2007-02-01 06:31:32 · 12 answers · asked by Daisy 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Cultures & Groups ➔ Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender
History of the Rainbow
Use of the rainbow flag by the gay community began in 1978 when it first appeared in the San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Freedom Day Parade. Borrowing symbolism from the hippie movement and black civil rights groups, San Francisco artist Gilbert Baker designed the rainbow flag in response to a need for a symbol that could be used year after year.
Baker and 30 volunteers hand-stitched and hand-dyed two huge prototype flags for the parade. The flags had eight stripes, each colour representing a component of the community: hot pink for sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sun, green for nature, turquoise for art, indigo for harmony, and violet for spirit.
The next year Baker approached San Francisco Paramount Flag Company to mass-produce rainbow flags for the 1979 parade. Due to production constraints - such as the fact that hot pink was not a commercially available colour (Darn!) - pink and turquoise were removed from the design, and royal blue replaced indigo.
This six-colour version spread from San Francisco to other cities, and soon became the widely-known symbol of gay pride and diversity it is today. It is officially recognized by the International Congress of Flag Makers. In 1994, a huge 30-foot-wide by one-mile-long rainbow flag was carried by 10,000 people in New York's Stonewall 25 Parade, commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall riots.
2007-02-01 06:37:34 · answer #1 · answered by fdm215 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The use of rainbow flags has a long tradition; they are displayed in many cultures around the world as a sign of diversity and inclusiveness, of hope and of yearning. This denotation goes back to the rainbow as a symbol of biblical promise when God gave the sign to Noah that there would never be a flood like the one that happened then ever again. The use of all the colors of the rainbow symbolizes all flags of gay people.
The original gay-pride flag was hand-dyed by Baker. It first flew in the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade on June 25, 1978, by Justin Fox, the lead singer of Last Blue Film. The flag consisted of eight stripes; Baker assigned specific meaning to each of the colors as follows:
hot pink - sexuality
red - life
orange - healing
yellow - sunlight
green - nature
turquoise - magic
blue - serenity
violet - spirit
2007-02-01 06:34:42 · answer #2 · answered by ZER0 C00L ••AM••VT•• 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Love the Wikipedia: The Rainbow flag began as a non-rainbow, multi-colored striped flag. initially it had 8 (somewhat of the present six) stripes, and everyone stood for a various component of the gay community. It replaced into designed interior the overdue 70's. After the assasination of Harvey Milk (the 1st openly gay mayor of San Francisco) call for for the flag very much extra advantageous, and warm pink replaced into dropped from the flag by using fact it replaced into too costly to mass produce. quickly therafer, it replaced into replaced to the present even sort of stripes. This has by using fact that advance into the main widely known version of the flag. Now it does not represent something particular in its colours, yet as a flag it represents the queer community. How precisely one defines "queer community" relies upon on who you ask.
2016-12-16 18:45:35 · answer #3 · answered by andie 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The use of rainbow flags has a long tradition; they are displayed in many cultures around the world as a sign of diversity and inclusiveness, of hope and of yearning.
That goes for all uses of the rainbow flag, not just in the gay community.
*cringes* as I recall how Fozzie Bear's remarks sound like so many bigots from the 60's when they were talking about the good blacks vs the uppity blacks......... HEY Fozzie! Join the 21st centruy dude!
2007-02-01 06:36:08 · answer #4 · answered by Tegarst 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Well let's see, first, Fozzie has gay friends like I have a republican boyfriend.....not effen likely.
Now as to the flag, it is a symbol diversity (that much Fozzie got right) but also represents the different stages of being (as someone was kind enough to list), finally it's just plain beautiful, and if its one thing gays love, its beauty.
2007-02-01 06:44:53 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
These colors of the rainbow makes us understand that when we are together and appreciate each other then we also form a rainbow of colors of friendship which looks beautiful from all angles.
2007-02-01 06:37:50 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
because gay people have colorful personalities.
and rainbow is colorful.
2007-02-01 08:29:40 · answer #7 · answered by binibining pilipina 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because it has all of the colors (symbolizing people of every color), and the gay community likes to think that they have the corner on diversity.
The gay people I know that I like don't wear rainbow pins and shove their sexual preference down everyone's throat. They just act like normal people, and they are accepted.
.
2007-02-01 06:33:34 · answer #8 · answered by FozzieBear 7 · 0⤊ 5⤋
a place where blue birds fly
2007-02-01 06:34:31 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
My guess happyness.
2007-02-01 06:43:22 · answer #10 · answered by missgigglebunny 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