As the issue of gay marriage continues to be debated America, many supporters can often be seen flying the rainbow-striped LGBT pride flag in support of same-sex rights.
Here are four facts about the rainbow flag and its history.
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1. The flag’s beginning
Harvey Milk, one of America’s first openly gay elected politicians, asked his friend Gilbert Baker to create a symbol of pride that could represent the gay community,
says San Francisco Travel. Baker came up with the idea for the rainbow flag in 1978, reportedly inspired by "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" in "The Wizard of Oz,"
according to "Queer Sites: Gay Urban Histories Since 1600."
2. Eight stripes
The original flag had eight colors. These eight colors included hot pink to represent sexuality, orange for healing, red for life, yellow for the sun, turquoise for art, green for nature, indigo for harmony, and violet for spirit.
3. Six stripes
A few years later, the eight-stripe flag was broken up into six colors. The hot pink color was eliminated due to mass production fabric color restrictions, said San Francisco Travel. After Harvey Milk's assassination, turquoise was removed so the rest of the flag’s colors could be divided evenly during the parade, with three colors on one side of the street and three more on the other side.
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4. Largest flag
The largest LGBT pride flag was 30 feet wide and 1 mile long. The giant rainbow flag was carried by more than 10,000 people during New York’s Gay Pride parade in 1994. The parade was in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots.
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