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There will be numerous events held throughout the month of June with the highlight being the Pattaya Pride Celebration held on the afternoon and evening of June 10th. This highly anticipated event will be sponsored by the SWING (Service Workers in Group) Foundation.
The Gay Rainbow flag, a symbol of the LGBTQ+ community, was first introduced in 1978 by San Francisco artist Gilbert Baker, who 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. The original flag had eight colors, each with its own unique symbolism.
The colors were hot pink for sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, turquoise for magic, blue for serenity, and violet for spirit. The first versions of the rainbow flag were flown on June 25, 1978, for the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day parade. Baker and a team of volunteers had made them by hand, and now he wanted to mass-produce the flag for consumption by all.
However, because of production issues, the pink and turquoise stripes were removed, leaving the flag with the six colors we know today. The different colors are often associated with "diversity" in the gay community but actually have literal meanings. The flag has since become an international symbol for LGBTQ+ pride and can be seen flying at pride events around the world.
