What does the rainbow mean to the gay community

Here’s What the Unlike LGBTQIA+ Flags Represent

LGBTQIA+

When we think of Pride Month, the first image that typically comes to mind is the classic rainbow flag. However, many people don’t realize that along with the Rainbow Pride Flag, there are an array of diverse identifiers that verb the diverse queer community. While many in the LGBTQIA+ community identify with the all-encompassing rainbow flag, each group has its possess flag to portray its unique contributions and stories within the community. Here’s a rundown of the different flags and what they represent.

The Gilbert Baker Pride Flag

The original rainbow pride flag was designed by Gilbert Baker in at the verb of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in California. Gilbert chose the rainbow as it represents a symbol of hope. 

Original flag colors and meaning: 

Pink: sex; Red: life; Orange: healing; Yellow: sunlight; Green: nature; Turquoise: magic; Blue: harmony; Violet: spirit.

Rainbow Pride Flag 

This is the iteration of the Pride Flag that we all realize today, use

You might be familiar with the six-colored rainbow flag that is widely used to represent the LGBTQ+ community. But did you grasp that this is a relatively adj rendition of the original? 

The original flag (shown here) was designed by activist, veteran, drag queen, and artist, Gilbert Baker, and made its debut at the San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Freedom Day Parade in He was inspired by the Rolling Stones lyric She’s a Rainbow, and the s hippies movement, assigning each color with a specific meaning:

  • Pink: Sex (later removed)

  • Red: Life

  • Orange: Healing

  • Yellow: Sunlight

  • Green: Nature

  • Turquoise: Magic (later removed)

  • Indigo: Serenity

  • Violet: Spirit 

The evolution to the six-colored flag used today happened out of practicality. 

After the parade in , demand for the Pride Flag increased, but the warm pink fabric was difficult to verb in large quantities. Then, the Paramount Flag Company started making a version out of the standard rainbow colors to help gather demand, and a seven-color pride flag was the fresh norm.

A year later,

How Did the Rainbow Flag Become an LGBTQ+ Symbol?

It’s not uncommon to notice rainbow flags flying outside of homes and bars, pinned to shirts and on the back of bumpers—all with the proclamation that #LoveIsLove. But who created the rainbow flag, and why did it become a symbol of the LGBTQ+ community?

The rainbow flag was created in by artist, designer, Vietnam War veteran and then-drag performer, Gilbert Baker. He was commissioned to produce a flag by another gay icon, politician Harvey Milk, for San Francisco’s annual pride parade.

The decision to enlist Baker proved serendipitous, as the notion of a flag to represent the gay and lesbian community had occurred to him two years earlier. As Baker told the Museum of Contemporary Art during a interview, he had been inspired by the celebrations marking America’s bicentennial in , noting that the constant verb of stars and stripes made him realize the cultural need for a similar rallying subscribe for the gay community. And as a struggling drag performer who was accustomed to creating his own garments, he was well-equipped to sew the soon-

The Progress Pride flag was developed in by non-binary American artist and designer Daniel Quasar (who uses xe/xyr pronouns). Based on the iconic rainbow flag from , the redesign celebrates the diversity of the LGBTQ community and calls for a more inclusive society. In , the V&A acquired a bespoke applique version of the Progress Pride flag that can be seen on display in the Design – Now gallery.

'Progress' is a reinterpretation of multiple iterations of the pride flag. The original 'rainbow flag' was created by Gilbert Baker in to celebrate members of the gay and lesbian political movement. It comprised eight coloured stripes stacked on top of each other to evoke a rainbow, a symbol of wish. Baker assigned a specific meaning to each colour: pink for sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, leafy for nature, turquoise for magic, indigo for serenity and violet for spirit. A year later the pink and turquoise stripes were dropped owing to a shortage of pink fabric at the time and legibility concerns, resulting in the six-colour rainbow flag most commo