How the Rainbow Became a Symbol for Event – 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 appreciate a wonderful way to recognize Pride Month — but many in the LGBTQ+ community feel otherwise. The term “rainbow washing” has become the fresh label for the seemingly instantaneous and universal modify 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 truth that the rainbow flag is a symbol of LGBTQ+ Pride. However, it is less commonly established that the colors
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The Progress Pride flag was developed in by non-binary American creator and designer Daniel Quasar (who uses xe/xyr pronouns). Based on the iconic rainbow flag from , the redesign celebrates the diversity of the LGBTQ collective and calls for a more inclusive society. In , the V&A acquired a bespoke applique version of the Progress Celebration flag that can be seen on display in the Plan – Now gallery.
'Progress' is a reinterpretation of multiple iterations of the pride flag. The unique 'rainbow flag' was created by Gilbert Baker in to rejoice members of the gay and lesbian political movement. It comprised eight coloured stripes stacked on top of each other to evoke a rainbow, a symbol of hope. Baker assigned a specific meaning to each colour: pink for sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for essence, turquoise for magic, indigo for serenity and violet for essence. A year later the pink and turquoise stripes were dropped owing to a shortage of pink fabric at the period and legibility concerns, resulting in the six-colour rainbow flag most commo
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 alternative colors of our community’s rainbow. We know that this may not be all of the flags that represent our group, but we will update the page as unused flags become popular!
Explore the flag collection below! View 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 after activist Harvey Milk asked artist Gilbert Baker to design a symbol of gay pride. Each shade represents a different part of the LGBTQ+ community: hot pink represents sex, red symbolizes life, orange stands for healing, yellow equals sunlight, green stands for nature, turquoise symbolizes magic and art,