The Rainbow Flag Crosses the Atlantic

Photos courtesy of the GLBT Historical Society Museum

The original 1978 Rainbow Flag is now on view in Cork, Ireland. Our team traveled across the pond this month to personally courier and carefully install this historic artifact, as part of a four-month loan to coincide with the opening of the Cork Public Museum’s first permanent exhibition uplifting LGBTQ+ history, which we are immensely proud to be supporting. During the flag’s stay, it will be visited by thousands from across Europe who will be able to experience this piece of history firsthand.

This is the first international loan and exhibition of the original Rainbow Flag outside of the United States—a partnership between the GLBT Historical Society, the Cork Public Museum, and the city of Cork, San Francisco’s sister city separated by an ocean and joined by a shared commitment to LGBTQ+ history.

“As stewards of the original Rainbow Flag, created in 1978, we are entrusted with preserving its history and promoting greater awareness of its legacy,” said GLBT Historical Society Executive Director Roberto Ordeñana. “The Rainbow Flag’s importance extends far beyond any one museum, city, or nation—our shared history belongs to all of us, regardless of borders.”

While the Rainbow Flag is visiting Ireland, you can still learn about the history of the rainbow at our museum in the Castro. A new temporary exhibition has been installed to showcase materials from the Gilbert Baker Collection, including a reproduction of the original eight-striped flag created and signed by Baker in 1998 and a sewing machine listed among his supplies, alongside a medallion gifted to us by the city of Cork during its delegation’s visit to San Francisco earlier this year.