IBM on Friday unveiled a rainbow
version of its iconic 8-bar logo.
“Today, I am proud to introduce a new
symbol that will represent IBM’s ongoing push for diversity,
acceptance, inclusion and equal opportunity – a rainbow version of
our iconic 8-bar logo,” said Lindsay-Rae McIntyre, chief diversity
officer at IBM. “The rainbow is recognized worldwide as the symbol
of LGBT equality, and we are proud to fuse it with the emblem that
has represented our company for more than four decades. This is a
demonstration of IBM’s continuing efforts to advance and influence
nondiscrimination workplace policies consistent with basic human
rights. The logo will be used in conjunction with diversity focused
IBM programs and initiatives, and also in our pro-diversity
advocacy.”
“The colors of the IBM rainbow logo
design were adopted from the original rainbow colors designed by
artist Gilbert Baker and commissioned by civic and cultural icon,
Harvey Milk, shortly before his assassination. Baker’s design was
created to be a symbol for the gay rights movement. Inspired by the
Flag of the Races, Baker’s design consisted of 8 stripes of color,
each representing a different aspect of humanity. The design was used
for the first rainbow flags that were hand-dyed and debuted at the
Gay and Lesbian Freedom Day march held on June 25, 1978,” she added
in a statement.
A six-color version of Baker's design
is commonly used today. According to Wikipedia, hot pink and
turquoise were removed due to manufacturing needs.
IBM scored a perfect 100 percent on the
Human Rights Campaign's (HRC) 2017 Corporate Equality Index, a
measure of a company's support for LGBT rights.