There is some contention of meaning, or it has been lost to time – but our explanations should still help give some context. So, what do these different LGBTQ Flags say? Well, we have rounded them up and tried our best to explain the meaning behind them all. You put a rainbow flag on your windshield, and you’re saying something.” In a community as large and beautifully diverse as ours, it is natural that smaller tribes will want to carve out some recognition for themselves thus, the different LGBTQ Flags we have today.Īs Gilbert Baker, the original creator of the first rainbow Gay Pride Flag, said, “Flags say something. Imagine the rainbow flag is the US flag, and many of these other flags are like individual states underneath. While most queer individuals would also identify with the all-encompassing rainbow flag, many want to have their own individual flag. In fact, there are now over 50 flags recognized among the LGBTQ+ community, each used to symbolize different gender identities and sexual orientations within. Nor that there are now more inclusive versions that specifically recognize the trans, intersex, and POCs in our diverse community.Īnd when we are talking about the different LGBTQ Flags and their meanings, there is far more than just this one flag. Obviously, this list is not exhaustive, and there are regularly more Pride flags being created to reflect different groups, but hopefully this information can prove useful as you learn about and champion the LGBTQ+ people in your life.While most of us are now familiar with the famous LGBT rainbow flag representing queer pride, many of us are not aware that it is different from the original rainbow Gay Pride Flag designed by Gilbert Baker. "Though I started reading about gender and sexuality right away in my college library the first semester I started there, the online component allowed me to browse through forums and articles and to chat with people who seemed to identify like I did when I was in the process of figuring it all out." "Online communities have been tremendously influential, giving people a virtual space to do research on possibilities and especially to find others who feel similarly," they said. Marilyn Roxie, the designer of the genderqueer Pride flag, told Majestic Mess that the rise in social media platforms and other internet hubs for queer people has been hugely important in leading to the creation of new flags. There has been a meaningful uptick in new Pride flags since 2010, with versions for intersex, nonbinary, and agender people. Some, like the two-spirit Pride flag and the updated Pride flag, incorporate Baker's original design while adding more colors and elements to acknowledge both Native Americans and the broader POC community, respectively. Since Gilbert Baker first created the original rainbow Pride flag back in 1978, designers and activists of all genders, identities, and sexual orientations have made different iterations to reflect unique communities. It's also a celebration of the beauty and diversity of the experience, flown at Pride events all throughout the month of June.
Over the past 40-plus years, the rainbow Pride flag has become a symbol synonymous with the LGBTQ+ community and its fight for equal rights and acceptance across the globe.