LGBTQ+ Flags

Rainbow Flags flying in Christopher Park

NPS Photo

Rainbow 1979 Flag

Public Domain

• Created by Gilbert Baker in 1979 after the first version was changed due to:
  • Pink color was expensive and difficult to standardize.
  • Teal color was removed to create symmetry for the public after the assassination of Harvey Milk.
• Popularity of the rainbow flag took off after the Stonewall 25 celebrations, where Gilbert Baker created a mile long rainbow flag and then cut it up and distributed it to sponsors and embassies around the globe.

Progress Flag

Protected by Creative Commons (BY-NC-SA)

• Designed by Daniel Quasar in 2018 to raise the conversation about marginalized groups within the LGBTQ+ community.
• Flag is set on the backdrop of the rainbow flag with a chevron in the colors of black, brown, as well as the light blue/pink/white of the transgender flag.
• Flag is protected by Creative Commons (BY-NC-SA) to "make sure that it is used properly, that is still supports the message of the flag, and supports the creator of the work."

Transgender Flag

Public Domain

• Transgender: an umbrella term that incorporates all people whose gender identity is different from their sex assigned at birth.
• Flag designed by Monica Helms in 1999 and debuted at a Pride Parade in Phoenix, Arizona in 2000.
• Designed to be flown in any direction, symbolizing transgender individuals finding correctness in themselves.
• Colors: Blue represents masculinity, pink represents feminity, and white represents those who are intersex, non-binary, or in transition.

Two Spirit Flag

Public Domain

• Two Spirit: a cultural identity that describes a Native Indigenous identity that describes a person's sexuality, gender, and/or spiritual identity, all encompassing of LGBTQ+ identities.
• First proposed and voted on during the 3rd annual international LGBT Native American Gathering in 1990 at Winnipeg, Canada, by Elder Myra Laramee.
• Encompasses diversity of Indigenous LGBTQ+ identities and cultures.
• Flag is the widely known rainbow flag with a native symbol overlain, not the only accepted flag representating Two-Spirit but currently the most well known.

Pansexual Flag

Public Domain

• Flag first created in 2010 and was posted to Tumblr by an anonymous user which was later revealed to be named Justin V.
• Colors represent respectively masculine people, feminine people, and non-binary or trans people.
• Pansexual term is dated to 1914, but was not used as a definition of the sexual orientation until the 1970s with its popularity taking off in the 1990s.
• Pansexual term is typically associated with "bisexuality" sharing similarities, however, "pansexuality" seeks to emphasize all genders and less preference as compared to bisexuality.

Asexual Flag

Public Domain

•An asexual person is someone who has no sexual feelings or desires or who is not sexually attracted to anyone

•Flag was first introduced by AVEN in 2010 to represent people who identify as asexual, or ace

•Gradient of black, gray, and white represent asexuality, allosexuality (a term meaning “everyone who is not asexual”), and everything in between

•Purple stripe is a holdover from one of the original asexuality pride symbols: the AVEN triangle

Aromantic Flag

Public Domain

•Introduced by Cameron Whimsey on Tumblr in 2014 to represent people who identify as aromantic, or aro

•Green represents aromanticism, generally explained as those who experience little to no desire for romantic relationships

•Lighter green represents the aromantic spectrum

•White represents aesthetic attraction and platonic friendships

•Gray represents those in the “gray area” under the aromantic spectrum

•Black represents the sexuality spectrum

Agender Flag

Public Domain

•An agender person does not identify themselves as having a particular gender

•Flag was first introduced by Tumblr user “Salem X” in 2014 to represent folks who identify as agender

•Black and white represent the absence of gender

•Gray represents being semi-genderless

•Green represents non-binary genders

•Agender folk typically experience a lack of gender identity, a gender that is neutral, or a gender that falls beyond the gender binary

Non-Binary Flag

Public Domain

•A non-binary person’s gender is not exclusively male or female

•Flag was first introduced by Kye Ronan in 2014

•Yellow stands for people whose gender doesn’t exist within the binary

•White represents people with all genders or many genders

•Purple stands for people with genders that may be a mix of female and male

•Black represents people that identify as not having any gender at all

•Aims to include and depict the experiences of non-binary people

Intersex Flag

Public Domain

•An intersex person is one with both male and female sex characteristics at birth, including chromosome patterns, gonads, genitals, etc.

•Estimated that 1.7% of people are born intersex, comparable to the number of those born with red hair

•Flag was first introduced in 2013 by Morgan Carpenter of Intersex Human Rights Australia

•The circle is described by Carpenter as “unbroken and unornamented, symbolizing wholeness and completeness, and our potentialities. We are still fighting for bodily autonomy and genital integrity, and this symbolizes who and how we want to be.”

•Yellow and purple are considered neutral, not colors typically associated with the constructions of gender

Lesbian Flag

Public Domain

•A lesbian is someone who experiences sexual or romantic attraction to other women

•Flag was first introduced by Emily Gwen in 2018

•Dark orange represents gender non-conformity, orange represents independence, and light orange represents community

•White represents unique relationships with womanhood

•Pink represents serenity and peace, dusty pink represents love and sex, and dark rose represents femininity

•Has many iterations, including the labrys lesbian flag from 1999, the butch lesbian flag, and a recent exclusionary “lipstick lesbian” flag

Bisexual Flag

Public Domain

•Bisexuality has different meanings to different people

•Flag was first introduced by Michael Page in 1998 to increase the visibility of bisexuals within the LGBTQ+ community

•Colors and overlap were inspired by Liz Nania’s biangles (bisexuality triangles)

•Pink represents attraction to the same sex

•Blue represents attraction to the opposite sex

•Purple, the “overlap,” represents the diversity of attraction regardless of sex or gender

Drag Pride Flag

Public Domain

•People partake in the activity of doing drag for reasons ranging from self-expression to mainstream performance

•Flag was first introduced by Drag Queen Veranda L’Ni in 2016

•Purple represents a passion for drag, white represents the blank slate of the body and face that change to become characters, pink crown represents leadership, pink stars represent the many forms of drag, blue represents self-expression and loyalty

Ally Flag

Public Domain

•The Ally Pride flag was introduced in the 2000s

•The letter ‘A’ represents ally

•The black and white stripes represent the straight flag

•Rainbow represents all people under the umbrella of the LGBTQ+ community

Pink Triangle Flag

Public Domain

•Used as a uniform marker for people labeled as homosexuals in Nazi concentration camps

•Reclaimed by a post-war German gay rights organization as a symbol of liberation in 1973

•Inspired the creation of the organizational symbol for ACT UP in 1986, which included a pink upwards triangle and the words “SILENCE=DEATH” to call attention to the AIDS crisis

•Serves as a reminder of the violence faced by the LGBTQ+ community

•Acts as a symbol of strength found in unity and mutual support in the face of great hostilities

Philadelphia Pride Flag

Public Domain

•Designed in 2017 through a partnership between the design agency Tierney and Philadelphia’s Office of LGBT Affairs

•Borne of protest after several high-profile stories exposed racism in queer neighborhoods in Philadelphia

•Rainbow represents all people under the umbrella of the LGBTQ+ community

•Black and brown lines call attention to people of color within the LGBTQ+ community

•Represents the demand for inclusion and intersectionality within the LGBTQ+ community