handprints along the building to show that they had been there.
developed a rainbow version that had eight colors, with a hot pink stripe later removed because it was difficult to dye. Though it was often called the “Gay Pride Flag” at first, it’s now come to represent a much broader community than just gay men. Today, Pride is much more inclusive of lesbians, bisexual people, and people who are trans or poly or asexual or queer. “Gay” as a catch-all term for anything gender-nonconforming is a fast-vanishing vestige of patriarchy. Over the years, the rainbow- striped Pride flag came to be thought of as the sole icon of Pride. But over the years, groups within the queer community felt the need to assert their presence as well. Lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and even leather groups created symbols for their communities, and over time came into more widespread use.
None of those symbols was particularly widespread in modern times, however. The history of the Pride flag can be traced back to Harvey Milk, the famous San Francisco city Supervisor, and his friend Gilbert Baker in the 1970s. Baker had served in the Army and moved to San Francisco following his honorable discharge. There, he befriended Milk, who challenged him to create a symbol for what was then more commonly called the gay community. Baker and a friend named Lynn Segerblom, also known as Faerie Argyle Rainbow,
Made with FlippingBook. PDF to flipbook with ease