The rainbow flag or pride flag is a symbol of LGBT pride and LGBT social movements. The colors reflect the diversity of the LGBT community and the spectrum of human sexuality and gender. Using a rainbow flag as a symbol of LGBT pride began in San Francisco, California, but eventually became common at LGBT rights events worldwide.
Originally devised by the artists Gilbert Baker, Lynn Segerblom, James McNamara and other activists, the design underwent several revisions after its debut in 1978, and continues to inspire variations. Although Baker's original rainbow flag had eight colors, from 1979 to the present day the most common variant consists of six stripes: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. The flag is typically displayed horizontally, with the red stripe on top, as it would be in a natural rainbow.
LGBT people and allies currently use rainbow flags and many rainbow-themed items and color schemes as an outward symbol of their identity or support. There are derivations of the rainbow flag that are used to focus attention on specific causes or groups within the community (e.g. transgender people, fighting the AIDS epidemic, inclusion of LGBT people of color). In addition to the rainbow, many other flags and symbols are used to communicate specific identities within the LGBT community.
Variations:
Original Gilbert Baker Design
![](https://hexbear.net/pictrs/image/6d4616ee-0ba8-4cb4-b833-1a5f3bfa6075.png)
Inspired by the lyrics of Judy Garland’s Over the Rainbow, and the designs used by other social movements such as black civil rights groups from the 1960s, the Rainbow Flag was created. Baker hand-dyed and hand sewed this flag which flew at the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day in June 1978.
Seven-color version due to unavailability of pink fabric
![](https://hexbear.net/pictrs/image/6c791452-22c6-40b6-b445-432d2b6c38b5.png)
Following the assassination of Harvey Milk in 1978, many people and organisations adopted the Pride flag that he helped to introduce to the community. The demand was so great for a rainbow striped flag, it was impossible for the 8-stripe design to be made in large quantities. Both Paramount and Baker struggled to obtain the hot pink fabric and so began manufacturing a 7-stripe version.
Traditional Gay Pride Flag
![](https://hexbear.net/pictrs/image/679d49f0-2fe3-46d5-a699-47c5588a281d.png)
In 1979 the design was amended again. The community finalised this six-colour version and this is now the most familiar and recognisable design for the LGBT flag. Numerous complications over the odd number of stripes, including the desire to split the flag to decorate Pride parades, meant that one colour had to be dropped.
The turquoise and indigo stripes were combined to create a royal blue stripe and it was agreed that the flag should typically be flown horizontally, with red at the top, as it would be in a natural rainbow. This design continued to increase in popularity around the world, being a focal point of landmark decisions such as John Stout fighting for his right to fly the flag from his apartment balcony in 1989.
Progress Pride Flag
![](https://hexbear.net/pictrs/image/f584649a-45a5-48db-99a8-90bd3b4c56cc.png)
In June 2018, designer and activist Daniel Quasar released an updated version of the Pride flag. Combining the new elements of the Philadelphia design and the Transgender flag to bring focus on further inclusion and progress. This new flag added a chevron to the hoist of the traditional 6-colour flag which represents marginalised LGBTQ+ communities of colour, those living with HIV/AIDS and those who’ve been lost, and trans and non-binary persons.
This design went viral and was quickly adopted by people and pride parades across the world. The arrow of the chevron points to the right to show forward movement, while being on the left edge shows that progress still needs to be made for full equality, especially for the communities the chevron represents.
Intersex Inclusive Progress Pride Flag
![](https://hexbear.net/pictrs/image/fa44a2f1-ed88-4004-a84d-0a88fd42d425.png)
In 2021, Valentino Vecchietti of Intersex Equality Rights UK adapted the Pride Progress flag design to incorporate the intersex flag, creating the Intersex-Inclusive Pride flag 2021.
The intersex community uses the colours purple and yellow as an intentional counterpoint to blue and pink, which have traditionally been seen as binary, gendered colours. The symbol of the circle represents the concept of being unbroken and being whole, symbolising the right of Intersex people to make decisions about their own bodies.
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Happy pride month! Throwback to my Bifrost project, which is still probably the best one I've made.
ShowShowHello, my name is Jane Terf. Despite having been in a straight marriage for 25 years, and never having had a gay thought my entire life, I have made it my life's mission to gatekeep lesbianism. I'm not going to ask any actual lesbians how they feel about this, as I'm scared of speaking to anyone not straight.
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No current struggle session discussion here on the new general megathread, i will ban you from the comm and remove your comment, have a good day/night :meow-coffee:
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FIRST PRIDE MONTH BEING IN A QUEER RELATIONSHIP AND LIVING LIFE AS THE GENDER I IDENTIFY WITH
WHAT A FUCKING MILESTONE LET'S GOOOO
FIRST PRIDE BEING OUT.
I really hope they still have parades in my locality. I'd like to go to one.
Went to my first pride event. The second I get in everyone kinda stares at me. Someone asks me probing questions like "Who are you, why are you here?" Realize they think I'm a chud. Clear that up and start a nice conversation. Walk into the next room, everyone looks like at me the exact same way. Explain I'm not a chud again.
Is there a term for this? Was I assigned Chud at birth?
assigned Chud at birth
acab... You know what you have to do.
Might also have something to do with the way you dress, you hair, etc.
Might be time for an "I swear I'm gay I was just raised in Iowa" shirt.
I wear a Polo and jeans so yeah.
I was raised in a small southern town so I just don't have proper gay socialization.
inventing a religion where you can sin as much as you want, as long as you seed torrents
a positive ratio is the path to salvation
A “just works are what matters and nothing else” branch of Christianity would be infinitely better than the faith alone freaks. Wouldn’t be Catholic though, they dilute the value of works too much.
Pretty much every alternative to salvation through faith alone the protestants have toyed with has been significantly more whacky. Muntzers BDSM protestantism could have had such cool aesthetics though.
What? Faith alone is the wackiest. It strikes me as epitome of the American Protestant “I can be as shit as I want because I’m already saved” vibe.
Agreed on Muntzer though.
Faith alone is the wackiest
This is just objectively not true. First off the doctrine to which you refer is "Eternal security" and its a rejection of salvation through faith alone, this itself led to the development of stuff like hyper-grace which as you can guess by the name is extremely dumb. You can't compete with something called hyper-grace on wackiness, it cannot be done.
Becoming a pastor so I can invent ultra grace and get a bunch of evangelicals to say “plus ultra” while they’re praying.
I think a bunch of them already do given that Plus Ultra js written on Mar-A-Lagp
Eminem: I'll have an 'omg omg they're trying to cancel me'
: how original...
Eminem: With extra I don't like trans people
: daring today, aren't we?
It is insane this discourse still is happening. Like there is way more pressing issues. It doesn't seem to be as widespread now, but I've seen it show up. And as usual 07 to our Queer elders.
Just saw the phrase "to their pointy eared surprise" in reference to fantasy elves and went catatonic for a second
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