<P> The rainbow flag was popularized as a symbol of the gay community by San Francisco artist Gilbert Baker in 1978 . The different colors are often associated with "diversity" in the gay community (but actually have literal meanings). The flag is used predominantly at gay pride events and in gay villages worldwide in various forms including banners, clothing and jewelry . Since the 1990s, its symbolism has been transferred to represent the extended "LGBT" (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community . For the 25th Anniversary of the Stonewall riots, held in 1994 in New York city, a mile - long rainbow flag was created and post-parade cut up in sections that have since been used around the world . </P> <P> The flag was originally created with eight colors, but pink and turquoise were removed for production purposes, and since 1979 it has consisted of six colored stripes . It is most commonly flown with the red stripe on top, as the colors appear in a natural rainbow . Aside from the obvious symbolism of a mixed LGBT community, the colors were determined to symbolize: </P> <P> life (red), </P> <P> healing (orange), </P>

What does the color orange mean in the rainbow