LGBTQ+ Pride Flags And Meanings
HAPPY PRIDE MONTH!
Though I have to say, beyond the flair and fabulous fashion of the community, the best thing you can do for anybody (AND for yourself) is to give unconditional love and support. I, myself, come from a family that has a silent approach to love - as in my mom will leave me sticky notes with hearts on my bed, and my dad has a little rainbow flag standing tall on his work desk. It’s the little things that warm my heart the most.
I know for a ton of allies - mostly parents, family friends, even teachers - there’s a point you realize after somebody comes out to you, where you wonder what you might be able to do to show that you support them. One way you can show it subtly is through a gift, such as a pride flag!
BUT! I also know we have so many different labels in this comunity that makes it hard to understand what they all mean.
So, here’s a list of some of the more commonly sought-for LGBTQ+ pride flags, plus descriptions to understand what each pride flag means. Down at the bottom are some links to browse and buy flags. Enjoy!
TRADITIONAL PRIDE FLAG + PROGRESS PRIDE FLAG
Here’s a visual of both the traditional pride flag and the progressive pride flag. The progressive pride flag includes representation of people of color - the black and brown stripes - and those who identify as transgender - the blue, pink, and white stripes. Buying the traditional over the other doesn’t mean you don’t believe in the significance of the progressive flag; but if you were planning to say, buy a gift for somebody, then it’s best to think about what that person would feel more represented with.
LESBIAN FLAG
The lesbian flag signifies those who identify as woman being attracted to women. The colors are close in shades of orange and pink to represent femininity.
MLM INCLUSIVE FLAG
This is the trans-inclusive gay pride flag, signifying those who identify as men being attracted to men. The colors are close in shades to represent masculinity.
BISEXUAL FLAG
The bisexual flag represents those who are attracted to more than one gender. NOTE: The pink represents attraction to the same gender of how you identify, while the blue represents attraction to the opposite gender, or one that’s different from the gender you relate to. (Unlike common belief, the pink isn’t just attraction to women, and blue isn’t just attraction to men). The purple is clearly a combination of the pink and blue, signifying the attraction to more than one gender.
PANSEXUAL FLAG
The pansexual flag represents those who feel attraction to multiple genders, or regardless of gender. To put it simply, there’s a lot of blending between bisexuality and pansexuality, because both signify to people that they like more than one gender. Unlike the bisexual flag, the pink color does represent attraction to women while the blue represents attraction to men. The yellow signifies attraction to everyone who identifies as something in between or outside these groups.
ASEXUAL FLAG
The asexual flag represents those who don’t feel attraction to any genders, or on a very small scale. The black signifies no attraction while the gray signifies a “gray area”: known as gray-asexuality or demisexuality. Demisexuality is those who only discover attraction to somebody after they have developed a connection. (You can think of it like a “friends first, lovers later”.) The purple represents unity in the community.
POLYAMORY FLAG
The polyamory flag signifies a openness to multiple connections and multiple partners. The blue represents openness between lovers, the red represents love and passion, and the black represents solidarity over the history of those having to hide their relationships. The other unique feature is the Pi symbol in the middle of the flag, representing the infinite number of connections people can build.
TRANSGENDER FLAG
The transgender flag is a symbol for the transgender community. To be transgender is to not relate to your biological gender; you may transition from a man to woman or vice versa, or you may feel outside of both sexes. The blue represents the idea of the traditional boy color, while the pink is the traditional girl color. The white represents those transitioning (crossing over the white to the next color), those who are intersex, and those who are undefined in gender.
NONBINARY FLAG
The non-binary flag represents those who don’t fall into gender representation. While signified in the transgender flag, this flag focuses on this specific group. The yellow represents those who remain outside of the gender binary while the purple represents those who remain in the male or female binary. The white represents those who have multiple genders while the black represents those who have no gender. Distinguishing gender and binary can be hard, I know: here’s a link to the Nation Center for Transgender Equality that explains this in better detail.
GENDERFLUID FLAG
The genderfluid flag represents those whose gender is fluid. They can fluctuate between pronouns and gender expressions. The pink represents feminity; the blue masculinity; the purple a combination between masculinity and femininity. The while represents all genders while the black represents no genders.
INTERSEX FLAG
The intersex flag represents those who were born with variety in their sexual traits, such as in chromosomes or hormone reponses. The colors yellow and purple represent their lack of connection to traditional genders; they exist as gender-neutral colors.
STORE LINKS