Flags in the lgbtq community
The Progress Pride flag was developed in 2018 by genderfluid American artist and designer Daniel Quasar (who uses xe/xyr pronouns). Based on the iconic rainbow flag from 1978, the redesign celebrates the diversity of the LGBTQ group and calls for a more inclusive society. In 2020, the V&A acquired a bespoke applique version of the Progress Pride flag that can be seen on show in the Layout 1900 – Now gallery.
'Progress' is a reinterpretation of multiple iterations of the pride flag. The original 'rainbow flag' was created by Gilbert Baker in 1978 to honor members of the gay and female homosexual political movement. It comprised eight coloured stripes stacked on top of each other to evoke a rainbow, a symbol of desire. Baker assigned a specific meaning to each colour: pink for sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, verdant for nature, turquoise for magic, indigo for serenity and violet for liveliness. A year later the pink and turquoise stripes were dropped owing to a shortage of pink fabric at the time and legibility concerns, resulting in the six-colour rainbow flag most commonly used in the first decades of the 21st century.
Baker's flag was embra
Flags of the LGBTIQ Community
Flags have always been an integral part of the LGBTIQ+ movement. They are a noticeable representation meant to observe progress, advocate for visibility, and amplify the claim and drive for collective action. There have been many LGBTIQ+ flags over the years. Some own evolved, while others are constantly being conceptualized and created.
Rainbow Flag
Created in 1978 by Gilbert Baker, the iconic Pride Rainbow flag originally had eight stripes. The colors included pink to represent sexuality, red for healing, yellow for sun, green for serenity with nature, turquoise for art, indigo for peace, and violet for energy. In the years since, the flag now has six colors. It no longer has a pink stripe, and the turquoise and indigo stripes were replaced with royal blue.
Progress Pride Flag
Created in 2018 by nonbinary creator Daniel Quasar, the Progress Pride flag is based on the iconic 1978 rainbow flag. With stripes of black and brown to represent marginalized LGBTIQ+ people of color and the triad of azure, pink, and white from the trans flag, the design represents diversity and inclusion.
Trans Flag
Conceived by Monica Helms, an
Pride Flags
Flags are often used as symbols of celebration. It is no surprise then that numerous celebration flags have been created to represent the sexual and gender diversity of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. Explore all the different flags and their meanings.
Interested in exploring further? Take the online Positive Space: Foundations course to learn more about sex, sexuality, and gender diversity.
This resource is not intended to provide an exhaustive list of lgbtq+ fest flags. If you hold a suggestion for a flag to add or have any feedback on the information provided, please contact us.
Achillean Flag
Achillean: Men or men-aligned individuals who are attracted to other men and men-aligned people. It is sometimes acknowledged as men loving men (MLM). Achillean individuals may or may not be attracted to other genders. While this label isn’t exclusive, it is used to unify men-aligned people or men who admire other men.
Date: 2016
Creator: Redesigned by DeviantArt (Tumblr user)
Flag meaning: The first iteration was created by pridenpositivity (Tumblr user). The flag contains the color sky to represent men and a lime-green carnation in the center, which was popularized by Oscar Wilde
LGBTQ+ Pride Flags and Their Meanings
Across the world, the LGBTQ+ community celebrates its heritage and history with all sorts of flags. As well as the evolution and ongoing developments with the traditional rainbow LGBT flag, sexualities and gender identities across the spectrum have identified their own designs.
So, what are the unlike pride flags, and what do they mean? Altogether, there are over 30 pride flags that are used and acknowledged. There are so many to celebrate the unlike genders, non-genders, sexualities and identities that exist all over the world. People do not all fit into basic categories, and the variety of lgbtq+ fest flags recognise and honour this.
We’ve gathered some key data on each of the different identity festival flags, to aide you understand the variety of Queer flag meanings. Simply keep reading to learn more.
Why are there so many LGBTQ+ flags?
The Queer community is diverse. The variety of flags existent within this community is shown to indicate that, and guarantee that everyone, no matter of sexuality, gender(s) or ethnicity has a flag that represents who they are. The ever-growing use of social media has contributed significantly t
LGBTQ+ Pride Flags
In the LGBTQ+ community, we signify our pride with flags. With many other identities in the society, there comes many other flags to know. We have collected all of the flags and a guide to learn about all of the other colors of our community’s rainbow. We know that this may not be all of the flags that represent our group, but we will update the page as novel flags become popular!
Explore the flag collection below! Notice a flag's name by hovering or clicking on the flag.
Umbrella Flags
Gilbert Baker Pride Flag
Traditional Pride Flag
Philadelphia Pride Flag
Progress Pride Flag
Intersex-Inclusive Progress Pride Flag
Queer Pride Flag
The original Pride Flag was created in 1978 after activist Harvey Milk asked artist Gilbert Baker to design a symbol of gay pride. Each color represents a alternative part of the Gay community: hot pink represents sex, red symbolizes existence, orange stands for healing, yellow equals sunlight, lush stands for nature, turquoise symbolizes magic and art, indigo represents serenity, while violet symbolizes the soul of LGBTQ+ people.
After the assass