What is the Meaning of Pride Flags and How to Make Your Own: A Guide

Pride Flag: A guide for better understanding

Pride flags are a symbol of pride for the LGBTQIA+ community. They have been used to show pride, unity, and solidarity since 1978 when they were first created by artist Gilbert Baker. There are many pride flags that exist today that represent different identities within the LGBTQIA+ community. In this blog post, we will explore what each flag means as well as provide instructions on how you can make your own pride flag!

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Pride Flags

The pride flag is now synonymous with the LGBTQIA+ community. It is often seen at pride parades and other events as a way to show solidarity with the community. The pride flag has a long and storied history, and it continues to be an important symbol for the LGBTQIA+ community.

Design your own Custom Pride Flag

Gender Identities

Gender identity refers to your internal sense of your gender. This is separate from the sex you are assigned at birth, which can be male or female depending on what body parts you have. There are many different gender identities that exist and each one is valid.

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Design your own Custom LGBTQ Flag

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Romantic Attraction

Romantic attraction refers to what types of people you are attracted to. This doesn't necessarily mean that the person is also a cisgender man or woman, but can also include transgender men and women as well as non-binary individuals (people who do not identify exclusively with either gender).

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Gender Expression

This refers to the way you express your gender identity. This can be through clothing, hairstyles, mannerisms, etc. Being gender neutral is included in this.

Sexual Orientation

Sexual orientation refers to who you are sexually attracted to. This includes heterosexuality (attraction to people of the opposite sex), homosexuality (attraction to people of the same sex), and bisexuality (attraction to people of any sex).

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Different Pride Flags and Their Meanings

There are many LGBTQ pride flags. However, not all genders can be encompassed by a flag. The queer community is creating pride flags for people who identify new ways all the time. There are many more in the LGBT community not included on this list, this is not a slight, just brevity.

Rainbow Flag

The pride flag was first created by artist Gilbert Baker in 1978. He was inspired to create the flag after watching a parade of drag queens in San Francisco.

The traditional Rainbow Flag is also known as the Gilbert Baker pride flag. It contained hot pink, turquoise, and indigo. It was quickly replaced by the more popular six-color version of the rainbow pride flag seen below. This was done in an attempt to make the flag more mass producible.

• Hot Pink is for Sex
• Red is for Life
• Orange is for Healing
• Yellow is for Sunlight
• Green is for Nature
• Turquoise if for Magic/Art
• Indigo is for Serenity
• Violet is for Spirit

Many people don't realize this was not the original pride flag. The rainbow pride flag, in this form, was created in 1979.

This is the most iconic pride flag, though as you'll see below there are many more.

Philadelphia Flag

This is another version of the rainbow flag. The Philadelphia pride flag added black and brown stripes to the traditional pride flag. The Philadelphia pride flag was created in 2017 in Philadelphia as a response to the Gilbert Baker pride flag not being inclusive of people who identify as people of color.

Progress Pride Flag

The progress pride flag added black, brown, blue, pink, and white to include the queer people of color and transgender pride flag colors. The progress pride flag has gained popularity as of late due to it's more inclusive design. The black and brown stripes are symbolic of the queer people of color. As the LGBT community strives to be more inclusive you see the rainbow flag serving more people.

Lesbian Pride Flag

The lesbian pride flag is used to symbolize the lesbian community. There have been many variations of the lesbian flag since the flag was created in 1999. This lesbian flag is a variation on the lipstick lesbian flag.

A more inclusive lesbian pride flag contains oranges and pinks.

• Dark Orange is for gender nonconformity
• Middle Orange is for independence
• White is for unique connections to womanhood
• Light Pink is for serenity/peace
• Middle Pink is for love/sex
• Dark Pink is for femininity

Gay Pride Flag

The traditional gay pride flag was adopted by the gay community in 2017. It features green and blue stripes with a white center.

Bisexual Pride Flag

The bisexual pride flag can signify an attraction to the male and female genders. According to Michael Page, the flag was created in 1998, the pink is for "attraction to those of the same gender identity," the purple stripe is for "attraction to two genders," and the blue stripe signifies "attraction to those who identify as a different gender."

The first bisexual flag was created by Michael Page and unveiled at the BiCafe in Florida, USA.

Although this flag symbolizes attraction to the male and female gender, the bisexual pride flag is the basis for many of the flags to come. For example, the bi and pan flags both utilize three horizontal stripes.

Transgender Pride Flag

The transgender pride flag was created by Monica Helms in 1999. The light pink represents traditional girl's colors and light blue represents traditional boy's colors. The white stripe in the middle is for those who are transitioning "or consider themselves having a neutral or undefined gender." - Helms

While this transgender pride flag is not the only transgender pride flag used throughout the world, it is by far the most well known and recognized.

