About me
Charley Beal is a lifelong social activist who attended his first civil rights demonstration in Lansing, Michigan in 1962. He is also an award-winning art director for film and television, working with renowned directors including Mike Nichols, Nora Ephron, Ridley Scott, and Gus Van Sant. His film credits include Sleepless in Seattle, First Wives Club, In & Out, Milk and Eat Pray Love. TV credits include Boardwalk Empire, Smash, Gotham, and Power.
Charley was also a close friend with Gilbert Baker, the creator of the LGBTQ+ Rainbow Flag. Since Baker’s passing in 2017 Charley has helped to carry on Baker’s legacy as president of the Gilbert Baker Foundation. That work has included producing several short documentaries as well as numerous award-winning exhibits that have been seen in museums and galleries around the world. In 2022, The Foundation partnered with the American Civil Liberties Union to create the Save The Rainbow Flag initiative. In addition to tracking the 60+ Rainbow flag bans in the United States, the STRF initiative has advised and supported local activists who have overturned or prevented 8 of these unconstitutional flag bans. The Foundation is currently preparing for a federal lawsuit in Hamtramck, Michigan that seeks to overturn Rainbow Flag bans nationwide.
