American artist and activist Gilbert Baker was BOTD in 1951. Born and raised in Chanute, Kansas, he served in the US Army before relocating to San Francisco. He joined the burgeoning gay liberation movement, befriending gay politician Harvey Milk and joining queer radical group the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. He is best known as the creator of the Rainbow Flag, comprising six coloured panels, each representing a different aspect of gay pride and the diversity of gender identity and sexual orientation. Following Milk’s assassination in 1979, public demand for the flag grew and it was quickly adopted as an emblem of gay pride and identity. Baker refused to trademark his design, stating that the flag belonged to and should be adopted by the LGBT community. He continued making flags for European royalty, civic and gay pride events and political conventions. In 1994, he created a giant Rainbow Flag to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, repeating the project in 2003 for the 25th anniversary of the Rainbow Flag. In 2015, the Rainbow Flag was cited by New York’s Museum of Modern Art as an internationally recognised symbol. Baker died in 2017, aged 65. In 2019, he was posthumously inducted into the National LGBTQ Wall of Honor for his services to queer activism.