Pride, all the flags of LGBT + pride: their meaning color by color

A multiform wave, with a thousand different voices. The Pride Monththe month ofLGBT + pride which is traditionally celebrated a June, brings a veritable multicolored tide around the world every year. Thousands of people demonstrating gender identity, gender expressions or sexual orientations several take to the streets, in the squares, carrying out the demands of the community, claiming among which, perhaps the most important, that of being and loving whoever you want. All, all and all conventionally gathered under a single flag, the rainbow, a symbol of recognition, including political recognition, for LGBT + people. But even if the “Pride Flag“Changes color, becoming increasingly inclusive, each subjectivity has adopted symbols over time to be able to identify and demonstrate unity, pride and its values, as well as recognize itself. So let’s find out which are the main flags, starting from that “rtothenborw“.

The rainbow flag: birth and versions

Rainbow flag 1978

The first of the flags of the community, probably the most famous and also the most recognized and used, is the rainbow one, commonly called rainbow flag. Born for the gay pride from San Francisco of 25 June 1978the author Gilbert Baker, artist and LGBT + activist, conceived it to give a symbol to the homosexual revolution. At the debut it contained 8 colorsinstead of the classic 6: rose for sex, red For the life, Orange for health, yellow for the sunlight, green for nature, turquoise for art, indigo for harmony and viola for spirituality.
Then, due to practical problems, the rainbow drape passed to the 6 colorswhose meanings were updated as follows:

  • Red = Life
  • Orange = Healing
  • Yellow = Sunlight
  • Green = Nature
  • Blue = Harmony
  • Viola = Spirit

Symbol of equality, belonging and solidarity within the community, the original version has undergone various revisions over the decades, gradually becoming more inclusive. In 2017, for example, after the numerous episodes of racism against the black community in Philadelphia (United States), the city hall decided to add two stripes of black and brown, to also represent the LGBT + African American people who suffered violent discrimination.

The latest revision, carried out by Valentino Vecchietti – a member of Intersex Equality Rights UK – in 2021, is entitled Progress Intersex-Inclusive and as the name itself implies, it was designed to include as many LGBTQ + subjectivities as possible, without excluding any minority. Beyondthe classic six rainbow colors and those of the black community, the colors of the trans flag * (pink, white and blue) and the symbols of theintersex pride (the yellow triangle with purple circleintended as neutral colors)

Progress Intersex-Inclusive
Progress Intersex-Inclusive flag

Lesbian Flag

Over the years, every expression of gender or orientation has taken on specific symbols of recognition, which embody its identity values. Here, then, is that the flag oflesbian pride – among the first in the claims for the rights underlying the Pride – born in seven colorsin two versions, that of Emily Gwen (Dark orange: gender nonconformity, Orange: independence, Light orange: community, White: sisterhood, Pink: serenity and peace, Dusty pink: love and sex, Dark pink: femininity) and that Lipstick (one of the first striped flags made to give a symbol to the lesbian community. The original version also featured a lipstick mold with a kiss in the upper left, but this version was never fully accepted) in 2018 reduced them to 5 (dark orange for transgressive femininity, light orange for the Community, white for gender non-compliance, rose for Freedom e dark pink for Love).

lesbian flag
The flag of lesbian pride

Bisexual flag

The flag of pride bisexual was born instead in 1998 by the designer Michael Page with the intention of giving a symbol to the community. The flag consists of three colors: at the top the rosewhich symbolizes thehomosexual orientation; below the bluewhich represents theheterosexual orientation; in the center the violawhich represents the combination of the two guidelines. The first two represented, according to a by now ingrained stereotype, the male and the female, which merging in the middle becomes lavender. Michael Page was inspired by the old symbol of bisexuality called “biangles” or two triangles, a pink and a blue, which when crossing turn into lavender.

bisexual flag
Bisexual flag

Transgender flag

Soft colors but fundamental instances are those expressed through the flag that identifies transgender people. Created by Monica Helms, a transsexual woman, in 1999, it was first used during Phoenix Pride. This is the meaning of the five bands that distinguish it:

  • Light bluerepresents the color traditionally associated with the male gender
  • Roserepresents the color traditionally associated with the female gender
  • Whiterepresents the culmination of the two colors, hence people in transition +

White is indeed the main symbol because it represents trans identity and all its spectrum, all transgender people, those in transition, those with neutral gender, no gender, intersex etc.

trans flag
Transgender flag

Pansexual Flag

The drape pansexual was created in 2010 to represent all those who are attracted to people regardless of their gender, because of sexual orientation it is not in any way related to his gender identity. Also in this case the colors are 3 and they represent precise symbols: the rose and the blue they indicate attraction to people who identify as women and to those who identify as men, respectively. In between the yellow to represent attraction all non-binary people and unspecified genders.

Asexual Flag

Finally, to account for the symbols of what are the main identities, gender expressions and sexual orientations (even if, we reiterate, these are numerous, in continuous evolution and discovery, not closed boxes but free subjectivity) also asexual people, that is those who do not feel sexual attraction. L’asexuality it is a sexual orientation characterized by sexual attraction towards any gender. Flag, created in 2010 inspired by the organization’s logo Asexual Visibility and Education Network, represents different identities: graysexuality (rare attraction or only in certain circumstances) and demisexual (sexual attraction after having established an emotional relationship). The stripes are colored black (asexuality), grey (graysexuality), white (allosexuality, sexual attraction towards one or more genders) e viola (symbolizes the community).

asexual flag
The asexual flag

Pride, all the flags of LGBT + pride: their meaning color by color