Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHistory of the Pride FlagWhat the Colors of the Pride Flag MeanWhat Do the Colors in the New Pride Flag Mean?Reception of the New Pride FlagWhy the Pride Flag Is ImportantNext in Ally Up GuideWhat to Do When You’re Questioning Your Sexuality

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Table of Contents

History of the Pride Flag

What the Colors of the Pride Flag Mean

What Do the Colors in the New Pride Flag Mean?

Reception of the New Pride Flag

Why the Pride Flag Is Important

Next in Ally Up Guide

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What do the colors of the new pride flag mean? Why does the new design have some of the colors placed in a different shape rather than in a line like before? How are people responding to this new design?

This article will answer these questions to help you understand what the new flag currently looks like and where this design is headed.

At a GlanceThe pride flag has undergone several redesigns over the past few decades. The original pride flag designed in the 1970s included eight colors and was later simplified to six. The latest version of the pride flag includes the original six colors representing different values that are important to the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as new colors in a triangle shape on the left to convey the importance of issues affecting BIPOC, trans people, and those who identify outside of the gender binary. The flag continues to stand as a visual reminder of the challenges people have overcome and hope for the future.

At a Glance

The pride flag has undergone several redesigns over the past few decades. The original pride flag designed in the 1970s included eight colors and was later simplified to six. The latest version of the pride flag includes the original six colors representing different values that are important to the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as new colors in a triangle shape on the left to convey the importance of issues affecting BIPOC, trans people, and those who identify outside of the gender binary. The flag continues to stand as a visual reminder of the challenges people have overcome and hope for the future.

What Does It Mean to Be Genderqueer or Nonbinary?

Why Was Pink Removed From the Pride Flag?The original hot pink color was removed from the pride flag because the fabric was difficult to find.

Why Was Pink Removed From the Pride Flag?

The original hot pink color was removed from the pride flag because the fabric was difficult to find.

Another, simplified version of the flag with just six colors was developed later on. It kept the original rainbow colors: red, orange, yellow, green, indigo, and violet. This flag was a mainstay for several decades before the redesign.

However, different variations were created throughout that time. For example, specific pride flags such as thetransgender,bisexual, andpansexualpride flags were also created.

The pride flag colors each hold a different meaning, and each color represents an important value of the LGBTQIA+ community. Let’s take a look at what each of the rainbow colors represents.

Red

Theredin the flag represents life. This makes sense if you think about how blood is red and how often blood is thought of as a vital life force of the body. Red also represents passion among many cultures. And, passion is ideally where life originates from.

Orange

Orangerepresents healing. As a color, orange is believed to be a fun and celebratory color. Fun and celebration are both healing activities.

Yellow

If you guessed thatyellowrepresented sunlight, you would be correct. The color yellow functions as the flag’s radiant and bright center. The color yellow is said to stimulate new ideas and thoughts.

Green

There’s a lot ofgreenin nature, which is what this color on the original pride flag is meant to convey. Nature is a healing place, and the color green is associated with prosperity and growth.

Indigo

The indigo orbluein the original pride flag was for serenity. Little is more important than the ability to feel calm and serene. Blue is known as a relaxing color that soothes the soul. The color blue is often used for nighttime consumer products to represent bedtime and calmness.

Violet

The last color, violet (orpurple) represents spirit. Purple is often thought of as a regal, royal color that, on its own, denotes pride. Like blue, purple is considered a calming color, but rather than being associated only with calm, the color purple connects us to the spiritual realm.

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The Progress Pride Flag was created with the inspiration of other pride flags—specifically, the Philadelphia Pride Flag from 2017 and the trans flag.

The Meaning of the New Progress Pride FlagThe new Progress Pride Flag includes new colors and a new design that are meant to represent people of color, as well as people who are transgender, intersex, or non-binary.

The Meaning of the New Progress Pride Flag

The new Progress Pride Flag includes new colors and a new design that are meant to represent people of color, as well as people who are transgender, intersex, or non-binary.

Black and Brown Represents People of Color

The colors black and brown were added to the Progress Pride Flag to representpeople of color(POC). This was an important addition because people of color have often been left out of the queer narrative despite being the driving force behind the movement.

It wasn’t until recent years that our society acknowledged that the pride movement originated thanks to Black trans activists such as Marsha P. Johnson, who notoriously fought back against police at the Stonewall Inn in June of 1969. The Stonewall riot members were mostly people of color, and many were trans.

