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Transcript
The rainbow flag has been used as a symbol for gay pride for many years, but where did these famous six stripes come from?
Well, the flag's range of bright colours are used by some people as a symbol to celebrate people's differences and to say that everyone should feel included, no matter who they love or how they feel about themselves.
It first became a symbol for the LGBT community – that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community – back in 1978, when an artist in San Francisco in America called Gilbert Baker made a design with eight stripes to be used on Gay Freedom Day.
The flag's use spread across America from San Francisco, and by the 1990s it was known as a symbol for people trying to get equal rights for those in the LGBT community.
It did originally have eight stripes, but now it has six. But what do all the colours mean?
Well, the red stripe represents life; orange, healing; yellow, sunlight; green, nature; blue, art; and violet, the human spirit. Graham Bartram, an expert from the Flag Institute, says the reason the rainbow flag has caught on so well is its simplicity, which allows it to be so inclusive.
© BBC
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