Original Pride Flag: A Heartwarming Homecoming
It was believed to have been destroyed and tossed away after suffering immense water damage, but it was actually existing inside a storage facility, damaged but still together. A hefty, dog-eared piece of the original rainbow flag—indisputably the single-most significant insignia of LGBTQ solidarity and queer civil rights movement—was rediscovered. The segment of the original rainbow flag rests in stillness inside a glass display box in the center of the GLBT Historical Society Museum in the Castro District of San Francisco, CA.
In June of 2021, San Francisco welcomed back the world’s original Pride flag which was considered lost for almost 40 years. This key, essential piece of LGBTQ and San Francisco history was created and made by Gilbert Baker in 1978.
Baker was stationed in San Francisco as a medic for the Army during the early years of the LGBTQ liberation movement circa 1970-1972. Living openly as a gay man, Baker swiftly became popular, known for his sewing expertise and loud designs, including vivacious drag queen costumes and bold political banners and signs. In 1978, Baker made two Pride flags, both including eight stripes: hot pink, red, orange, yellow, green, turquoise, purple, and violet; however, one flag’s colors were reversed with violet at the top, hot pink at the bottom, and detailed with a corner containing tie-dye stars on top of a blue background, believed to be a nod at the United States’ flag.
Baker strategically instituted rainbow colors to purposefully represent the diversity of humanity. Both muslin cotton rainbow flags were hand-dyed and hand-sewn by Baker and 30 other volunteers and activists. Each flag was approximately 30 feet high by 60 feet wide.
“People all around the world, it’s San Francisco they look to, the birthplace of the flag when they look to find that symbol of hope.”
The City of San Francisco and the world first saw the rainbow flags soar on June 28, 1978, for Gay Freedom Day, which also celebrated then San Francisco supervisor, Harvey Milk. Immediately following the celebration, the rainbow flag containing the tie-dye stars was stolen, and the other flag, which would be forever known as the Pride flag, was given to the manager at the San Francisco’s Gay Community Center to be stored. Unfortunately the flag was not seen as symbol of Pride, liberation, and freedom for the queer community (yet); it was seen as “last year’s decorations” and suffered a great deal of water damage credited to the building’s leaky roof, along with sun damage.
In 1979, the mucky flag was given back to Baker, where he cut off the destroyed parts and saved the piece of the flag that was still thriving. Baker reportedly had the fragmented flag on display in his home in New York City for a brief moment in the 80s, as an ode to the liberation in San Francisco memories and as basic wall decor. Baker then stored away the rainbow cotton along with his other fabric creations and costumes.
In 2017, Gilbert Baker died in New York City. Two years later, his sister discovered the remaining section of the flag amongst his belongings in storage in New York. This holy grail fabric had been lost and forgotten for nearly 40 years. After realizing the importance of this flag once thought of as “last year’s decoration” which had now transformed into the queer pride symbol of unity, she donated the flag to the Gilbert Baker Foundation, where it was displayed at Stonewall 50.
Now, in 2021, the flag has returned to its original home in San Francisco where it was made by Baker and flown with liberation in 1978. This historical piece of queer history was presented to the GLBT Historical Society in June and now is honorably exhibited inside a glass, sun-protective display case in the middle of the GLBT History Museum.
The original rainbow flag is the centerpiece of the exhibition entitled “Performance, Protest and Politics: The Art of Gilbert Baker.” The surviving fragment of the original Pride flag is entirely constructed of eight pieces of dyed cotton, with an average width of 43 inches. The sewing and construction are well done; however, they are not professionally assembled. The dyes and hues of the cotton fabric allude to a “do-it-yourself” appearance throughout. The historical flag is in fair-to-good condition. It shows wear, some soiling, and stains, likely from water damage, sun damage, and least favorable storage conditions.
The flag will be on display at the GLBT Historical Museum at least until the end of the year.
“People all around the world, it’s San Francisco they look to, the birthplace of the flag when they look to find that symbol of hope. We thought that though it’s only a fragment and can only be in a museum, the original flag should be right here in the Castro, where it was created,” says Charles Beal, an eternal friend of Gilbert Baker. Indeed the flag has had a heartwarming homecoming which Gilbert Baker surely would have embraced.
