You might have seen different kinds of LGBTQIA+ flags at events, parades, outside people's homes, on crosswalks, and hanging at important government buildings. Flags are symbols of community membership, unity, and visibility. Over the years, the Pride flag has evolved to promote greater inclusion and recognize the many communities.
Why are pride flags being used?
There are numerous flags used in the LGBTQ+ community to represent various sexual orientations and preferences, gender identities, romantic orientation, and subcultures.
It embodies the many aspects of the LGBTQ+ community by having different flags that represent different things. LGBTQ+ flags, like country flags, all have meaning. Each colour represents and means something different.
The history of the original LGBT flag?
The first LGBT flag is also called the rainbow flag or the pride flag. It has six colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. The history of the LGBT rainbow flag goes back to 1978 when Gilbert Baker made it. But it has changed a bit since then.
Gilbert Baker started making the LGBT flag after he met Harvey Milk, a very important gay leader. Harvey Milk asked Baker to make a special flag that would represent the LGBT community.
Exploring all LGBTQIA+ flags...
Bisexual Flag
The bisexual flag, designed by LGBTQ activist Michael Page in 1998, was created to address the issue of many bi+ community members feeling disconnected from the traditional rainbow flag.
The flag is divided into three horizontal stripes: the top 40% is pink, the middle 20% is purple, and the bottom 40% is blue. As with most LGBT flags, these colors hold significant meanings. The various colors on this flag symbolize attraction to multiple genders. Pink represents homosexual attraction, blue signifies attraction to diverse genders, and the overlapping purple color signifies attraction regardless of an individual's sex or gender.
Lesbian Flag
The lesbian flag comes in several variations, but the most common one features various shades of pink, white, and red. However, many people believe that this flag only represents ‘femme’ lesbians and is therefore not supportive of masculine-presenting lesbians.
One of the most recent lesbian flags incorporates shades of orange and white to represent all members of the lesbian community. This includes transgender women and those who do not identify with a gender.
Transgender Flag
Monica Helms, an American transgender woman, designed the Trans Pride flag in 1999. The stripes on the flag are light blue, pink, and white.
The light blue and pink were chosen as the traditional colours for representing
baby genders, while the white represents a neutral or undefined gender.
According to Helms, the flag is symmetrical so that “no matter which way you fly it, it is always correct, signifying us finding correctness in our lives”.
Pansexual Flag
Pansexual are attracted to people regardless of their gender identity. In 2010, the pansexual community received its own flag in order to raise awareness and distinguish between pansexual and bisexual people. The pansexual flag has three equal parts of pink, yellow and blue.
Non-binary Flag
Kyle Rowan created the nonbinary pride flag in 2014. The flag has horizontal stripes of yellow, white, purple and black.
The flag was created to represent nonbinary people who did not resonate with the other flags in the LGBTQ+ community.
Intersex Flag
The intersex flag represents those who feel connected to the intersex community. Morgan Carpenter designed the flag for the first time in July 2013. The flag’s design goal was to be “not derivative but firmly grounded in meaning”.
Asexual Flag
Similarly, to the pansexual flag, the asexual community got their own flag in 2010.
The flag is split into four equal sections of black, grey, white and purple.
Ally Pride Flag
This flag represents heterosexual/cisgender individuals who actively support the LGBTQ+ community.
The flag consists of black and white stripes with an “A” shape in the middle in the colours of the Rainbow LGBTQ+ flag.
The importance of having LGBTQ+ knowledge in your workplace
While we've touched upon a few LGBTQ+ flags in this article, it's essential to recognize the diversity and numerous iterations of these flags. Each of these flags, from the iconic LGBT rainbow flag to its more recent adaptations, conveys a unique message and symbolizes a distinct group of individuals.
If you intend to display a flag at your workplace to show support for the LGBTQ+ community, we highly recommend the updated pride flag. This revised design integrates elements from different LGBTQ+ subcultures, making it a more inclusive representation.
The following are the various meanings of the new flag:
Red represents life.
Orange represents healing.
Yellow represents new ideas.
Green represents prosperity.
Blue represents serenity.
Violet represents spirit.
Black/Brown represents people of colour.
White/Blue/Pink represents the trans community.
The yellow with a purple circle represents intersex people.
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