Cork welcomes historic first visit of original LGBTI+ flag

Cork has become the first city in the world outside the United States to host the original Gilbert Baker Rainbow Flag, a global symbol of pride, visibility, inclusion and equality for the LGBTI+ community.

This piece of social and cultural history was unveiled at Cork City Council’s Cork Public Museum in Fitzgerald’s Park on Thursday, where it will remain on public display for four months under the terms of a landmark loan agreement with the GLBT Historical Society in San Francisco.

The flag was donated to the GLBT Historical Society in 2021, but this is the first time that the artefact has been loaned and exhibited outside the US.

The Lord Mayor of Cork, councillor Damian Boylan, said the city is honoured to accept and display the piece.

“Our city’s motto, ‘Statio Bene Fida Carinis’, often translated as ‘A Safe Harbour for Ships’, speaks of shelter from storms, a place of protection for ships, of the comfort of knowing that when you arrive here, you have reached a place of safety,” said Mr Boylan.

“As we accept the Gilbert Baker flag and become its custodians for the next four months, we should pause for a moment and reflect on those words – how our city provides a safe harbour not only for ships, but for people too.

“The welcome we extend must be more than symbolic. It must be more than words engraved on a crest or spoken from a platform.

“A safe harbour is only a safe harbour if those who seek shelter feel that sense of safety.” 

Executive director of the GLBT Historical Society, Roberto Ordeñana, said the initiative comes “at a time when the most historically marginalised people – transgender people, immigrants, working families - are being attacked”.

“This flag is a symbol of hope and resilience and a symbol of global solidarity,” said Mr Ordeñana.

“This international collaboration reaffirms our commitment to keeping LGBTQ+ history visible and accessible to all and sharing global solidarity during a moment when the most vulnerable among our LGBTQ community face increased attacks and erasure all around the world.”