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

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

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

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

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

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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  • miz [any, any]@hexbear.netEnglish
    3·
    7 hours ago

    unless you have some sort of alien parasite I honestly think that after you wait a month the doctor will recommend a massage or physical therapy

    • LeeeroooyJeeenkiiins [none/use name]@hexbear.netEnglish
      2·
      6 hours ago

      anyway im sorry that was very dramatic my conservative self diagnosis is i think i might have herniated a disc causing long term nerve issues plus I am 99% sure i have psoriasis which can cause fucked up boneitis apparently if it’s affecting the joints so yea i really think i need a doctor to look at this whole fucked up system that is my body

      Hey good news though, the years long undiagnosed and untreated chronic pain centered on my sacroiliac joint area seems to have gone away. Who knew id learn a new level of hell in the prison that is a body

    • LeeeroooyJeeenkiiins [none/use name]@hexbear.netEnglish
      2·
      3 hours ago

      If i don’t at least get an xray of my neck and shoulder especially when i describe the location, severity, and length of time all this shit has hurt, including mentioning that time i was toweling off my neck and it felt like something fucking slipped in my spine and really hurt, but also how this sort of predates that because like even the slightest downward pressure i.e. an apron (prompting me to use suspenders) on my neck has caused pain for as long as i can remember, but the towel thing definitely wasn’t a good event, but also this pain in my shoulder blade is new, seems to not be muscular (it feels like something fucked up with the bone dawg), and seems to be connected in a straight path of pain to the other Problem Spot about 5 inches up to my neck

      if i tell him all that and get nothing but a “have you tried massage” i’m going to punch him im the fucking dick, run out of the office screaming, crying, begging someone to answer me where all the money goes, what it’s all for, thousands and thousands and thousands on insurance only to be told my broken body isn’t even worth the same diagnostic care a fuckin dentist visit gets, then maybe 9/11 the whole place

      • miz [any, any]@hexbear.netEnglish
        2·
        6 hours ago

        I hope you feel better, I clearly didnt’ really comprehend the full scale of it (especially not that it as long as you can remember!). I get results on neck pain from massage is all, I hope you get an earlier appt

        • LeeeroooyJeeenkiiins [none/use name]@hexbear.netEnglish
          3·
          6 hours ago

          no yeah i realized that was probably very dramatic when you were responding to a comment about a shoulder lump

          Thanks though dawg i appreciate you

          honestly if i’m a hypochondriac and they tell me to get a massage and it fixes me that’d be ideal anyway