With the rise of theBlack Lives Matter movement, culture at large began to shift in a much-needed way towards acknowledging the vital roles that people of color have had in our society.The pride movement background is one of many areas where POC, particularly Black people, did not receive the recognition they deserved historically. Adding colors to represent them on the flag is one way to change that.

Additionally, the black and brown stripes are meant to represent people living with HIV/AIDS, those who have died from it, and thestigmaaround the virus that is still present in our society now.

Transwoman Monica Helms created the trans pride flag, which first flew in a pride parade in Phoenix, Arizona back in 2000. Monica Helms is a transgender activist, author, and U.S. Navy veteran.

The flag is meant to provide affirmation for trans people no matter how it is flown, with either side on top.

Color Placement and a New Shape

This was done intentionally to convey the separation in meaning and shift focus to how important the issues represented on the left are.

The placement of the new colors in an arrow shape is meant to convey the progress still needed. Quasar spoke publicly about how work is still needed in terms of BIPOC and trans rights. This arrow design is meant to highlight that.

Although the Pride flag continues to evolve, the most recent update includes a yellow triangle with a purple circle inside it to represent the intersex community. It now serves as the most up-to-date LGBTQIA+ flag.

When the Progress Pride Flag was released, it immediately went viral. People hailed it both for being inclusive and for clearly showing that we have made progress and that we have more strides to make.

Though the Progress Pride Flag has not completely replaced the old six-color rainbow flag, it has taken over in many spaces. Where the rainbow flag gives a message of supporting LGBTQIA+ people, the Progress Pride Flag offers the message of supportingallof them.

The new flag pays homage to the people who founded the movement while simultaneously drawing attention to how POC and trans people remain underserved and discriminated against compared to White, cis queer people.

What Does Gender Nonconforming Mean?

The pride flag serves as a symbol of the LGBTQIA+ community. It is a visual reminder of the struggles and oppression that people in the community have faced and continue to face, but, it’s also a sign of hope.

People have displayed the flag outside of their homes or business to signal to others in the community that they have a safe space to enter.

The widespread use of the pride flag allows LGBTQIA+ individuals to connect with each other and feel included regardless of their location. No matter where you are or how you identify, the rainbow colors are meant to signify that you are included, welcome, and safe as part of the LGBTQIA+ community.

How to Be an Ally to and Within the LGBTQIA+ Community

4 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Human Rights Campaign.LGBTQ+ Pride Flags.Bitterman A.The rainbow connection: A time-series study of rainbow flag display across nine Toronto neighborhoods. The life and afterlife of gay neighborhoods.The Life and Afterlife of Gay Neighborhoods. The Urban Book Series.2021:117-137. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-66073-4_5Dunivin ZO, Yan HY, Ince J, Rojas F.Black Lives Matter protests shift public discourse.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022;119(10):e2117320119. doi:10.1073/pnas.2117320119National Institutes of Health.What is the meaning of the transgender flag?

4 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Human Rights Campaign.LGBTQ+ Pride Flags.Bitterman A.The rainbow connection: A time-series study of rainbow flag display across nine Toronto neighborhoods. The life and afterlife of gay neighborhoods.The Life and Afterlife of Gay Neighborhoods. The Urban Book Series.2021:117-137. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-66073-4_5Dunivin ZO, Yan HY, Ince J, Rojas F.Black Lives Matter protests shift public discourse.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022;119(10):e2117320119. doi:10.1073/pnas.2117320119National Institutes of Health.What is the meaning of the transgender flag?

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Human Rights Campaign.LGBTQ+ Pride Flags.Bitterman A.The rainbow connection: A time-series study of rainbow flag display across nine Toronto neighborhoods. The life and afterlife of gay neighborhoods.The Life and Afterlife of Gay Neighborhoods. The Urban Book Series.2021:117-137. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-66073-4_5Dunivin ZO, Yan HY, Ince J, Rojas F.Black Lives Matter protests shift public discourse.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022;119(10):e2117320119. doi:10.1073/pnas.2117320119National Institutes of Health.What is the meaning of the transgender flag?

Human Rights Campaign.LGBTQ+ Pride Flags.

Bitterman A.The rainbow connection: A time-series study of rainbow flag display across nine Toronto neighborhoods. The life and afterlife of gay neighborhoods.The Life and Afterlife of Gay Neighborhoods. The Urban Book Series.2021:117-137. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-66073-4_5

Dunivin ZO, Yan HY, Ince J, Rojas F.Black Lives Matter protests shift public discourse.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022;119(10):e2117320119. doi:10.1073/pnas.2117320119

National Institutes of Health.What is the meaning of the transgender flag?

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