Did you know the Rainbow flag – also called the “Gay Pride flag” was created by artist Gilbert Baker, a friend of Harvey Milk?

The original flag had eight stripes from top to bottom: pink (representing sexuality), red (representing life), orange (representing healing), yellow (representing sunlight), green (representing nature), turquoise (representing magic), indigo/blue (representing serenity), and violet (representing spirit). Within a year, the flag had shed two of its stripes—pink and violet. According to Gilbert, they “ran out of pink dye.” The violet stripe was later taken out to create an even number of stripes on the flag.

Help your students make PRIDE flags that represent the issues important them!

Split your students into groups. Encourage youth to talk about what the people in their group are proud of and how that can be represented on a flag. Encourage students to note how colors and symbols convey meaning.

Click here for a list of commonly used LGBTQ symbols your students may want to use on their flags.

You will need to provide students with the materials to make their flags, the simplest materials being paper and markers.

Ask: What is your group proud of? What is your identity? What do you want to communicate? What symbols will you use?

Have students design a flag that represents their group and what they are proud of. Students should present their flags to other groups and explain why they created what they did and what it represents.