While this use of the rainbow flag originated in San Francisco, it is now used worldwide. People also ask, where does the gay flag come from? He was commissioned to create a flag by another gay icon, politician Harvey Milk, for San Francisco's annual pride parade. One may also ask, how did the gay rainbow start? The rainbow flag was created in 1978 by artist, designer, Vietnam War veteran and then-drag performer, Gilbert Baker. Baker later revealed that he was urged by Harvey Milk, one of the first openly gay elected officials in the U.S., to create a symbol of pride for the gay community. It goes back to 1978, when the artist Gilbert Baker, an openly gay man and a drag queen, designed the first rainbow flag. Keeping this in view, who invented gay pride? The rainbow flag was popularized as a symbol of the gay community by San Francisco artist Gilbert Baker in 1978.