Walk into any city center during June and you’ll see them. They’re everywhere. Streaking across crosswalks, hanging from brownstone balconies, and pinned to denim jackets. But if you look closely, you’ll notice they aren't all the same. The classic rainbow is still the heavy hitter, obviously, but it’s got plenty of company these days. Honestly, keeping up with all the different pride flags can feel like trying to learn a new language where the vocabulary updates every single week.
It matters, though. These aren't just colorful pieces of nylon; they’re shorthand for "I exist." Every stripe, every weird shade of teal or orange, carries a specific history of struggle and community. Some were born in crowded San Francisco basements in the 70s, while others started as a digital file on a Tumblr blog in 2014. If you’ve ever felt a bit lost looking at a flag with a yellow triangle or a purple circle, don't sweat it. You’re definitely not the only one.
The Original Rainbow and Why It Changed
Gilbert Baker is the name most people know. In 1978, Harvey Milk—the first openly gay elected official in California—urged Baker to create a symbol for the movement. People were mostly using the pink triangle back then, but that had a dark history tied to Nazi concentration camps. Baker wanted something "soul-lifting." He dyed the fabric by hand in trash cans.
The first version had eight colors. Pink stood for sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, turquoise for art, indigo for harmony, and violet for spirit. Pretty deep, right? But then reality hit. Hot pink fabric was too expensive and hard to source for mass production, so that stripe got the axe. Later, the turquoise and indigo were merged into a basic royal blue to keep the stripes even. That’s how we ended up with the six-color flag that ruled the world for decades.
But things didn't stay static. Community needs evolved.
The Philadelphia "More Color" Flag
In 2017, Philadelphia’s Office of LGBT Affairs added a black and a brown stripe to the top of the traditional rainbow. It caused a massive stir. Some people complained it "ruined the design," but that was kind of the point. It was a direct response to racism within the queer community. It sent a message: if you're Black or Brown, you aren't just an afterthought in this movement. You're at the top.
The Progress Pride Flag
Then came Daniel Quasar in 2018. Quasar took the Philly stripes and the colors of the Transgender Pride Flag and shoved them into a chevron shape on the left side. It looks like an arrow pointing forward. The design acknowledges that while we’ve made progress, the most marginalized people—trans folks and people of color—are the ones currently leading the charge and facing the most heat. It’s arguably the most common version of all the different pride flags you’ll see in shop windows today.
Gender Identity Flags: Beyond the Binary
The blue and pink stripes are everywhere now, but the history of the Transgender Pride Flag is surprisingly recent. Monica Helms, a Navy veteran and trans woman, designed it in 1999. She made it symmetrical so that "no matter which way you fly it, it is always correct, signifying us finding correctness in our lives."
But the gender spectrum is a lot wider than just moving from one side to the other.
- Nonbinary Pride: Kye Rowan created this one in 2014. It’s got yellow (for those outside the binary), white (for those with many genders), purple (a mix of male and female), and black (for those without a gender).
- Genderqueer Flag: Designed by Marilyn Roxie, this one uses lavender, white, and chartreuse. It’s been around since 2011 and specifically represents those who don't fit into traditional gender norms.
- Agender Flag: Salem X’s 2014 design uses black and white stripes with a green center. Why green? Because it’s the inverse of purple, which is often associated with genderedness. It’s a literal visual "none of the above."
It’s easy to get these confused. You’ve got flags for people who feel like a mix, people who feel like nothing, and people whose gender changes like the weather.
Attraction and Orientation: The "Spec" Flags
We’ve moved way past just "Gay" and "Lesbian." The nuances of who we love—and how we love them—have birthed an entire gallery of stripes.
The Bisexual Flag is probably the most famous of these. Michael Page created it in 1998 because he felt the rainbow flag didn't represent bi people specifically enough. The pink is for same-sex attraction, the blue is for opposite-sex, and that purple stripe in the middle? That’s the "overlap." It’s basically a visual representation of "both/and."
Then you have the Pansexual Flag. Some people think pan and bi are the same thing, but the flag tells a different story. Created around 2010, the pink, yellow, and blue stripes represent attraction to people regardless of their gender. The yellow is the key here—it represents attraction to nonbinary and gender-diverse people specifically.
