Every Pride Flag Meaning: What You’re Probably Getting Wrong About the Colors

Walk into any city center during June and you’re hit with a literal wave of color. It’s everywhere. But if you look closer, you’ll notice it isn't just the standard six-color rainbow anymore. There are stripes of pink and blue, chevrons of brown and black, and even purple circles on yellow backgrounds.

Understanding every pride flag meaning isn't just about memorizing a color palette. It’s about history. It’s about people who were tired of being invisible.

Honestly, the "original" flag isn't even the one most people think it is. Gilbert Baker, an army veteran and drag queen, stitched together the first version in 1978. He didn't use six colors. He used eight. He dyed the fabric in trash cans at the San Francisco Gay Community Center.

The Evolution of the Classic Rainbow

The 1978 Baker flag had hot pink for sex and turquoise for magic/art. Why did they leave? Logistics, mostly. Paramount Flag Company couldn't mass-produce hot pink fabric back then. Later, the turquoise and indigo stripes were merged into a single royal blue stripe to make the flag easier to hang vertically on lampposts without the middle stripe getting lost.

That’s how we got the "traditional" six-stripe flag: Red (life), Orange (healing), Yellow (sunlight), Green (nature), Blue (serenity), and Violet (spirit). It's simple. It's iconic. But it didn't cover everyone's specific experience.

Then came the Philadelphia Pride flag in 2017. They added black and brown stripes at the top. People got heated about it. Some argued the rainbow already included everyone. Others pointed out—correctly—that racism exists within the LGBTQ+ community and that Black and Brown trans people were the ones leading the riots at Stonewall. Adding those colors was a visual "we see you" to people of color.

👉 See also: Other words for cube: What you’re actually looking for when you say 3D square

The Progress Pride Flag Takes Over

You’ve definitely seen this one. Designed by Daniel Quasar in 2018, it takes the Philly stripes and the Transgender flag colors and puts them into a chevron. The arrow points to the right. It represents movement and the need for forward progress. It’s become the de facto standard for businesses and cities because it’s the most inclusive "all-in-one" symbol we currently have.

Transgender, Non-Binary, and Genderqueer Identities

Monica Helms created the Transgender Pride flag in 1999. She was a trans woman and Navy veteran. The design is symmetrical.

Two light blue stripes for boys.
Two pink stripes for girls.
One white stripe in the center for those who are transitioning or neutral.

Helms once said that no matter which way you fly it, it’s always correct. That's a powerful metaphor for finding correctness in your own body.

Then you have the Non-Binary flag. Kye Rowan designed this in 2014 for folks who didn't feel like the Genderqueer flag (lavender, white, and green) quite represented them. It uses yellow (outside the gender binary), white (many or all genders), purple (a mix of male and female), and black (no gender).

Genderfluid people have their own five-stripe flag too. Pink and blue for the traditional genders, purple for both, black for no gender, and white for all genders. It’s a lot to keep track of, but for someone whose identity shifts, seeing those colors on a pin can feel like finally being understood without saying a word.

Attraction and Orientation Beyond "Gay"

Bisexuality often gets sidelined, even in queer spaces. In 1998, Michael Page created the Bi Pride flag to increase visibility. It’s got a thick pink stripe (same-sex attraction), a thick blue stripe (opposite-sex attraction), and a thin purple stripe in the middle where the colors overlap.

Wait.

The purple isn't just a "mix." It represents the "blur" of attraction.

The Pansexual and Polysexual Flags

Pansexual people are often confused with bisexual people. The Pan flag uses hot pink, bright yellow, and cyan. It’s loud. It’s intentional. The yellow represents attraction to non-binary people, agender people, and genderfluid people.

Polysexual is different. It’s for people attracted to many genders but not necessarily all. Their flag swaps the yellow for green. It’s a subtle distinction that matters deeply to the people using the labels.

Asexuality and the "Ace" Spectrum

The Asexual flag is a moody, cool combination of black, grey, white, and purple.

🔗 Read more: How to Make a Disgust Inside Out Costume DIY That Actually Looks Good

1. Black: Asexuality.
2. Grey: Grey-asexuality and demisexuality.
3. White: Non-asexual partners and allies.
4. Purple: Community.

