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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  • Carl [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
    5·
    7 hours ago

    Scene from Ratatouille 2

    (Late afternoon at La Ratatouille, a small bistro that is just wrapping up its lunch service. Among the half-bussed tables, Linguini can be seen sitting down with Chef Skinner - the former in a waiter’s uniform, the latter in “business casual” with sunglasses. Behind them, a black luxury car dominates the alley beside the bistro. In the rafters above, the rat Remy watches the conversation unfold.)

    Skinner: Your new restaurant seems to be doing well.

    Linguini: We’re doing great, actually. Why are you here?

    Skinner: Straight to business. It seems being a working man has changed you. Very well.

    (Skinner produces a folder, labeled “Skinner Restaurant Supply”, and hands it to Linguini.)

    Skinner: I’ve come with a business proposal. My company supplies half of the restaurants in Paris with high quality artisanal-

    L (defensive): -low quality ingredients that make every single restaurant taste the same. We’re not interested.

    S (amused): You seem quite certain of this.

    L: Well, because we do things the right way here! We work with actual farmers, that’s why the critics all love our food so much.

    S (shrugs): Yes, I’ve read your reviews. But you need more than critics to keep a restaurant running.

    L: Our customers love our food too! All the neighborhood regulars, plus the tourists-

    S: And how much do your customers pay? What is left over after the farmers take their cut?

    L (proud): More than enough!

    S (pitying): …my boy, it is never enough. Listen to me: I ran Gusteau’s for many years, I know exactly how you feel right now. You feel invincible. The customers keep coming, every night the register is full, the reviews are raving, soon you will have your own stars to place on the restaurant sign, I’m sure of it.

    But will it be enough a year from now? When “La Ratatouille” is old news, and the “regulars” are pinching their pennies? You need to plan for the future, and in the restaurant business, that means cutting costs.

    L: We’re not firing anybody!

    S (waves his hand): That wouldn’t solve your problem anyway. You run a very (glances at the rafters, where Remy is watching the conversation) lean operation. And since you cannot reduce the cost of your ovens or your space, you must reduce the cost of your ingredients. It’s simple math.

    L: If we compromise on our ingredients, our customers will leave. That’s simple math.

    S: Will they?

    L: Yes, they will! In fact - I think I see what’s going on here. You’re trying to sabotage us, aren’t you?

    S (sighs heavily, removes sunglasses): Listen, Alfredo, four years ago… Yes, four years ago, I was very sore about what happened. But holding a grudge doesn’t make money - just like you, I need to pay my mortgage.

    L: I pay rent.

    S: Same difference. My point is that I’m not here to sabotage you or whatever you’re thinking, in fact I’m here to help you. I can cut your ingredient costs in half, I can stabilize your food deliveries. No more waking up at sunrise to haggle with farmers, no more apologizing to your customers that there is no fish today because the supplier is late-

    L (defensive): That’s what good restaurant owners do!

    S (wistful): That is what they did. I should know, I was one of them for longer than you’ve been alive.

    (beat)

    L (calming down): Listen, I appreciate the offer, but we’re just not interested. We’ve got investors who believe in us.

    S (nodding): So I’ve heard. How is Monsieur Ego these days?

    L (proud): He loves the restaurant!

    S: And all of his money is invested in you, is it not?

    L: Yes! He really believes in us. He’s a really nice guy, you know.

    S: He’s nice now, with quarterly profits increasing. But will he be “nice” later, when they’re not?

    L: That’s not going to happen.

    S: Of course it will. The tendency of the rate of profit is to fall, you know. That goes for you, me, and all the farms and fishermen too.

    (standing) But if your mind is so made up, I won’t waste any more of your time. Good day, Fettuccine. And give my regards to the rat.