A symbol, recognisable across the world, that people could use to express their pride. When Gilbert Baker designed the rainbow flag in 1978, he did so to create a symbol and an icon for the LGTB community. They wrote of the project, called Hidden Flag: The group donned jerseys from Spain, Netherlands, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Colombia and visited iconic sites in Russia. To protest Russia's homophobic discrimination, six activists from FELGTB decided to display the rainbow flag in plain sight … with soccer jerseys. In 2013, a law passed that banned 'gay propaganda' in Russia, including the rainbow LGBT flag. In recent years, Russia's anti-LGBT legislation has made for a toxic environment for the country's LGBT community.
