What led to the rainbow flag becoming a symbol for LGBT people? Hot pink was at the top, meaning sex, red meant life, orange meant healing, yellow meant sunshine, green meant nature, turquoise meant art, indigo meant harmony, and violet meant spirit. There were eight colors on the original flag, each of which signified something distinct. For example, pink is the color of sex, red is the color of life, orange is the color of healing, yellow is the color of sunlight, green is the color of nature, turquoise is the color of art, and violet is the color of harmony.īecause LGBT people come in a range of races, ages, genders, and colors, rainbows symbolize togetherness in nature. Since Baker viewed the Rainbow as a natural flag, he chose eight colors, each of which has a meaning. Baker was later revealed to have been urged to create a symbol of pride for the gay community by Harvey Milk, one of the first openly gay elected officials in the United States.īaker created a flag as a symbol of pride because he saw flags as the most powerful symbol. Gilbert Baker, a drag queen and openly gay artist designed the first rainbow flag in 1978. Up until that point, the Pink triangle had been used by the community as a symbol. On June 25, 1978, the first gay pride flags were flown at the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade.