Pride Flag
The pride rainbow flag is a flag that represents LGBTQ+ pride and social movements.
What is the Pride Rainbow Flag?
The pride flag, also known as the rainbow flag, gay pride flag, or LGBTQ+ pride flag, is a symbol that represents lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender pride and LGBTQ+ social movements. In the past, it’s also been used as a symbol of peace.
The artist Gilbert Baker designed the flag for an openly gay man, partly in response to a challenge from significant gay rights activist Harvey Milk. Before its introduction, the Pink Triangle was used as a symbol of the LGBTQ+ community. This symbol, however, had dark associations, as the Nazi regime initially used it to identify and discriminate against gay men. Although the LGBTQ+ community reclaimed the symbol, its unpleasant history was demonized, and the community sought a new, more positive symbol.
The rainbow design was introduced during the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade celebration on June 25, 1978. Baker explicitly chose its design as a symbol of hope that has been used throughout history. Commissioned by the then-fledgling Pride Committee, the first two flags were dyed and stitched by hand by 30 volunteers.
What is the Meaning Behind the Pride Flag?
The colors of the pride rainbow flag represent positivity, peace, pride, and diversity within the LGBTQ+ community, and the flag is most frequently used as a symbol of pride at LGBTQ+ pride marches and events. Each color of the pride flag has a different meaning. Red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, blue for harmony, and violet for spirit.
What are the Pride Flag Colors?
The most popular pride flag used today consists of the six colors of the rainbow. These are:
- red;
- orange;
- yellow;
- green;
- indigo;
- and violet.
People of Color Inclusive Pride Flag
This pride flag was created with two extra stripes to bring more attention to LGBTQ+ community members of color.
Lesbian Pride Flag
The lesbian pride flag represents lesbians, women who are attracted to women. In order, these pride flag colors symbolize:
gender non-conformity;
independence;
community;
unique relationships to womanhood;
serenity and peace;
love;
and femininity.
Bisexual Pride Flag
The bisexual pride flag represents bisexual people attracted to their gender and other genders. The flag overlaps the stereotypical colors for boys and girls, meeting in the middle to make purple.
Transgender Pride Flag
The transgender pride flag represents transgender people whose gender isn’t aligned with the sex they were assigned at birth. The creator, Monica Helms (a transgender woman), noted that blue is the traditional color for boys and pink for girls, while the white in the middle represents those transitioning or those with a neutral or no gender.
The first design of the pride flag had eight colors. The additional pride flag colors were hot pink and turquoise, but they were eventually dropped from the flag because it was difficult to source fabrics in these colors.
It’s said that the pride flag’s design was inspired by the song, ‘Over the Rainbow!
LGBTQ+ Color Meanings
The pride flag’s LGBTQ+ colors have specific meanings. Each color represents and celebrates an aspect of LGBTQ+ pride.
- Red = life;
- Orange = healing;
- Yellow = sunlight;
- Green = nature;
- Indigo = harmony;
- Violet = spirit.
The rainbow flag has become the most widely recognized symbol of people who identify as LGBTQ+. It is because the colors’ meanings are synonymous with diversity, pride, and freedom.
What Other Pride Flags Are There?
Since the LGBTQ+ community is so diverse, more pride flags have been created to represent each identity better. Learn about all pride flags and their meanings below! Or, as a challenge, try to think of them all without looking and see how many you remember correctly.
