Dressed up in a blue sequined gown and matching crown, holding a tablet with “Stonewall XL” written on it in one hand and a sparkly blue torch in the other, Gilbert Baker was hard not to notice at last Friday’s Drag March. The creator of the original rainbow flag and one of the founders of the Drag March, Baker dressed as Lady Liberty led the crowd through the streets of the Lower East Side to their final destination of the Stonewall Inn.

Baker has many talents. A vexillographer (”that’s a flag maker darling,” he explained) who worked over  to reinvent the state flags with rainbow patterns and created several mile-long rainbow flags for various gay pride events, Baker is as out-spoken and quick-witted as he is passionate and dedicated to the gay rights movement. Dressed up partly for show and partly to make a stand, Baker is a one-of a-kind personality.

A  long-time activist and supporter of many causes, he created the rainbow flag in 1978 for the 1978 San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Freedom Day parade.  Using his experience from making banners for anti-war demonstrations and other protests, Baker knew the moment he created the flag that it would change his life forever.

Gilbert in front of the Stonewall Bar following the Drag March.

“Flags equal power; they are an exchange of ideas, an action,” Gilbert said when asked why he chose to make a flag. “When you put a flag up, you’re showing power. Flags are greater than a symbol.”

Wanting to avoid using the pink triangle, a symbol he explained was thrust on homosexuals as a label by the Nazis, Baker created the rainbow flag to spread a world-wide message.

“You can’t design a flag. It’s torn from the soul of the people,” said Baker. “[The flag] was an instant thing. I just knew it was right.”

Gilbert chose to use a rainbow because its symbolism “is forever,” representing the spectrum of sexuality and ties to nature.

Each color of the original eight-color rainbow was assigned a specific meaning by Baker. Pink stood for sexuality, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, turquoise for magic/art, indigo for serenity/harmony, and violet for spirit.

“Well, a flag has to have a meaning, and [the symbolism of each color] gave it more depth,” said Baker. “They’re really beautiful and powerful.”

Baker, originally from Kansas, began sewing after he left the army in 1972. The self-proclaimed “seam master of all time,” Baker began creating his own outfits due to lack of funds and wanting to construct outfits as fabulous as Bowie’s and the Stones’.

After leaving the army, Gilbert also participated in many anti-Vietnam protests, using his sewing skills to make banners. He soon became involved with gay activism, which eventually led him to creating the rainbow flag.

“Everyone knew I loved to sew, so they asked me to make something,” said Baker. “People thought I was brilliant, wild and doing a good thing.”

Baker put to rest rumors that he created a rainbow flag in honor of Judy Garland’s “Somewhere over the Rainbow” from the Wizard of Oz.

“I came from the Streisand generation. She was all about not conforming and not being a victim,” Gilbert explained, the opposite of what Garland stood for. “She was a tragic woman who rose from her abuse,” Gilbert said about Garland, something he said the gay movement related to during the Stonewall Movement. His generation was all about fighting the system and not being persecuted, like Streisand.

“It was all about ‘She’s a Rainbow’ by the Stones, not ‘Over the Rainbow,’” added in Baker with a laugh.

Though the flag has undergone changes over the years, from changing from eight colors to six to accommodate the availability of resources and colors, to being used by businesses and advertisers to try and draw in a gay audience despite not advocating for their rights, Baker is still proud of the flag’s message.

“It is exploited,” said Baker. “But I can’t do anything about that,” he added with a shrug.

Much like the diverse and exuberant crowd gathered that slightly rainy night for the Drag March, the rainbow flag is constantly changing and bringing something new to Baker.

“I learn every day more about the rainbow flag,” he said. “It’ll change, but that’s natural. The idea of it will endure.”