The rainbow flag is a symbol of LGBT pride and social movements in use since the 1970s to express the community's identity and collective strength.

Originally designed by Gilbert Baker, who was an openly gay activist from San Francisco, the flag had 8 colors including hot pink (sexuality) and turquoise (magic). The first two flags were hand-dyed by 30 volunteers and used during the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day parade on June 25, 1978. Later, hot pink was removed due to fabric unavailability, and turquoise stripe was dropped to give the flag an even number. Nowadays, the most common variant of the flag consists of six stripes: red (means life), orange (healing), yellow (sunlight), green (nature), blue (serenity) and violet (spirit).

As the community’s rights are still under threat, Baker’s rainbow flag again and again becomes a source of strength and hope, and a symbol of unity of the LGBTQ+ people all around the world.

In the next post I am going to answer your questions on pride and LGBTQ+ community, so tell me in comments what would you like to read about.

-Love is love