'If you look at the imagery throughout the '70s and '80s, even into the early '90s, what you'll see is the pink triangle being that dominant symbol,' he said.
( Supplied: Poster Collection, Australian Lesbian and Gay Archives) Mr Henderson said it was hard to determine when the rainbow flag was first used in Australia, but observed its prominence within the local LGBT community arose in the 1990s.ĭown to Earth: Canberra, 10-14 December, 1976. Other variations of the flag have existed, with some including a canton of white stars in the top left corner and white stripes in between the colours, similar to the American national flag. 'So eventually those two colours, which were the hardest colours to obtain, dropped off,' Mr Henderson explained. Red was for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, indigo for serenity, and violet for spirit.Ī hot-pink strip across the top representing sexuality and a turquoise strip for magic and art were difficult to reproduce with the original hand-coloured process. The rainbow flag originally featured eight coloured stripes, with each one representing something different. Soon after the flag's creation, Mr Baker fought a legal battle to keep it from being trademarked so it could remain free for public use.
