PRIDE
Pride month 2024: What are the flags of the LGTBIQ+ community? What does the rainbow represent?
Well known for its wide assortment of flags that adorn the Pride celebrations, we bring you the lowdown on some of the most prominent.
It’s June, and once again, the streets are filled with rainbows, even without the need for sunlight, raindrops, and the incredibly alluring process of refraction, internal reflection, and dispersion. Pride is known for its color, and the flags are no exception. There are myriad, but each represents a section of the LGBTQ+ community. As the community grows, so does the array of flags.
Each one reflects the values of the group that flies it. Each color has a particular meaning, making each one interesting reading for all budding vexillologists worldwide. Let’s learn more...
Pride month: how many flags are there?
It is impossible to pinpoint how many pride flags exist in the world; there are innumerable variations between similar flags of different styles. However, Queer in the World says there are more than 50 flags that are commonly used. In addition to the rainbow flag and that is designed to represent transgender people, here are a few others that are commonly seen at pride.
The first pride flag had eight stripes, each color representing a meaning.
The original meaning of the stripes:
- Pink – sex
- Red – life
- Orange – healing
- Yellow – sunlight
- Green – nature
- Turquoise – magic/art
- Indigo – serenity
- Violet – spirit
The largest amendment to the traditional flag came in 2018 when Daniel Quasar added further aspects. This included the addition of an arrow from the transgender flag, white representing intersexuality, while the stereotypical colors for boys and girls of blue and pink sit next to each other. Pink has been readded as a stipe of the rainbow, and the arrow is completed with the addition of brown and black representing the role non-white people have played in gay liberation.
A flag for the transgender community
The flag to represent transgender members of the community was designed in 1999 by Monica Helms, an American Navy veteran who came out as trans in 1987.
Here’s what she describes as the meaning behind it.
“The stripes at the top and bottom are light blue, the traditional color for baby boys. The stripes next to them are pink, the traditional color for baby girls. The stripe in the middle is white for those who are intersex, transitioning or consider themselves to have a neutral or undefined gender. The pattern is such that no matter how you fly it, it is always correct, signifying us finding correctness in our lives.”