GILBERT BAKER was an American artist, Gay Rights activist and one of the designers of of the rainbow flag born on this date (d: 2017). Baker is often credited with being the sole designer of the iconic rainsbow flag. Many people were actually involved in its development. The flag became widely associated with LGBT Rights causes, a symbol of Gay pride that became ubiquitous in the decades since its debut. California state senator Scott Wiener said Baker “helped define the modern LGBT movement”. There was, in fact, a collective that had been working on developing a rainbow banner. And some dispute the sole credit going to Baker. 

Nevertheless, in 2015, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City ranked the rainbow flag as an internationally recognized symbol as important as the recycling symbol.

Baker died in his sleep of a heart attack in March of 2017. We pay tribute to the rainbow and Baker with the rainbow of colors in Daily GayWisdom every day.