The Ace and Aro Spectrum
This is a huge part of the community that often gets overlooked. Asexuality (Ace) and Aromanticism (Aro) have their own distinct visuals.
- The Ace Flag: Black, grey, white, and purple. The black stripe represents asexuality, while the grey represents the "grey-area" between sexual and non-sexual.
- The Aro Flag: This one swaps the purple for shades of green. Since green is the opposite of red (the color of "romance"), it makes perfect sense.
You might also see the Lesbian Pride Flag. There were a few "failed" versions—one involving a labrys (axe) that some felt was too aggressive, and another that was just shades of pink (the "Lipstick Lesbian" flag). The version most people use now is the 2018 seven-stripe design with oranges, whites, and pinks. It’s meant to represent everything from butch/femme dynamics to independence and unique femininity.
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Intersex Visibility and the Yellow Flag
The Intersex Pride Flag is a bit of an outlier in the world of all the different pride flags because it doesn't use stripes at all. Designed by Morgan Carpenter of Intersex Human Rights Australia in 2013, it features a purple circle on a yellow background.
Yellow and purple are used because they are seen as "gender-neutral" colors (unlike pink and blue). The circle is unbroken and unornamented. It represents wholeness and the right of intersex people to be who they are without being "fixed" or forced into a binary they weren't born into. It’s a powerful, minimalist statement in a sea of stripes.
Why Do New Flags Keep Appearing?
Some people get annoyed by the constant additions. They’ll ask, "Why can't the rainbow just cover everyone?" It’s a fair question, but it misses the point of how subcultures work.
When you’re part of a massive group, it’s easy to feel invisible. A specific flag acts like a beacon. If you’re a demisexual person in a small town, seeing the specific black, white, grey, and purple chevron of the demisexual flag on a sticker tells you that someone else understands your specific experience. It’s about granularity.
Also, language changes. Twenty years ago, we weren't really talking about "genderfluidity" or "polysexuality" in the mainstream. As we find better words for how we feel, we naturally want a visual way to express those words. It’s basically open-source branding for identity.
Common Misconceptions to Watch Out For
Don't believe everything you see on a random Pinterest board. There are "troll flags" created by 4chan and other groups designed to mock the community or include harmful groups.
- The "MAP" Flag: This is a fake flag created by pedophiles trying to latch onto the LGBTQ+ movement. It is not accepted by any queer organization.
- The "Straight Pride" Flag: Usually just black and white stripes. While not "harmful" in a legal sense, it’s generally seen as a reactionary tool used to diminish the struggle of marginalized groups.
If a flag looks suspicious or you've never seen it before, a quick search on sites like Flags of the World or Queer Events can usually clear up whether it's legitimate or a bad-faith creation.
How to Use These Flags Respectfully
If you're an ally or just someone wanting to decorate your space, there are a few things to keep in mind. Honestly, the biggest mistake is just grabbing the "coolest looking one" without knowing what it means.
1. Know the context. If you’re hosting a Trans Day of Remembrance event, flying the general Rainbow flag is fine, but flying the Trans Pride flag shows you’ve actually done the homework.
2. Buy from the community. If you can, buy your flags and pins from queer-owned businesses. Large retailers often "rainbow wash" in June and then pull all their support on July 1st.
3. Don't stress the "perfect" flag. The Progress Pride Flag is generally the "safest" bet if you want to be as inclusive as possible in a single image. It covers the most ground.
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Putting This Knowledge Into Practice
Understanding all the different pride flags isn't about memorizing a hundred different stripe patterns for a quiz. It’s about empathy. When you recognize a flag, you’re recognizing a person’s journey.
If you want to stay updated or dive deeper, here’s what you should actually do:
- Audit your visuals: If you run a business or a social media page, check if your "inclusive" graphics are actually up to date. Swapping a standard rainbow for a Progress Pride flag is a five-minute task that means a lot to those it represents.
- Follow creators: Look up designers like Daniel Quasar or organizations like The Trevor Project. They often lead the conversation on how these symbols are evolving.
- Ask, don't assume: If you see someone wearing a pin you don't recognize, it’s usually okay to ask (politely) what it represents. Most people are happy to share their identity when approached with genuine curiosity.
The world is getting more colorful, not less. Embracing the "flag fatigue" and actually learning the stories behind the stripes is the best way to show you’re paying attention.