- The Pride flag just isn't what it used to be,
and that's probably a good thing.
If you're queer, if you've been to any kind of Pride event,
if you've walked past the fire escapes of Brooklyn,
or if you've spent any time online in June,
you've probably noticed the dozens of different kinds
of LGBTQ Pride flags that decorate the skies
or logos for brands on social media.
Once it was just a single Pride flag
broadly representing the community
created in 1978 by Gilbert Baker, a gay artist and activist.
Baker explains in his memoir
"Rainbow Warrior: My Life in Color"
that the rainbow flag was, "A conscious choice,
"natural and necessary.
"The rainbow came from earliest recorded history
"as a symbol of hope," Baker wrote.
"In the Book of Genesis, it appeared as proof of a covenant
"between God and all living creatures.
"It was also found in Chinese, Egyptian,
"and Native American history."
Now the rioters who claimed their freedom
at the Stonewall Bar in 1969
would have their own symbol of liberation.
Each of the eight colors had a specific meaning.
Pink stood for sexuality, red for life, orange for healing,
yellow for the sun, green for nature, turquoise for art,
indigo for harmony and serenity,
and violet for the soul and spirit.
The flag was later amended to include only six colors:
red, orange, yellow, green, indigo, and violet.
The six color rainbow flag is likely the one
the majority of people are most familiar with,
one of only two Pride flags currently offered as emojis,
along with the Transgender Pride flag.
In 2017, the Philadelphia Pride flag,
or More Color, More Pride flag,
the classic rainbow Pride flag
but with the addition of a black stripe and a brown stripe,
was designed in partnership
with Philadelphia's Office of LGBT Affairs
to serve as a more inclusive rainbow flag alternative.
The additions were intended to represent the experiences
of LGBTQ+ people of color
and their contributions to the community.
More recently, the flag has evolved
into the Progress Pride flag
created by designer Daniel Quasar,
which has the six original colors
but an additional triangle of black, brown,
light blue, light pink, and white stripes.
These stripes represent experiences
of LGBTQ+ people of color, transgender,
and gender nonconforming people,
and members of the community lost to HIV and AIDS.
"This new design forces the viewer
"to confront their own feelings
"towards the original Pride flag and its meaning,
"as well as the different opinions
"on who that flag really represents,
"while also bringing into clear focus
"the current needs within our community.
"You can't avoid the message
"as it's right there in front of you."
The Progress Pride flag has been widely embraced
and is now prominent among those most commonly celebrated.
Aryn Fields, a Human Rights Campaign spokesperson,
told Mashable, "The Progress Pride flag,
"an evolution of the original Pride flag,
"celebrates the beautiful, vibrant diversity
"of the LGBTQ+ community,
"and that intersectionality must always be front and center
"in the fight toward equality."
That's the brief history of the classic Pride flag,
but there are well over a dozen additional flags
representing other groups of LGBTQ+ people and communities,
including the Transgender flag
with light blue, light pink, and white stripes
debuted in 2000.
The Nonbinary Pride flag with yellow, white, purple,
and black stripes was created in 2014.
Today’s most commonly used Intersex Flag
with a purple circle over a yellow background
was designed in 2013.
The Asexual flag with black, gray, white,
and purple stripes was created in 2010.
The Bisexual flag with a pink top section
and blue bottom section
meeting in a purple stripe in the middle
was created in 1998.
The Pansexual flag with pink, blue, and yellow stripes
was created in 2010.
The Lesbian flag with stripes in shades of red, pink,
and orange in its most widely accepted design
was created in 2018
and more broadly embraced than predecessors.
The Abrosexual flag with stripes in shades of green, white, and pink
is believed to have been created around 2015
as a symbol for those whose sexuality is fluid.
The Modern Gay Men's Pride flag with stripes in shades of green,
blue, and purple, plus white, was designed in 2019.
The Genderqueer flag with lavender, white, and green stripes
was created in 2011.
The Genderfluid flag with pink, blue, white, black
and purple stripes was created around 2012.
The Pride of Africa Flag, a colorful block-style design
inspired by the flags of the countries of Africa,
was created in 2019.
The Queer People of Color Pride flag
with the classic six rainbow stripes
and a solidarity fist made of different shades of brown
appeared in 2019.
The Two-Spirit Pride flag most commonly seen
with the classic six rainbow stripes,
a circle, and two feathers,
as designed in 2016,
represents an Indigenous sexual, gender
and/or spiritual intersectional identity
outside the male and female gender binary.
The Leather flag with a red heart over blue, black,
and white stripes was developed in the 1990s
for the leather subculture.
The Bear Brotherhood flag with a black paw print over brown,
orange, yellow, tan, white, gray, and black stripes
was created in 1995 to represent the bear subculture.
These flags are important signals
not only that LGBTQ+ people are asserting their presence
in safe and welcoming spaces,
but they also signify the power and inclusivity within the community
both IRL and online.
Stephen Fry, a gay English actor,
said in his speech at the 2019 British LGBT Awards.
- See, if you think about "The Wizard of Oz,"
the film is very cleverly. It starts off in black and white,
and Dorothy lives in a black and white world
and she has an opening song.
She thinks about a world that is over the rainbow
where she can fly and be free.
- [Audience Member] Yes.
- And that's why gay people love that song
(audience laughing) because gay people everywhere
dreamt of being over the rainbow.
If every little blue bird can fly over the rainbow,
why, oh why, can't I?