Lgbt sign

How Did the Rainbow Flag Become an LGBTQ+ Symbol?

It’s not uncommon to watch rainbow flags flying outside of homes and bars, pinned to shirts and on the advocate of bumpers—all with the proclamation that #LoveIsLove. But who created the rainbow flag, and why did it grow a symbol of the LGBTQ+ community?

The rainbow flag was created in by artist, designer, Vietnam War veteran and then-drag performer, Gilbert Baker. He was commissioned to generate a flag by another gay diva, politician Harvey Milk, for San Francisco’s annual pride parade.

The decision to enlist Baker proved serendipitous, as the thought of a flag to represent the gay and female homosexual community had occurred to him two years earlier. As Baker told the Museum of Current Art during a interview, he had been inspired by the celebrations marking America’s bicentennial in , noting that the constant show of stars and stripes made him realize the cultural need for a similar rallying signal for the male lover community. And as a struggling flamboyant performer who was accustomed to creating his own garments, he was well-equipped to sew the soon-

Our Logo

The Human Rights Campaign logo is one of the most recognizable symbols of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual and queer community. It has become synonymous with the fight for same rights for LGBTQ+ Americans.

The logo — unveiled in fall — helped usher in a new era for the organization, which had previously been acknowledged as the Human Rights Campaign Fund. When HRCF was founded in , it was primarily a fund for supporting pro-fairness congressional candidates. The rebranding in announced to the country that, in the words of then- Executive Director Elizabeth Birch, "We're so much more than a fund."

The logo was the final touch on a complete reorganization of HRC. In addition to the well-established lobbying and political action committee capabilities, new Foundation programs — including the Workplace Undertaking and Family Project — were added. All of HRC's research, communications, marketing and public relations functions were broadly expanded. HRC began a long period of robust growth and became respected as one of the largest and most effective mainstream activism organ

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Celebrate our 50th

The LGBTQI+ community has created their own language of colours and symbols.  In this guest blog Gillian Murphy, Curator for Equality, Rights and Citizenship at LSE Library, explores the symbols created through advocacy, logo competitions, resistance, and community.  LGBT+ History Month is celebrated each February in the UK.

LGBTQI+ symbols and their meanings

“Well, of course, a symbol can mean anything you desire it to mean.” Come Together, Issue 12,

The use of symbols and colours is an crucial way for groups to convey messages, communicate with others, and to erect a visual identity.  During the s, LGBTQI+ people were encouraged to arrive out and, in doing this, they often wore badges with distinctive symbols, reinforcing the belief that no longer would they be invisible.  This blog looks at some of the symbols that can be found in LGBTQI+ collections.

The gender symbols for male and female are traditionally derived from astrological signs and mythological meanings representing Mars (god of war with shield and spear) and Venus (mirror of Venus, goddess of love and beauty)