The history and meaning of the LGBT rainbow flag, explained in 90 seconds

Gilbert Baker invented the LGBT rainbow flag
(Image credit: Time/YouTube)

On Friday, after the Supreme Court recognized a constitutional right to same-sex civil marriage nationwide, rainbows sprouted everywhere — gay-rights celebrations nationwide, the White House, Niagara Falls, the Empire State Building, the I-35 bridge in Minneapolis, probably your Facebook feed, and even in the mist from the water cannons Turkish police used to break up a gay pride parade on Sunday. But how did the rainbow become the symbol for gay rights?

A man named Gilbert Baker designed a rainbow flag for a gay pride parade in San Francisco in the 1970s, and it stuck, Time explains in the video below. Each color originally meant something, and you can listen to Baker explain why he chose a rainbow below. Peter Weber

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.