In recent years, other artists and activists have tweaked the design. Eventually, the six-color rainbow was made into bumper stickers, key chains, coffee mugs, t-shirts, and more.
It was this new six-color version that really took off. Pink dye was too rare and expensive for flag manufacturers to use and the committee organizing the 1979 Gay Freedom Day Parade wanted to fly the flag in two halves down the street in San Francisco so they cut turquoise so that the flag had an even number of colors.
Eventually, turquoise and pink were cut from the rainbow.
