In the summer of 1968, Kansas native Gilbert Baker designed the rainbow flag recognized as the international symbol of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender pride.
Baker will be in town to serve as National Grand Marshall of the festivities at
KC's Pride Week, which extends from May 31 to June 6. Details will come out (har!) today at a 10 a.m. press conference at the KC Live! block of the Power & Light District, where Show Me Pride President Rick Bumgardner is unveiling the week's full schedule of events.
Baker says he's looking forward to his visit, despite the fact that he
hates to fly. "I like getting there, I like being there, but I'm
white-knuckled all the way," the 58-year-old artist tells The Pitch
from his home in New York. "My friends make fun of me, like, 'Take a
nap!' but I could never in a million years fall asleep on an airplane."
Baker
is sometimes compared to Betsy Ross, which is more of a
compliment than people can imagine, he says. "It's flattering, but the
truth is, she died before the sewing machine was invented, so she sewed
everything one stitch at a time."
Is vexillography (flag making) a
dying craft? Yes and no, Baker says. "Regrettably, most of the
production of flags has moved offshore, but there are still a few
diehards out there. We're all waiting for Puerto Rico to become the 51st
state. That day will mean big business for flag makers, putting that
51st star on there," he laughs.
No one else has ever tried to
take credit for the creation of the rainbow flag, as far as Baker knows,
but he can't copyright the design. "All flags are in the public
domain," he says. "Nobody owns the American flag or the Kansas flag or
the Missouri flag, and nobody owns the rainbow flag. Flags belong to
people, plural. That's what makes them so beautiful and so powerful."
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