Q&A Event: Who was Gilbert Baker and what is the Importance of the Pride flag?

SPONSORED BY ABODUS STUDENT LIVING

Speaker: Charles Beal - President of the Gilbert Baker Foundation 

As ReportOUT and the Gilbert Baker Foundation launch our new partnership 'Flag in the Map Project', we thought it would be an ideal opportunity to speak with Charley Beal from the Gilbert Baker Foundation. World-famous political activist, designer and flag-maker Gilbert Baker (1951-2017) created the Rainbow Flag in 1978. Over the next four decades, his creation would become embraced across the world as the universal symbol of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) movement. As a personal friend of Gilbert's, Charley will discuss the life of Gilbert himself, including the significance of the Pride flag which Gilbert designed. In a world where the Pride flag has become symbolic of an entire global movement of human rights, we ask, what does the Pride flag mean to sexual and gender minorities today?

Speaker Bio:

Charley is a lifelong social activist who attended his first civil rights demonstration in Lansing, Michigan in 1962. He is also an award-winning art director for film and television, working with renowned directors including Mike Nichols, Nora Ephron, Ridley Scott, and Gus Van Sant. His film credits include Sleepless in Seattle, First Wives Club, In & Out, Milk and Eat Pray Love. TV credits include Boardwalk Empire, Smash, Gotham, and Power. Beal worked closely with Gilbert Baker beginning in 1994 when he assisted Baker with the creation of the Mile Long Rainbow Flag for Stonewall 25. He continued to collaborate with Gilbert on numerous projects including WorldPride 2000 in Rome and several other pride celebrations around the globe. He would frequently be seen at demonstrations holding one of Gilbert’s infamous political banners

Sponsor:

Abodus Student Living manages student accommodation with a simple objective in mind, to provide exceptional services to all the student who live in our buildings and to develop and guide our teams to be the best in class. With a national portfolio and growing, each of our student sites comes packed with personality. From dedicated customer service teams and stand out facilities such as on-site gyms,  cinema rooms,  social spaces  and  study areas, to full time social events, speedy fast-track check-in, 24 hour security and high speed broadband; we have your safety, wellbeing and social schedule covered.