Pride flags explained
There are dozens of pride flags, and most of them follow the same idea: a set of coloured stripes, each standing for something. This guide covers the flags you're most likely to see at a Pride march or in a window, and how they relate to each other.
Where it started: the rainbow flag
San Francisco artist Gilbert Baker designed the first rainbow flag for the city's Gay Freedom Day parade in June 1978. His original version had eight stripes, each with a meaning, from hot pink for sex to violet for spirit. Hot pink fabric was hard to get, so it was dropped, and turquoise and indigo were later merged into royal blue. That left the six-stripe rainbow flag most people know today. It is still the umbrella symbol for the whole LGBTQ+ community.
The newer rainbow designs
In 2017 the City of Philadelphia added black and brown stripes to the rainbow to represent queer people of colour: the Philadelphia, or "More Colour More Pride", flag. In 2018 the designer Daniel Quasar combined those stripes with the transgender flag's light blue, pink and white in a chevron on the left, creating the Progress Pride flag. In 2021 Valentino Vecchietti of Intersex Equality Rights UK added a yellow triangle with a purple circle, the intersex-inclusive Progress Pride flag. It is now common at UK Pride events.
Flags for sexual orientations
- Bisexual flag (Michael Page, 1998): magenta, lavender and royal blue.
- Pansexual flag (2010): pink, yellow and blue.
- Asexual flag (2010, chosen by the asexual community): black, grey, white and purple.
- Lesbian flag (2018): shades of orange, white and pink, often called the "sunset" lesbian flag.
There are many more, including demisexual, polysexual and omnisexual. See the full list of sexuality flags.
Flags for gender identities
- Transgender flag (Monica Helms, 1999): light blue, pink and white, arranged so it reads the same whichever way up it's flown.
- Non-binary flag (Kye Rowan, 2014): yellow, white, purple and black.
- Genderqueer flag (Marilyn Roxie, 2011): lavender, white and green.
- Genderfluid flag (JJ Poole, 2012) and agender flag (Salem X, 2014).
More in gender identity flags.
Romantic orientation, intersex and ally flags
Some flags describe romantic rather than sexual attraction, like the aromantic flag. The intersex flag (Morgan Carpenter, 2013) deliberately avoids gendered colours: it's a purple circle on yellow. Allies have their own straight ally flag, and you'll also see rainbow versions of national flags, such as the rainbow Union Jack.
Which flag should I fly?
There's no single right answer. The six-stripe rainbow flag is understood everywhere as a general pride symbol. Many organisations now choose the Progress Pride flag to show that trans people and people of colour are explicitly included. For your own identity, fly the flag that fits you. Lots of people fly two.