The gay flag meaning

You might be familiar with the six-colored rainbow flag that is widely used to represent the LGBTQ+ community. But did you recognize that this is a relatively modern 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 Gay and Woman-loving woman Freedom Day Celebration in He was inspired by the Rolling Stones anthem She’s a Rainbow, and the s hippies movement, assigning each color 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 Pride Flag increased, but the blazing pink fabric was difficult to locate in large quantities. Then, the Paramount Flag Company started making a version out of the standard rainbow colors to help assemble demand, and a seven-color pride flag was the recent norm.

A year later,

Flags of the LGBTIQ Community

Flags have always been an integral part of the LGBTIQ+ movement. They are a clear representation meant to honor progress, advocate for voice, and amplify the require and drive for collective action. There have been many LGBTIQ+ flags over the years. Some hold evolved, while others are constantly being conceptualized and created.

Rainbow Flag

Created in by Gilbert Baker, the iconic Pride Rainbow flag originally had eight stripes. The colors included pink to represent sexuality, red for healing, yellow for light, green for serenity with nature, turquoise for art, indigo for harmony, and violet for spirit. 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 Celebration Flag

Created in by nonbinary artist Daniel Quasar, the Progress Pride flag is based on the iconic rainbow flag. With stripes of black and brown to represent marginalized LGBTIQ+ people of tint and the triad of blue, pink, and colorless from the trans flag, the desig

Here’s What the Different LGBTQIA+ Flags Represent

LGBTQIA+

When we assume 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 gay community. While many in the LGBTQIA+ community determine 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 male lover 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

The Progress Pride flag was developed in by non-binary American painter and designer Daniel Quasar (who uses xe/xyr pronouns). Based on the iconic rainbow flag from , the redesign celebrates the diversity of the LGBTQ people and calls for a more inclusive society. In , the V&A acquired a bespoke applique version of the Progress Identity festival flag that can be seen on display in the Blueprint – Now gallery.

'Progress' is a reinterpretation of multiple iterations of the pride flag. The first 'rainbow flag' was created by Gilbert Baker in to commemorate members of the gay and lesbian political movement. It comprised eight coloured stripes stacked on top of each other to evoke a rainbow, a symbol of hope. Baker assigned a specific meaning to each colour: pink for sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for character, turquoise for magic, indigo for serenity and violet for essence. A year later the pink and turquoise stripes were dropped owing to a shortage of pink fabric at the period and legibility concerns, resulting in the six-colour rainbow flag most commo