Per a statement, its creators included queer artists Gilbert Baker, Lynn Segerblom and James McNamara, as well as more than 30 volunteers. Now an internationally recognized symbol of LGBTQ pride and civil rights, the rainbow flag design was conceived by a group of activists in San Francisco in 1978. Earlier this month, the GLBT Historical Society Museum unveiled a glass case containing a rare artifact: a segment of the original rainbow gay pride flag, its colors as vibrant as ever. GLBT Historical Society / Courtesy of Andrew ShafferĪ priceless piece of queer history has returned home to San Francisco, reports Ezra David Romero for KQED. Queer artist Gilbert Baker preserved this 10- by 28-foot section of an original 1978 pride flag.