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The flag was originally designed by San Francisco artist, Gilbert Baker, in 1978 and was intended to be a symbol of gay and lesbian pride. It was inspired by the Flag of the Races which had five stripes, each one representing the colors of human kind. The six colors of the flag represent the diversity and unity within the GLBT movement: red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sun, green for nature, blue for harmony, and purple for spirit.
 

The pink color represents sexual attraction to the same sex only, gay and lesbian, the blue represents sexual attraction to the opposite sex only, straight, and the resultant overlap color purple represents sexual attraction to both sexes, bi.

The inverted pink triangle was a Nazi symbol used to identify homosexuals in the concentration camps during the holocaust of World War II. The icon has been reclaimed by many in the gay rights movement as a symbol of empowerment and, by some, a symbol of remembrance to the suffering of others during a tragic time in history.
 

This Greek letter was adopted by the Gay Activist Alliance in 1970 as a symbol of the gay movement. An ancient Greek regiment of warriors who carried a flag emblazoned with the lambda marched into battle with their male lovers. The group was noted for their fierceness and willingness to fight until death.
 

Double Women's Symbol:
Representing the planet Venus, this symbol represents women loving women.

Double Man's Symbol:
Representing the planet Mars, this symbol represents men loving men.

The Ribbon Project was conceived in 1991 by a New York-based charity group that aims to recognize and honor friends and colleagues lost to AIDS, to create greater awareness of AIDS/HIV transmission, to publicize the needs of Persons With AIDS, and to call for greater funding of services and research. Inspired by the yellow ribbons honoring American soldiers of the Persian Gulf War, the color red was chosen for its "connection to blood and the idea of passion -- not only anger, but love, like a valentine.”
 

The equal sign represents The Human Rights Campaign, America’s largest gay and lesbian organization. HRC works to advance equality based on sexual orientation and gender expression and identity, to ensure that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans can be open, honest and safe at home, at work and in the community.