No. 001 · Rainbow and umbrella
Gilbert Baker original rainbow
The first rainbow pride flag: eight hand-dyed, hand-sewn stripes made for San Francisco's 1978 Gay Freedom Day Parade.
- Creator
- Gilbert Baker
- Introduced
- 1978
- Design
- 8 stripes
- License
- Free for everyone
What the colors mean
Hot pink #FF69B4
Sex.
Red #FF0000
Life.
Orange #FF8E00
Healing.
Yellow #FFFF00
Sunlight.
Green #008E00
Nature.
Turquoise #00C0C0
Magic and art.
Indigo #400098
Serenity.
Violet #8E008E
Spirit.
History
Artist and activist Gilbert Baker designed the rainbow flag with a team of volunteers who dyed and sewed the fabric by hand. It flew for the first time on June 25, 1978, at the Gay Freedom Day Parade in San Francisco.
Baker gave every stripe a meaning and never claimed ownership. He wanted the flag to be a free symbol that belonged to everyone, and he never filed a trademark or copyright on it.
Hot pink fabric was hard to find in quantity, so it was the first color to go once the flag went into mass production, leaving a seven stripe version for a short time.
Download
Gilbert Baker never trademarked or copyrighted the design and intended it as a free symbol for all.
Where to buy
Affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate, My Pride Flag earns from qualifying purchases.
Related flags
Sources
- A Brief Look at the Pride Flag's History and IP, IPOsgoode, York University
- Pride flag, Wikipedia
Last reviewed 2026-10-31. Spot an error? Suggest a correction.