It was created through a community-wide vote on the Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN) in 2010. This is one of the few flags that didn't come from a single designer but from a collective consensus.

The Intersex Flag: Why No Stripes?

The Intersex flag is the outlier. It’s a yellow field with a purple circle. No stripes. Morgan Carpenter of Intersex Human Rights Australia designed it in 2013. Yellow and purple were chosen because they are gender-neutral colors. The circle is unbroken and unornamented, symbolizing wholeness and the right to be who and how we are. It’s a protest against "fixing" intersex bodies through non-consensual surgeries.

In 2021, Valentino Vecchietti of Intersex Equality Rights UK integrated this circle into the Progress Pride flag. You might see a yellow triangle with a purple circle tucked into the chevron. That’s the "Intersex-Inclusive Progress Pride Flag." It’s becoming the gold standard for high-visibility inclusion.

Lesbian Flags: A Complicated History

The lesbian community has gone through a few iterations. There was the "Labrys" flag—purple with a double-headed axe—but that’s mostly fallen out of favor because of its association with radical feminism that some feel is exclusionary.

Then came the "Lipstick Lesbian" flag with a literal lip print and shades of pink. People hated it. It ignored butch lesbians and those who didn't perform high femininity.

The current "Sunset" Lesbian flag is what you'll see most often. It has seven (or sometimes five) stripes ranging from dark orange to dark rose.

• Orange: Gender non-conformity.
• White: Unique relationships to womanhood.
• Pink: Serenity and peace.

It’s warm. It’s inclusive of trans-lesbians and butches. It feels like a community finally settling into its skin.

Why We Keep Adding Flags

Some people complain about "alphabet soup" or "color fatigue."

"Why can't we just use the rainbow?"

The answer is simple: Specificity is a form of love. When a person who has felt "weird" or "broken" their whole life sees a flag that matches their specific internal landscape, the isolation breaks. It’s a signal.

The Philadelphia stripes didn't take away from the red stripe. The trans chevron didn't delete the yellow stripe. They added context. They acknowledged that while we are all under one umbrella, some of us are getting wetter than others and need more cover.

Practical Steps for Using Pride Flags Correctly

If you’re a business owner, a teacher, or just someone who wants to be a decent human, here is how you handle this stuff without looking like you’re just "rainbow washing."

• Audit your inclusivity: Don't just hang the Progress flag if your healthcare plan doesn't cover gender-affirming care or if your "inclusive" space isn't wheelchair accessible. The flag is a promise. Keep it.
• Use the right flag for the right event: If it’s Trans Day of Visibility, use the Trans flag. If it’s Bisexual Awareness Week, use the pink, purple, and blue. Using the general rainbow for everything can sometimes feel like you’re erasing the specific struggles of those subgroups.
• Learn the creators: Knowing that Monica Helms or Gilbert Baker were real people with real struggles gives the fabric weight. It’s not just a graphic design trend.
• Check the orientation: For the Progress flag, the chevron should always point "forward" (to the right) when hung horizontally. For the Trans flag, the blue stripes are always on the outside.
• Prioritize the Intersex-Inclusive version: If you’re buying a new flag today, get the version with the yellow triangle and purple circle. It’s the most current and respectful iteration of the collective community.

The meanings behind these flags change because people change. Language evolves. We find better ways to describe the messy, beautiful reality of being human. The flags are just the snapshots of that evolution.

Key Takeaways for the Future

Keep an eye on the "Abrosexual" flag (greens and pinks) or the "Aromantic" flag (greens, white, and black). These are becoming more common as younger generations reject the "standard" gay/straight binary entirely. The map of human identity is still being drawn.

Don't worry about getting it "perfect" every time. Worry about being curious. When you see a flag you don't recognize, don't roll your eyes. Look it up. Usually, there's a story of a group of people who just wanted to be seen.

Next Steps:

1. Check your local LGBTQ+ center’s website to see which versions of the flags they use—regional preferences often vary based on local history.
2. If you are a creator or business, update your digital assets to the Intersex-Inclusive Progress Pride flag to ensure you aren't using outdated iconography.
3. Research the history of the "Pink Triangle" to understand why we moved away from that symbol toward the rainbow; it provides essential context for why the flags are celebratory rather than somber.