Pride Flags

The original Pride flag created by Gilbert Baker, debuted at the 1978 Gay Pride Parade in San Francisco, California at the urging of City Supervisor and early gay activist Harvey Milk. This rainbow flag was a welcomed first alternative to what was likely the best-known international symbol of the LGBTQ Community: the pink triangle, with origins from Nazi Germany.

You’ll notice it has more colors than today’s flags. Gilbert designated the colors as:
pink – sex • red – life • orange – healing • yellow – the sun • green – nature • turquoise – art & magic • blue – serenity • purple – the spirit

Pink and turquoise were later dropped from the flag due to cost and display considerations (dimensions).

Check out the GLBT History website for an online exhibit of Gilbert’s activism.

Today, we have many flags to celebrate our diverse identities and experiences. As we learn more about the range of human experiences, we open ourselves up to beautiful possibilities to love and be loved.

More Pride Flags created since Gilbert's original

• Traditional Pride Flag

  The six color pride flag has rallied and represented the full umbrella of the LGBTQIA+ community for over 40 years and is still one of the most common. Red symbolizes life, orange stands for healing, yellow equals sunlight, green stands for nature, while violet symbolizes the spirit of LGBTQ+ people

  

• Progressive Pride Flag

  Created by Daniel Quaser who added to the Traditional Rainbow flag a white, pink, and light blue stripe to represent the Trans community. The black and brown stripes represent communities of color. The black stripe is also a nod to the thousands lost during the HIV/AIDS crisis in 1980s and 1990s.

  

• Genderfluid Pride Flag

  Developed in 2013 by JJ Poole to represent those whose gender identity and/or gender expression fluctuates during different times and different circumstances. Pink stands for femininity, while blue stands for masculinity, white represents the lack of gender while black symbolizes all genders, the purple stripe represents a combination of masculinity and femininity.

  

• Intersex-Inclusive Progressive Pride Flag

  Valentino Vecchietti developed this design in 2021, adding the purple circle on a gold background representing the Intersex community. The white, pink, and light blue stripe to represent the Trans community. The black and brown stripes represent communities of color.

  

• Trans Pride Flag

  Developed by Monica Helms in 2000 to represent the Trans or Transgender community, meaning those whose birth features do not align with their gender identity. The blue and pink stripes represent the “traditional” genders, with the middle white stripe bridging the divide.

  

• Pansexual Pride Flag

  Pansexual people are those who have the potential for emotional, romantic, or sexual attraction to any gender, though it may vary in expression from person to person. The pink stripe represents attraction to women while the blue stripe represents attraction to men. The yellow stripe is for everyone else in-between and beyond the gender binary.

  

• Intersex Pride Flag

  Developed in 2013 by Morgan Carpenter. Intersex refers to those born with a variety of differences in their sex traits and reproductive anatomy. There is no one way to be intersex as everyone’s experience in unique. The creator chose yellow and purple as those are typically gender neutral colors.

  

• Lesbian Pride Flag

  This is the most widely used Lesbian Pride Flag, developed in 2018. Lesbian refers to women who feel emotional, romantic, or sexual attraction toward other women. The different shades of red, pink, and orange represent the different types of femininity in the lesbian community.

  

• Non-Binary Pride Flag

  Created in 2014 to represent those individuals who do not identify with either binary gender (boy/girl). The yellow stripe represents a gender outside of the binary. The white stripe stands for those who have multiple or all genders. The purple stripe symbolizes those who fall between the male/female binary. The black stripe represents those with no gender.

  

• Genderqueer Pride Flag

  Represents those people that reject the static categories of gender. Genderqueer people may see themselves as both male and female, or neither. Or may identify outside the gender binary entirely. The lavender stripe represents androgyny and other queer identities while the white stripe stands for agender people. The green stripe symbolizes those who fall outside of the binary.

  

• Bisexual Pride Flag

  Created in 1998 by Michael Page to bring awareness to the bisexual community, those attracted to those of both traditional genders. The pink represents bisexual’s attraction to the same gender while the blue represents the attraction to the opposite gender. The purple stripe in the middle represents attraction to two genders.

  

• Asexual Pride Flag

  Asexual individuals are people that do not have a sexual attraction to any gender. Each stripe has a different meaning: black represents asexuality, gray means gray-asexuality & demisexuality, whites stands for non-asexual partners and allies, and the purple represents community.

  

• Demisexual Pride Flag

  This flag represents people who only form sexual attraction for people once they have established a deep emotional connection with them. Each color has a different meaning: black represents asexuality, gray stands for demisexuality, white means sexuality, while purple represents community.

  

• Polyamory Pride Flag

  This flag represents those who form relationships with multiple partners. Blue stands for openness and honesty of everyone involved, red represents love and passion, while black stands for solidarity with those who must hide their polyamorous relationships. The Pi sign in the middle signifies the infinite options of partners available to polyamorous people.

  

• Agender Pride Flag

  Created in 2014 to represent those who have an unidentifiable gender, are gender neutral, or have no gender. The black and white stripes represent the absence of gender while the gray stripes stand for semi-genderless people. The green stripe represents non-binary people.

  

• Thank you to our partner

  A huge thank you to the City of Grand Haven Human Rights Commission for initiating this project. Keep an eye out around Grand Haven for flyers depicting this information, providing an on-the-go learning opportunity for everyone!
  
  Learn more about what they're up to at https://www.facebook.com/GrandHavenHRC

  

• Credits

  For more information, and even more Flags, please visit The Human Rights Campaign

  For more information on Gilbert Baker and the first Pride Flag, please visit:

  • GLBT History - Gilbert Baker
  • GLBT History - Rainbow Flag