Not until 1994 did the rainbow flag become truly established as the symbol of pride. The rainbow Pride flag was originally created with eight different colours, and was later simplifed by removing the pink and turquoise The rainbow Pride flag was originally created with eight different colours, and was later simplifed by removing the pink and turquoise Still, the remaining spectrum of colour came to reflect the immense diversity and the unity of the LGBTQ community.Ĭurious to know about initiatives supporting LGBTQ+ creatives? Head to these 4 LGBTQ+ organizations that you should know, follow, and might as well join. Pink and turquoise were removed because the hot-pink dye was hard to source and because seven stripes were harder to mass-produce. The flag would later be simplified to become the six-tripe version, which is mostly used today.
Something from us” he argued.Īnd so, the rainbow Pride flag was created with eight different colours, each with its own meaning assigned to it by Baker:
The Pride Flag was designed by the artist and queer activist Gilbert Baker in 1978 – ©Ale_Mi/Depositphotos – Cover image – ©marcbruxelle/Depositphotosīefore that, the most popular emblem of queerness was the pink triangle, a reclaimed symbol from Nazi Germany’s persecution of gay men.ĭespite the Pink Triangle’s prevalence, Baker had a problem with its tainted history. The inspiration behind the design came from the United States national flag, which had celebrated its bicentennial in 1976, the Pop Art movement, which defined the decades leading up to the seventies with an optimistic investment in new and contemporary ideas, and of course, an actual rainbow. On that day, Baker along with thirty volunteers hand-dyed and stitched two giant flags and hoisted them above the city’s UN Plaza, near city hall. It had eight colours and was designed by the artist and queer activist Gilbert Baker who was commissioned to design something that could represent the LGBTQ community by his friend Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in California.
#ORIGINAL GAY PRIDE FLAG WINDOWS#
According to Quasar, the colors in the chevron represent trans individuals, people of color, those living with HIV/AIDS, and deceased members of the LGBTQ+ community.June has long been recognised as Pride Month and on this colourful occasion, the rainbow Pride Flag takes centre stage.Įxpect to see it everywhere: stretched across balconies, decorating shop windows and draped over the shoulders of those displaying solidarity with the LGBTQ community.Ī queer icon and a ubiquitous symbol around the world, the Pride Flag first flew in 1978 during San Francisco Pride. The flag was unveiled at Philadelphia’s Pride celebration in 2017 and remains the official LGBTQ+ flag of the City of Philadelphia.ĭesigner Daniel Quasar creates the “Progress Flag”, which combines elements of the 2017 Philadelphia flag and the trans flag with the traditional rainbow flag. “o matter which way you fly it, it is always correct, signifying us finding correctness in our lives,” Helms said of the flag.įollowing an outcry over racism in Philadelphia’s Gayborhood, the city commissioned the design of a new eight-color flag with black and brown stripes to recognize the contributions of LGBTQ+ people of color. The light pink and blue represent the colors traditionally associated with girls and boys, and the white represents transitioning, neutral or undefined genders, and intersexuality. Monica Helms, a transgender woman, creates the transgender pride flag.
Page explained that the pink represents same-sex sttraction, the blue represents opposite-sex attraction, and the purple overlap represents attraction to both. Michael Page designs the bisexual pride flag, a three-color design. The six-color flag is the most common LGBTQ+ flag worldwide. With only seven colors, activists noticed it was impossible to split in half to be displayed more easily in public, and so the turquoise stripe was eliminated as well. The six-color flag enters popular use following the assassination of Harvey Milk.The hot pink stripe was eliminated over the difficulty obtaining the fabric. From top to bottom, the colors represent sex, life, healing, sunlight, nature, magic and art, serenity, and spirit. The eight-color flag first flew over the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade in June of 1978. Gilbert Baker, a friend of San Fancisco’s openly gay City Supervisor Harvey Milk, designs the first rainbow flag. Here’s a timeline of some of the major LGBTQ+ flags and what they stand for.
The history of the Pride Flag goes back to the 1970s, and the design has changed numerous times over the years. Colorful flags are flown at many LGBTQ+ events.