It’s also one of the most iconic flags flown globally. It flies at the corner of Castro and Market streets, a sign of The City’s storied history as a bedrock of LGBTQ life. San Francisco’s Rainbow Flag holds a prominent spot in San Francisco’s collective identity. He did not trademark the design, hoping instead it would be replicated and easy to spread around the country and the world as a symbol of collective action.
Gilbert Baker, a San Francisco activist, artist and LGBTQ+ advocate, stitched the original flag for the 1978 Pride Parade in United Nations Plaza. Thought to be lost due to water damage while in storage nearly 40 years ago, a piece of the original Rainbow Flag, which helped define the LGBTQ civil rights movement, was discovered in 2019. An important part of San Francisco history is finally coming home.
