car sticker, button on clothes) shows, that the gay community has enormously gained in self-confidence. The open display of the flag in different forms (e.g. Over the last years the flag has gained popularity as a symbol. The original version had been designed in 1978 by Gilbert Baker, an artist from San Francisco, and has been changed several times since then due to printing reasons (colours). The rainbow colours symbolize plurality and love of life.
In San Francisco, the Rainbow Flag is everywhere: it can be seen hanging from apartment windows throughout the city (most notably in the Castro district), local bars frequently display the flag, and Rainbow Flag banners are hung from lamp posts on Market Street (San Francisco's main avenue) throughout Pride Month. Meanwhile, Baker is still in San Francisco, and still making more flags.
In 1989, the rainbow flag received nationwide attention after John Stout successfully sued his landlords in West Hollywood, when they prohibited him from displaying the flag from his apartment balcony.
Today it is recognized by the International Congress of Flag Makers, and is flown in lesbian and gay pride marches worldwide. Slowly the flag took hold, offering a colorful and optimistic alternative to the more common pink triangle symbol. In 1978, Gilbert Baker of San Francisco designed and made a flag with six stripes representing the six colors of the rainbow as a symbol of gay and lesbian community pride. The Alyson Almanac: A Treasury of Information for the Gay and Lesbian Community describes Rainbow Flag as follows: The multicultural symbolism of the rainbow is nothing new and it plays a part in many myths and stories related to gender and sexuality issues in Greek, Native American, African, and other cultures. The rainbow flag has become the easily-recognized colors of pride for the gay community. The plain 6 stripes does seem to be the flag of choice over the world and probably so for a simple reason of recognition: the flag is often use to mark "gay-friendly" (and in some places, "gay-safe") establishments, so you want to be sure that your target clientele will recognise you. The rainbow is a symbol of gay pride, as opposed to gay liberation, which used the pink triangle on various colored fields. Variations of the Gay Pride / Rainbow Flag.History of the Gay Pride / Rainbow Flag.
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