The Original 8 Color Flag
The original Pride Flag was designed by Gilbert Baker in 1978 with 8 stripes. He assigned a specific universal meaning to each color. However, the Pride Flag that has been predominantly used throughout history has only 6 colors. This change had nothing to do with the meaning of the flag, but rather arose due to fabric supply and logistical reasons. After the assassination of City Supervisor Harvey Milk in San Francisco on November 27, 1978, the demand for the Pride Flag increased sharply. Unfortunately, pink fabric became increasingly scarce. In order to meet the demand, the sale of a version of the flag with only 7 stripes began.
The Origin of the 6 Color Flag
In 1979, circumstances required the flag to be changed again. When hung vertically on the lampposts of Market Street in San Francisco, the middle stripe was obscured by the post itself. The easiest way to fix this was to change the design to an even number of stripes. Therefore, the turquoise stripe was removed, resulting in the 6-stripe version: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet.
