Lgbtq flags and their meanings
You might be familiar with the six-colored rainbow flag that is widely used to represent the LGBTQ+ community. But did you know that this is a relatively new rendition of the original?
The original flag (shown here) was designed by activist, veteran, drag queen, and artist, Gilbert Baker, and made its debut at the San Francisco Male lover and Lesbian Freedom Day Celebration in He was inspired by the Rolling Stones song She’s a Rainbow, and the s hippies movement, assigning each tint with a specific meaning:
Pink: Sex (later removed)
Red: Life
Orange: Healing
Yellow: Sunlight
Green: Nature
Turquoise: Magic (later removed)
Indigo: Serenity
Violet: Spirit
The evolution to the six-colored flag used today happened out of practicality.
After the parade in , demand for the Lgbtq+ fest Flag increased, but the scorching pink fabric was difficult to find in large quantities. Then, the Paramount Flag Company started making a version out of the standard rainbow colors to help meet demand, and a seven-color pride flag was the new norm.
A year later,
25 LGBTQ+ Pride Flags and What They Mean
Original Pride Flag
The late artist Gilbert Baker is credited with creating the first pride flag, which he engineered in for Queer Pride Day in San Francisco, per CNN.
Baker's iteration of the flag gives a distinct meaning to each color: "hot pink for sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, verdant for nature, turquoise for magic, cerulean for harmony, and violet for spirit," he explained.
"We needed something to express our bliss, our beauty, our power. And the rainbow did that,” Baker told CNN in “We’re an ancient, wonderful tribe of people. We picked something from nature. We picked something beautiful."
Rainbow Lgbtq+ fest Flag
This iteration of the flag, which omits the pink stripe, has been popular since Per Old Dominion University, Pride flags were in high claim following the assassination of San Francisco city supervisor Harvey Milk, and Baker opted to omit the pink stripe because the fabric color was tough to find.
For a time, the Paramount Flag Company sold a seven-stripe flag, t
An introduction to LGBTQ+ flags
We have put together a list of some of the LGBTQ+ flags, where they came from and what they represent.
Keep reading to learn about the history of the flags and more.
Why are there different flags in the LGBTQ+ community?
There are numerous flags used in the LGBTQ+ community to symbolize various sexual orientations and preferences, gender identities, idealistic orientation, and subcultures.
It embodies the many aspects of the LGBTQ+ community by having different flags that represent different things.
LGBTQ+ flags, like country flags, all have meaning. Each colour represents and means something different.
The history of the original LGBT flag
The “original” LGBT flag, also recognizable as the rainbow flag or the pride flag, is a six-coloured striped flag with red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet.
The LGBT rainbow flag history dates back to , when Gilbert Baker designed it, but it has since been modified.
Gilbert Baker became involved in the LGBT flag’s creation after meeting influential homosexual leader Harvey Milk, who challenged Baker to build a
Here’s What the Different LGBTQIA+ Flags Represent
LGBTQIA+
When we believe of Pride Month, the first image that typically comes to mind is the classic rainbow flag. However, many people don’t realize that along with the Rainbow Pride Flag, there are an array of different identifiers that represent the diverse homosexual community. While many in the LGBTQIA+ community recognize with the all-encompassing rainbow flag, each group has its own flag to represent its unique contributions and stories within the community. Here’s a rundown of the different flags and what they represent.
The Gilbert Baker Pride Flag
The original rainbow pride flag was designed by Gilbert Baker in at the request of Harvey Milk, the first openly queer elected official in California. Gilbert chose the rainbow as it represents a symbol of hope.
Original flag colors and meaning:
Pink: sex; Red: life; Orange: healing; Yellow: sunlight; Green: nature; Turquoise: magic; Blue: harmony; Violet: spirit.
Rainbow Pride Flag
This is the iteration of the Pride Flag that we all know today, use