What do the colors of the new pride flag mean?
How are people responding to this new design?
At a Glance
The pride flag has undergone several redesigns over the past few decades.
Illustration by Michela Buttignol for Verywell Mind
The original pride flag designed in the 1970s included eight colors and was later simplified to six.
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.
Let’s take a look at what each of the rainbow colors represents.
Red
Theredin the flag represents life.
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.
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.
What Do the Colors in the New Pride Flag Mean?
The Philadelphia Pride Flag had black and brown vertical stripes added.
The trans flag, created in 1999, is pink, baby blue, and white.
Both of these flags inspired the design of the new pride flag.
It was introduced at a City Hall ceremony in June of 2017.
The colors black and brown were added to the Progress Pride Flag to representpeople of color(POC).
The Stonewall riot members were mostly people of color, and many were trans.
Adding colors to represent them on the flag is one way to change that.
Monica Helms is a transgender activist, author, and U.S. Navy veteran.
Here, the colors denote those genders.
The color white represents people who are transitioning,intersex, or identify outside of thegender binary.
It’s also because of the shape, which differs from the original design of horizontal stripes only.
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.
It now serves as the most up-to-date LGBTQIA+ flag.
Why the Pride Flag Is Important
The pride flag serves as a symbol of the LGBTQIA+ community.
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.
2022;119(10):e2117320119.
doi:10.1073/pnas.2117320119
National Institutes of Health.What is the meaning of the transgender flag?
