Fwd: How the rainbow became a pride symbol

[Vijaya Ramachandran]

Vijaya Ramachandran
Jagriti Bal Vikas Samiti
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---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Britannica Today in History <todayin...@mail.britannica.com>
Date: Thu, 25 Jun, 2026, 3:41 pm
Subject: How the rainbow became a pride symbol
To: <vija...@gmail.com>

How a symbol of LGBTQ+ pride got its start.

A Britannica Newsletter June 25, 2026 Prentice Brooks/MediaNews Group—Oakland Tribune/Getty Images A Symbol of Pride Is Born June 25, 1978 In 1978 preparations for the 7th annual Gay Freedom Day parade in San Francisco were charged with a special sense of purpose. Planners were aware of an initiative, scheduled to be voted on by Californians in November, that would discriminate against the LGBTQ+ community: Proposition 6, otherwise known as the Briggs Initiative, which would bar gay and lesbian people from working in public schools. People were determined to speak up, and a rally opposing the initiative was planned to accompany the June 25 parade. The decorations committee created two flags for the day. Both were rainbow-themed, with eight stripes of color: hot pink, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, turquoise, and violet. One included a blue canton with tie-dyed stars in the style of the American flag. (Committee members have since presented conflicting sources of inspiration for the rainbow motif, including a disco ball, the diversity of humanity, and one of the decorators’ love of rainbows.) The flags, which were designed to be flown from two large flagpoles near the end of the route, were massive. It took some 30 volunteers to dye the strips of materials and sew the flags by hand. Several people were needed to move the completed flags. The 1978 parade and rally were very well-attended, and many people who saw the flags wanted smaller versions for themselves. A flag-manufacturing company began mass-producing the simpler rainbow flag. Owing to production limitations, the original eight stripe colors were reduced to seven and then to six: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. This version of the flag would, in the following years, become indelibly associated with LGBTQ+ pride, and there are now multiple variations. The 1978 decorations committee didn’t know they were making a symbol that would endure for decades, but it did. And the discriminatory proposition that was up for referendum? It failed, with more than 58 percent of voters against it. Today’s edition of Today in History was written by Amy McKenna. RELATED   Britannica’s Guide to LGBTQ+ Pride Flags → Which San Francisco Politician Was Also a Prominent Gay-Rights Activist? → Why Is Pride Month in June? → Who Cowrote a Famous Song About Rainbows? → fun fact   Because of a scarcity of hot pink material, that stripe was eliminated from mass reproductions. by the numbers   60 feet Length of the 1978 flags 150 Floats in the 1978 parade 240,000 People who attended the 1978 parade ALSO ON This DaY   1876   Gen. George Armstrong Custer makes his last stand Image: Prints and Photographs Division/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (LC-DIG-cwpbh-03110) 1981   Microsoft restructures to become an Inc. Image: theartofpics/Adobe Stock 2024   China’s lunar probe brings back the first samples from the far side of the Moon Image: CN-STR— AFP/Getty Images MORE ON THIS DAY famous birthdays   1852 Antoni Gaudí Spanish architect, famed for his work on the Sagrada Família 1870 Robert Erskine Childers Irish writer and nationalist 1903 George Orwell British author 1956 Anthony Bourdain American chef, author, and TV personality MORE BIOGRAPHIES History’s Biggest Headlines Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe You are receiving this message because you opted in to Britannica's Today in History newsletter. Britannica.com  |  Contact Us  |  Privacy Policy  |  Terms of Use © 2026 Britannica 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200, Chicago, Illinois, 60654, USA If you'd like to unsubscribe from all Today In History emails, click here.

[Nazma Khan]

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[urmila verma]

Dear didi ji,

  Namaste!

Thanks for sharing about the Britannica Today in History का न्यूज़लेटर 

मुख्य बातें :

1. 25 जून 1978 - Pride Flag का जन्म 🏳️‍🌈  

1978 में San Francisco के Gay Freedom Day parade के लिए पहली बार रेनबो फ्लैग बनाया गया था। 30 वॉलंटियर्स ने हाथ से 60 फीट लंबे 2 झंडे सिले थे। 

- ओरिजिनल फ्लैग में 8 रंग थे:Hot pink, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, turquoise, violet  

- अब वाले फ्लैग में 6 रंग हैं: Hot pink हट गया क्योंकि कपड़ा मिलना मुश्किल था l

2. Briggs Initiative हारा था

उसी साल California में Proposition 6 आया था जो LGBTQ+ टीचर्स को स्कूल में काम करने से रोकता। 58% लोगों ने इसके खिलाफ वोट दिया और ये बिल फेल हो गया।

3. आज की तारीख में और क्या हुआ:

- 1876: Gen. Custer की लड़ाई 

- 1981:Microsoft Inc. बना

- 2024: China ने चाँद के दूसरी तरफ से सैंपल लाए

- Famous Birthdays: Antoni Gaudí, George Orwell, Anthony Bourdain

Thanks and regards 

Urmila 

[urmila verma]

Dear didi ji,

 Namaste!

Thanks for sharing didi ji I really liked such as -

1. Symbols are powerful - A flag can unite an entire community and become a global icon.

2. Speaking out creates change - In 1978, people came together to defeat Proposition 6. 58% of people stood up against discrimination.

3. Small beginnings, big impact- 30 people hand-stitched flags. Today, those same flags are a symbol of hope for millions.

 When we all stand together for what is right, no wall can stop us. It's important to speak out against discrimination. 

Thanks and regards 

Urmila