June 25, 1978: The first Rainbow Flags Flown at Gay Freedom Day Parade

June 25, 1978, the first Rainbow Flags were flown at the Gay Freedom Day parade in San Francisco. Designed by Gilbert Baker and created with the help of others, the flag representing the “rainbow of humanity” quickly became an international symbol of gay liberation.

Baker, who co-chaired the Decorations Committee for the event, was tasked by Harvey Milk and others with creating a new symbol for the gay community. The rainbow design was chosen to highlight diversity in the community. “We have gays of all colors,” one organizer remarked.

Debuted at the parade with the original eight colors, each representing a different symbolic attribute of the community, the flag was later reproduced with only six. Later asked of its meaning for the movement, Baker said “This was our new revolution. It deserved a new symbol.”

The parade drew over 250,000 into the streets, a larger than usual crowd in part due to mobilzation against California Proposition 6, also known as the Briggs Initiative, a state ballot measure that aimed to ban gay and lesbian teachers from working in California public schools.

Prop 6 was inspired by singer and bigot Anita Bryant’s highly publicized effort to repeal a recently passed anti-discrimination ordinance in Dade County, Florida. Her “Save Our Children” campaign launched a wave of anti-gay legislation across the country targeting gay teachers.

A diverse coalition that included teachers, church leaders, labor unions, and even gay Republican officials, led the fight to defeat Prop 6. Asked about the Briggs Initiative at the parade, Tacky Ruth of the Reno Comstock Gay Rodeo said “We’re going to win.”

Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in California, who was sworn in as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors that year, campaigned against Prop 6 across the state and publicly debated Briggs. In November, Prop 6 failed to pass.

Later that month, Harvey Milk and George Moscone were assassinated by former Supervisor Dan White. After their deaths, demand for the rainbow flag greatly increased. The flag began to be mass produced and was taken up as a militant symbol of gay liberation.