Gay Rainbow

How did the rainbow come to represent the gay community?

I personally don't like it, heh i hate bright colors. But ya i am curious

The rainbow flag, sometimes called 'the freedom flag', was popularized as a symbol of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) pride and diversity by San Francisco artist Gilbert Baker in 1978. The different colors symbolize diversity in the gay community, and the flag is used predominantly at gay pride events and in gay villages worldwide in various forms including banners, clothing and jewelry. For the 25th Anniversary of the Stonewall riots held in 1994 in New York city a mile-long rainbow flag was created and post-parade cut up in sections that have since been used around the world.

Originally created with eight colors, pink and turquoise were removed for production purposes and as of 2008, it consists of six colored stripes, which should always be displayed with red on top or to left. Aside from the obvious symbolism of a mixed LGBT community, the colors were designed to symbolize: red (life), orange (healing), yellow (sunlight), green (nature), blue (harmony), and purple/violet (spirit). The removed colors stood for sex (pink) and art/magic (turquoise). It is most commonly flown with the red stripe on top, as the colors appear in a natural rainbow.[11] Another presumable origin is the Judy Garland myth among gay people: her film "Wizard of Oz" (with the central song Over the Rainbow) has often been interpreted as an allegory of a gay coming out.

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