A Brief 历史 of the Rainbow Flag

In 1974, Baker’s life changed forever when he met Harvey Milk, who showed him “how action could create change.” Three years after they met, 米尔克当选为贝博体彩app监事会成员，这使他成为第一个在美国主要城市担任高级公职的公开同性恋者. Milk, once known fondly as the Mayor of Castro St., had campaigned on a positive message of hope for young gay people, 说, “The only thing they have to look forward to is hope. And you have to give them hope.” After winning the election, 米尔克向吉尔伯特·贝克提出挑战，让他为同性恋群体设计一个骄傲的象征——一个粉色三角形的积极替代品. The pink triangle, once imposed by Nazis to identify and persecute homosexuals, 在70年代作为纪念和反抗迫害的大胆象征被重新利用. 它仍然被广泛使用，经常与彩虹旗一起或叠加在彩虹旗上.

Inspired, Baker began working on a flag. He dyed the fabrics himself and, with the help of volunteers, 将8条鲜艳的彩带拼接成一条巨大的横幅，寓意深远:粉色代表性感, 红色代表生命, 橙色 for healing, 黄色的 for the sun, 绿色为自然, turquoise 蓝色的 for art, indigo for harmony and violet for spirit. He remembers vividly the moment when his new flag was first raised:

“对我来说，这一切都可以追溯到1978年第一面国旗升起的那一刻. 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 lightening – that this was their flag. It belonged to all of us. It was the most thrilling moment of my life. 因为那时我就知道，这是我一生中要做的最重要的事情——我的一生都将与彩虹旗有关.”

他手工制作的几面彩虹旗在1978年贝博体彩app“同性恋自由日”游行(现称贝博体彩app同性恋自由日游行)中飘扬。. 很快，贝克找到派拉蒙旗帜公司，准备批量生产这些旗帜. 唉, fuchsia flag fabric was not readily available, but Paramount began selling a seven-striped version (red, 橙色, 黄色的, 绿色, 蓝色的, indigo and violet). According to one source, 这些旗帜是多余的，最初是为国际彩虹女子骑警会制作的, a Masonic organization for young women, 但彩虹旗已经在整个贝博体彩app被公认为同性恋骄傲的象征.

On the morning of Nov. 27, 1978, 贝博体彩app收到了令人震惊的消息:市长乔治·莫斯科尼和监督员哈维·米尔克在市政厅被暗杀. Grief and rage galvanized San Franciscans – especially gay activists.

同性恋自由日委员会(现在叫贝博体彩app同性恋骄傲庆祝委员会)很快决定，1979年同性恋自由日游行时，应该在市场街两侧的灯杆上悬挂彩虹旗. They split the colors onto two flags, flying each of the three-striped flags on alternate sides of the street. 他们去掉了靛蓝条纹，使之成为六种颜色，国旗开始制作.

这面六条纹彩虹旗很快就自豪地飘扬在贝博体彩app的许多家庭和企业外面. 事实上, wherever a symbol of pride and hope was needed, the rainbow appeared: on keychains, 咖啡杯, t恤, bumper stickers – you name it.

In 1988, John Stout of West Hollywood, CA, 他起诉了房东，要求他们有权在他公寓的阳台上悬挂彩虹旗. 他赢了，从那以后，许多捍卫自己展示彩虹旗权利的人也赢了. Recently, Gilbert 贝克说,

“The flag is an action – it’s more than just the cloth and the stripes. 当一个人把彩虹旗挂在他的汽车或房子上时，他们不仅仅是在悬挂一面旗帜. They’re taking action.”

Baker went on to design flags for other events, including state visits to San Francisco by the President of Italy; the President of France; the Premier of China; the President of the Philippines; the President of Venezuela, and the King of Spain. He designed flags for the 1984 Democratic National Convention, the 1985 Super Bowl, San Francisco Symphony Black and White Balls, 以及1979年至1993年贝博体彩app同性恋自由日游行的舞台和街道装饰. In 1994 Baker created the history-making, 为纪念同性恋民权运动25周年，在纽约竖起了长达一英里的彩虹旗. 吉尼斯世界纪录认定长达一英里的石墙彩虹旗是世界上最大的旗帜.

Recalling one of the defining moments in his career, 贝克说, “当我知道这面旗帜超越了我个人的经历——它不仅仅是我做的东西，而是正在发生的事情——那是1993年的华盛顿大游行. 我在贝博体彩app的家中通过C-SPAN频道观看了游行，看到成千上万的人举着彩虹旗，挥舞着我从未想象过的规模.”

好消息:在国旗面料生产中，艳粉色不再是一种非标准颜色. 贝克最近制作了世界上最长的彩虹旗，并恢复了原来的八种颜色，以庆祝这面旗的银婚纪念日. The Rainbow25 Sea-to-Sea Flag – 1.25 miles long – was unfurled in Key West, FL on June 15, 2003. 国旗的部分将与全球100多个城市共享, and eight-stripe flags are now widely available.