What is the gay rainbow
The History of the Pride Flag
With its bright colours and significant interpretation, the Rainbow Flag is a symbol recognised all over the world to represent the Homosexual communities. It’s a symbol of aspire , unity and empowerment to allow cherish to be cherish regardless of gender, ethnicity or labels. But where did this renowned flag come from? And how was the design chosen?
The first Pride Flag originates from San Francisco Activist Gilbert Baker, who desired to create an emblem of pride for the gay group. In 1978 the Rainbow Flag was created, as Baker recognised that a flag is one of the most significant aspects of identity, and wanted his creation to be a unified symbol of gratification for all those who identify within these communities.
In England, homosexuality was decriminalised in 1967, with Scotland following in 1980, and Northern Ireland by 1982. Before this day, it was illegal to engage in ‘private homosexual acts’, and those caught or believed to be engaging in same-sex relationships could face imprisonment, universal shame and a life-long criminal records. Society was homophobic, with those in same-sex relationships organism stripped of their basic freedom to love the p
How the Rainbow Became a Symbol for Celebration – and Why it Matters
Every June, the LGBTQ+ community and allies celebrate Pride Month, and, in recent years, we have seen a substantial increase in companies showing their support by incorporating the rainbow flag as part of their logos and/or products. To those outside of the community this seems enjoy a wonderful way to recognize Pride Month — but many in the LGBTQ+ community feel otherwise. The term “rainbow washing” has become the modern label for the seemingly instantaneous and universal convert from company colors to rainbow colors on June 1. Rainbow washing is viewed as a performative act of support, rather than as a meaningful or intentional expression of support.
I’d like to take a moment to explain what the colors on the Pride flag mean and share a brief history on the evolution of the flag — from where it started to how it is presented today.
A symbol of and for pride
It is common learning that the rainbow flag is a symbol of LGBTQ+ Pride. However, it is less commonly recognizable that the colors reflect the diversity of the LGBTQ+ community.
The rainbow flag became a symbol for same-sex attracted Pr
You might be familiar with the six-colored rainbow flag that is widely used to represent the Homosexual community. But did you know that this is a relatively new rendition of the original?
The authentic flag (shown here) was designed by activist, veteran, drag queen, and creator, Gilbert Baker, and made its debut at the San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Freedom Day Procession in 1978. He was inspired by the Rolling Stones song She’s a Rainbow, and the 1960s 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 1978, demand for the Identity festival Flag increased, but the hot pink fabric was difficult to find in large quantities. Then, the Paramount Flag Company started making a version out of the standard rainbow colors to help join demand, and a seven-color pride flag was the new norm.
A year later, the flag evolved once more…
LGBTQ+ Pride Flags
In the LGBTQ+ community, we signify our pride with flags. With many unlike identities in the group, there comes many distinct flags to know. We have collected all of the flags and a guide to learn about all of the distinct colors of our community’s rainbow. We know that this may not be all of the flags that represent our collective, but we will update the page as fresh flags become popular!
Explore the flag collection below! Spot a flag's name by hovering or clicking on the flag.
Umbrella Flags
Gilbert Baker Pride Flag
Traditional Pride Flag
Philadelphia Pride Flag
Progress Pride Flag
Intersex-Inclusive Progress Pride Flag
Queer Pride Flag
The original Pride Flag was created in 1978 after activist Harvey Milk asked artist Gilbert Baker to design a symbol of gay pride. Each color represents a alternative part of the Diverse community: hot pink represents sex, red symbolizes existence, orange stands for healing, yellow equals sunlight, emerald stands for nature, turquoise symbolizes magic and art, indigo represents serenity, while violet symbolizes the essence of LGBTQ+ people.
After the assass
The Progress Pride flag was developed in 2018 by neutrois American artist and designer Daniel Quasar (who uses xe/xyr pronouns). Based on the iconic rainbow flag from 1978, the redesign celebrates the diversity of the LGBTQ society and calls for a more inclusive society. In 2020, the V&A acquired a bespoke applique version of the Progress Pride flag that can be seen on exhibit in the Blueprint 1900 – Now gallery.
'Progress' is a reinterpretation of multiple iterations of the pride flag. The original 'rainbow flag' was created by Gilbert Baker in 1978 to honor members of the gay and queer woman political movement. It comprised eight coloured stripes stacked on top of each other to evoke a rainbow, a symbol of optimism. Baker assigned a specific meaning to each colour: pink for sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, emerald for nature, turquoise for magic, indigo for serenity and violet for energy. A year later the pink and turquoise stripes were dropped owing to a shortage of pink fabric at the time and legibility concerns, resulting in the six-colour rainbow flag most commonly used in the first decades of the 21st century.
Baker's flag was embra