:19am

    Jesse Jackson is a rainbow lover, isn’t he?

    Report Post » JamesonLewis3rd  
  • blanco5
    Posted on June 26, 2012 at 8:18am

    I would say that he defled the rainbow!

    Report Post »  
    • blanco5
      Posted on June 26, 2012 at 8:23am

      “defiled” —-haven’t finished the first cup of coffee yet!

      Report Post »  
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