On the night of June 12, the United States was the victim of a terrible terrorist attack. Over 50 people lost their lives at a club in the city of Orlando after an individual opened fire. A large part of the victims were linked to the LGBT community (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender). As a sign of homage, countries around the world have dressed their bridges and monuments in the colors of the “rainbow flag” (literally the rainbow flag). Back to the origin of this emblem.
It was in 1978, during the Gay and Lesbian parade in San Francisco, that several demonstrators displayed the “rainbow flag” for the first time. If originally eight colors (red, pink, orange, yellow, green, turquoise, blue and purple) adorned the fabric, today the flag has only six.
The rainbow flag, a symbol of the LGBT community was drawn by hand by an American graphic designer named Gilbert Baker in 1978, then 27 years old. The origin of the flag remains unclear. Some believe that the young graphic designer would have been inspired by the famous “flag of races”, used on American campuses in the 1960s.
Other exegetes see it as a reference to the famous song Over the rainbow, sung by Judy Garland in the movie The Wizard of Oz. However, opinions agree on one point: the different colors of the flag represent the diversity of sexual orientations.
Each color has a meaning: red stands for life and healing. Orange represents health and pride. Yellow, meanwhile, symbolizes light. Green corresponds to nature. Blue matches serenity and harmony while purple indicates the spirit.
Since 1978, the flag has evolved. The pink color has disappeared due to industrial stress. It was too complicated to reproduce. While the turquoise was removed on the death of Harvey Milk, so that the flag could be divided into two equal parts so that it could be displayed on both sides of the street.
Over the years, this flag has become a standard, a universal symbol that conveys a strong message: the freedom to love.
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