DECEMBER 2008
The rainbow flag is a multi-colored flag consisting of stripes in the colors of the rainbow that is displayed in many cultures around the world as a sign of diversity and inclusiveness. The German pastor Thomas Müntzer used a rainbow flag as a symbol of solidarity as early as the German Peasants' War of the 16th century. It is common as a symbol of the Peace movement, first used this way in a peace march in Italy in 1961.
The rainbow is also a symbol in the Christian and Jewish Bible. It shows God's promise to Noah and his family to never cover the world in water again.
A Christian movement known as Cursillo, founded in 1944, uses these traditional rainbow symbols, including flags. Their version can have 5 to 7 colors, with red at the top, blue or purple at the bottom, and the Spanish words De Colores! ("of colors") in large letters on the front.
Since 1978 the rainbow flag is also the symbol of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community. It is also called the 'Pride Flag.'
The flag was first used at a LGBT pride parade in San Francisco in 1978. The flag started with eight colors. The next year it was changed to six colors, so it could be easier to make.
The flag was first made by Gilbert Baker. It was to use instead of the Pink Triangle symbol used before. The pink triangle was used by Nazis to show who was homosexual. Homosexual people were sent to Concentration Camps in Nazi Germany. They made homosexual men wear a pink triangle. This was like the yellow Star of David that Jews had to wear to show who was Jewish. LGBT people were not ashamed of the pink triangle. But they wanted a symbol that was happier and more positive.
 In the LGBT version of the rainbow flag, each color has a different meaning:
Red = Life
Orange = Healing
Yellow = Sun
Green = Nature
Royal Blue = Harmony
Violet = Spirit
-- Pastor
Bob Butziger |
