The rings, known as grommets, actually came in handy. Special metal rings were then inserted to make them sturdier. They were so big that the muslin fabric could not survive San Francisco winds. It was 44 years ago, during the 1978 San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade that the first two rainbow flags proudly flew above the city's U.N. 'Because we want these things to survive not only for the people who are alive today, but the people who will be around 100 years from now, or 200 years from now,' explained Shaffer. It is a responsibility he takes seriously. The last surviving piece of the original SF Pride rainbow flag on display at the GLBT Historical Society Museum. As co-executive director of the museum, Shaffer is one of the caretakers of the flag. The GLBT Historical Society Museum is the first stand-alone museum of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender history and culture in the United States. 'It's a pretty amazing piece,' says Andrew Shaffer.
SAN FRANCISCO - Inside an unassuming storefront on 18th Street near Castro, it is hard not to be immediately drawn to the bright and vibrant colors of the newest - and one of the most prized - artifacts representing the history of the gay and lesbian cultural movement: the last remaining remnant of the original rainbow flag.
