#SHAREOURHISTORY: Gilbert Baker
After completing his military service, Baker moved to San Francisco in the 1970s. This is where he started to use his artistic talents politically by designing banners for anti-war and pro-gay protests and marches. When friends and colleagues, including Harvey Milk, encouraged him to create a new symbol for the political Gay & Lesbian movement, Baker got to work. At this point, the pink triangle (a symbol used by Nazis during World War II to identify gays in concentration camps) was the most commonly used symbol for the Pride movement.
Because of the dark background of the pink triangle, both Baker and his friends and fellow activists felt that something new was needed to emphasize love and freedom. This approach eventually led to the well-known rainbow flag. The flag made its debut on June 25, 1978 during the San Francisco Pride. His career as a designer since then experienced one peak after the other. He was consistently hired for high-profile commissions. For the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, Baker reached a world record: He created a rainbow flag longer than 1.5 km!
In 2008 he worked on the film Milk, in which he recreated various banners and flags and even made a cameo in the film. The 65-year-old Baker passed away in his sleep on March 31, 2017.
