Outspoken, Political & Fabulous

by Lena Heller

Last October, while interning at the GLBT Historical Society, one of my projects was to help put together a short booklet educating museum volunteers and docents about the upcoming exhibition “Performance, Protest & Politics: The Art of Gilbert Baker.”

When I began, I knew very little about Gilbert Baker, the artist, activist and rainbow-flag creator, but I was given free reign to research not only the objects on display but the man himself. Of course, I had seen the rainbow flag everywhere. I initially thought that I should focus on what is undeniably Baker’s most well-known design, but through my research and work with the GLBT Historical Society staff, I quickly found that there was so much more to learn. While choosing what to highlight in the booklet, I gained an appreciation for his entire body of work.

Uniquely Potent

One of my favorite stories was an article about Gilbert Baker’s 1987 meeting with the FBI — for which he dressed in full drag! Baker, along with the activist and fundraising group the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, of which he was then a member, were planning a peaceful protest of Pope John Paul II’s upcoming visit to San Francisco. Representing the Sisters, Gilbert met with FBI agents to discuss the logistics of the protest while wearing, as the official FBI report describes, “a black and white nun’s habit… [including] a rhinestone cowl, as well as long red tights and patent leather high heel shoes.”

I think this story sums up Baker’s life and work so well. He achieved a uniquely potent combination of outspoken, political and fabulous.

My work drafting the exhibition booklet enabled me to share what I learned with all of the volunteers at the GLBT Historical Society Museum. As with the exhibition, my goal was to honor Baker’s life by educating people about the incredible depth and dimension of this extraordinary man’s work.

Lena Heller was the exhibitions and museum operations intern at the society in winter 2019. They are a senior at the University of San Francisco studying history and classical studies.