The Rainbow Flag, now known as a global icon of the LGBTQ+ movement, was first presented in this form in July 1978 at the San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Freedom Day Parade.
Image gallery
Gilbert Baker, Rainbow Flag, 1978
A group led by artist and activist Gilbert Baker wanted to replace the “pink triangle”—which had often been used as a symbol of the movement but was associated with Nazi symbolism—with a positive, self-chosen symbol. According to Baker, he was inspired to design the flag by the striking presence of U.S. flags during the 200th anniversary of the United States.
In 2015, the original artwork was acquired by the Museum of Modern Art and exhibited for the first time in June of that year. The Rainbow Flag is on view here on loan from MoMA.
A special presentation by the National Gallery – State Museums of Berlin as part of the “We the People” program initiative of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation
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