A guide to LGBTQ+ flags

Representation

Oct 14

The thought of LGBTQ+ identity is often instantly associated with the iconic symbol of the rainbow. As a result, the rainbow flag becomes showcased around the world each year at Pride events as a celebration of such identity. While the rainbow flag is the most widely recognized flag of the LGBTQ+ community, it is not the only one. Rather, there are over 30 flags that acknowledge the true diversity of the community with each color and each flag holding unique meaning.

As a strong visual representation of the community, these flags hold great value and allow for all identities to feel represented and seen, which is why it is important for all individuals and allies to understand what each flag means and who it represents. So, as an introduction, here are some Pride flags you might have encountered.

Photo by (Stavrialena Gontzou / Unsplash)

The Traditional Rainbow Flag

The flag most commonly seen today is this rainbow flag that was created by Gilbert Baker in 1978. While the original flag also included the colors pink and turquoise, these were later removed leaving us with the final flag we see now. According to Britannica, Baker created the rainbow flag as something natural he saw in our world and gave each color a significant meaning - hot pink was for sex and sexuality, red is for life, orange is for healing, yellow is for sunlight, green is for nature, turquoise used to indicate for art, indigo represented harmony, and violet is for spirit.

Photo by Progress flag’s kickstarter page

The Progress Pride Flag

This flag aimed to take inclusivity even further by representing queer people of color through the brown and black stripes and the transgender community with the white, pink and blue stripes. The flag’s Kickstarter page explains that the flag also honors those who have lost their lives due to AIDS. Made by queer, non-binary artist Daniel Quasar, this flag was designed in 2018. This year, the progress flag was redesigned again by Valentino Vecchietti, to include a yellow triangle and purple circle to represent the intersex community.

Transgender Pride Flag

The transgender flag was created by Monica Helms in 1999. The flag includes the two colors that traditionally tie into associations of gender – the blue represents boys while the pink represents girls. The white in the center is meant to represent non-binary, intersex and transitioning individuals.

Bisexual Pride Flag

Michael Page, an LGBTQ+ activist, created this flag in 1998 to highlight the identity of Bisexual people in the community. Considering that bisexual visibility is often erased both within the community and within society in general, this flag hoped to change that through establishing this flag as a symbol for bisexual individuals. The flag consists of three colours – magenta represents same sex attraction, blue represents heterosexual attraction and lavender, which is a mix of both blue and magenta symbolizes the attraction across the gender spectrum.

Non-Binary Pride Flag

The non-binary flag was created in 2014 by 17-year-old Kye Rowan as an extension of the Genderqueer Pride Flag. The yellow on the flag represents those whose gender exists outside the binary, the white represents those who identify with more than one or all genders, the purple represents people who consider their gender to be a mix of both male and female, and black symbolizes those who identify with no gender.

Asexual Pride Flag

According to Marie Claire, the asexual pride flag was inspired by the logo of the Asexual Visibility and Education Network, who created the flag in 2020 as a symbol for asexual people. The flag consists of four colours in horizontal lines. Black represents asexuality, the grey represents grey-sexuals and demisexuals, white represents allies and the purple symbolises the community.

Header photo by (Markus Spiske / Pexels)