Genderqueer Pride Flag

The genderqueer flag is comprised of three stripes. The genderqueer flag represents different aspects of genderqueer identity. It was created by Marilyn Roxie in 2011. The dark green stripe of the pride flag represents people who identify beyond binary genders. The white stripe represents those who embrace many or all genders. The genderqueer flag is often used by individuals that challenge the traditional binary social construct.

Demi Pride Flags

Demi Pride Flags have many different forms. The main pride flag is a combination of the asexual flag, the demisexual pride flag, sexuality, and community. A demisexual pride flag represents someone who does not feel sexual attraction until they have formed a very strong bond and/or emotional connection.

Demigirl Pride Flag

The demigirl pride flag is a demisexual flag that at least partially identifies with being a girl.

Demiboy Pride Flag

The demiboy pride flag is a demisexual flag that at least partially identifies with being a boy.

Gender Fluid Pride Flag

The genderfluid pride flag was created in 2013 by J.J. Poole. The genderfluid pride flag utilizes five strips to symbolize gender-fluidity in it's varying forms. This is one of more famous and recognizable examples of a genderqueer pride flag.

Non-Binary Pride Flag

The bon-binary pride flag has four horizontal stripes. The yellow stripe represents people completely outside the gender binary. White is for people with multiple genders. Purple represents people who incorporate both male and female. Black is for those who don't ID as any gender specifically. This non binary pride flag was created by Kye Rowan in 2014.

Intersex Pride Flag

The intersex flag is purple and yellow, often seen as gender neutral. It was created in 2013 by Morgan Carpenter. The intersex flag was designed to be non-derivative yet firmly grounded in meaning. The Intersex Human Rights Australia group who created the intersex pride flag describes it as "unbroken and unornamented, symbolizing wholeness and completeness, and our potentialities."

"A" Pride Flags

Asexual Pride Flag

The asexual pride flag was first made in 2010. The asexual flag was created to represent someone who doesn't feel a sexual attraction, but can feel a romantic attraction.

According to the Asexual Visibility and Education Network, this includes a subset called "gray asexuality." The Asexual Visibility and Education Network (AVEN) was founded by David Jay in 2001.

Interestingly the white stripe represents allies, a feature not seen on many of the LGBTQ pride flags. The asexual flag was created with particular emphasis on including as many communities as possible.

Agender Pride Flag

The agender pride flag has seven horizontal stripes. This flag was created in 2014 by Salem X. A light green stripe in the middle of the flag, flanked by white, grey and black stripes. The grey stripes represent greygender, someone who at least partially doesn't identify with the gender binary. The white stripes represent an absence of gender.

Aromantic Pride Flag

The aromantic pride flag represents people who don't feel romantic attraction, but can feel a sexual attraction. The green is seen as an opposite color to red, often considered the color of passion. For the aromantic, sexual attraction is not linked to romance in any way.

Pansexual Pride Flag

The pansexual pride flag is distinct from the bisexual flag. This flag was created in 2010 to represent not being limited to specific gender or genders. The bisexual and pansexual flags are very similar, the main difference being the middle stripe. Though the pansexual pride flag was specifically designed not to be gender binary and to differentiate from the bisexual pride flag.

Hermaphrodite Pride Flag

The hermaphrodite pride flag represents people born with multiple, whole or partial, sets of gonads.

Heterosexual Pride Flag

While most people wouldn't think heterosexuals were represented by pride flags, they are. Five black and white stripes, with shades of grey in the middle, are arranged across the flag in a horizontal pattern.

Straight Ally Flag

Pictured below, the straight ally flag is black and white striped background with a rainbow "A" in the middle. It represents solidarity with the cause.

Other Flags To Be Added

Other flags that will be added in the future include the rubber pride flag, two spirit pride flag, polysexual pride flag, lipstick lesbian flag, labrys lesbian pride flag, and more flags that represent the queer and black communities. If you have any other suggestions please send them to us!

• Rubber Pride Flag
• Two Spirit Pride Flag
• Polysexual Pride Flag - someone who is attracted to multiple but not all genders
• Lipstick Lesbian Flag
• Labrys Lesbian Pride Flag

Pride Flag: Create Your Own Custom Pride Flag

We have a collection of custom pride flag generators. Choose from more traditional colors that include healing yellow and life orange, or make a rainbow flag that is a little wild and choose from our neon versions.

Pride Flag Backgrounds

You can use any of the flags above as your background. Once you have chosen your background image, select from our selection of symbols and sayings. Choose your color and you are done. The only flag that is a bad flag is the pride flag you don't create!

Symbols

We have symbols for gender identity that you can use over the flag backgrounds. Or, you can pick from some sayings we have collected. If you would like something else please let us know, and we'll work hard to add it for you.

Example

You could create a flag for gay men by using the interlocking male symbols, commonly used by people who identify as gay, over the pride flag background. This could be your way of showing you support the pride movement and that you are gay.

The possibilities are endless. Like we mentioned before, if something is missing that you would like to see, don't hesitate to reach out and we can work on adding it.