The rainbow flag or pride flag is a symbol of LGBT pride and LGBT social movements. The colors reflect the diversity of the LGBT community and the spectrum of human sexuality and gender. Using a rainbow flag as a symbol of LGBT pride began in San Francisco, California, but eventually became common at LGBT rights events worldwide.
Originally devised by the artists Gilbert Baker, Lynn Segerblom, James McNamara and other activists, the design underwent several revisions after its debut in 1978, and continues to inspire variations. Although Baker’s original rainbow flag had eight colors, from 1979 to the present day the most common variant consists of six stripes: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet. The flag is typically displayed horizontally, with the red stripe on top, as it would be in a natural rainbow.
LGBT people and allies currently use rainbow flags and many rainbow-themed items and color schemes as an outward symbol of their identity or support. There are derivations of the rainbow flag that are used to focus attention on specific causes or groups within the community (e.g. transgender people, fighting the AIDS epidemic, inclusion of LGBT people of color). In addition to the rainbow, many other flags and symbols are used to communicate specific identities within the LGBT community.
Variations:
Original Gilbert Baker Design
Inspired by the lyrics of Judy Garland’s Over the Rainbow, and the designs used by other social movements such as black civil rights groups from the 1960s, the Rainbow Flag was created. Baker hand-dyed and hand sewed this flag which flew at the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day in June 1978.
Seven-color version due to unavailability of pink fabric
Following the assassination of Harvey Milk in 1978, many people and organisations adopted the Pride flag that he helped to introduce to the community. The demand was so great for a rainbow striped flag, it was impossible for the 8-stripe design to be made in large quantities. Both Paramount and Baker struggled to obtain the hot pink fabric and so began manufacturing a 7-stripe version.
Traditional Gay Pride Flag
In 1979 the design was amended again. The community finalised this six-colour version and this is now the most familiar and recognisable design for the LGBT flag. Numerous complications over the odd number of stripes, including the desire to split the flag to decorate Pride parades, meant that one colour had to be dropped.
The turquoise and indigo stripes were combined to create a royal blue stripe and it was agreed that the flag should typically be flown horizontally, with red at the top, as it would be in a natural rainbow. This design continued to increase in popularity around the world, being a focal point of landmark decisions such as John Stout fighting for his right to fly the flag from his apartment balcony in 1989.
Progress Pride Flag
In June 2018, designer and activist Daniel Quasar released an updated version of the Pride flag. Combining the new elements of the Philadelphia design and the Transgender flag to bring focus on further inclusion and progress. This new flag added a chevron to the hoist of the traditional 6-colour flag which represents marginalised LGBTQ+ communities of colour, those living with HIV/AIDS and those who’ve been lost, and trans and non-binary persons.
This design went viral and was quickly adopted by people and pride parades across the world. The arrow of the chevron points to the right to show forward movement, while being on the left edge shows that progress still needs to be made for full equality, especially for the communities the chevron represents.
Intersex Inclusive Progress Pride Flag
In 2021, Valentino Vecchietti of Intersex Equality Rights UK adapted the Pride Progress flag design to incorporate the intersex flag, creating the Intersex-Inclusive Pride flag 2021.
The intersex community uses the colours purple and yellow as an intentional counterpoint to blue and pink, which have traditionally been seen as binary, gendered colours. The symbol of the circle represents the concept of being unbroken and being whole, symbolising the right of Intersex people to make decisions about their own bodies.
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Grocery stores: scoured
Various flours, starches and sugars: acquired
It’s time to learn to make motherfucking moon cakes
Things we need as emojis as
How is it there’s a plant-based brand that’s literally called Morningstar, and it isn’t the subject of a million Christian nationalist conspiracy theories about their food being made from children or the company being run by Satanists or something?
Fuck Switzerland. They didnt do anything I know of recently. But they can eat poo anyway
Great day to be a Gay Boriquen Knicks Fan in DA GREATEST CITY IN DA WORL’D
De’Aaron Fox should be strapped to a rocket and shot into the sun
Was talking to someone and I stumbled over my words so many times that I just sort of gave up on talking. If I had honor I would’ve committed harakiri on the spot, but alas.
I watched the first season of Korra with my fiancee over the last few days. It’s just reactionary propaganda ‘-’
Thanos == Purple Shrek
psychology hot take
I have a feeling that ‘introversion’ is like a shell game of three-or-so potential root causes and it as a lump sum creates a weird thing where people who are under the “out of practice/isolated” cup and the people under the “social anxiety/disinclination” cup are given the same language where I have a hunch they require ostensibly different approaches to be comfortable in life
There is precisely one fact that makes me patriotic about Denmark, and its the fact that when the royals use the royal yacht their food is cooked by 18 year olds doing their draft/military service with no required cooking experience or training.
I miss the old days of video game urban legends, with data mining and the like you can’t just lie and believe the lies like you used too. I think the closest thing you get to it now is when old betas are released or demos. The onward progress of mining and preserving is good don’t get me wrong but now that I’m the hypothetical unc from nintendo the days of my credibility are in the red not like how previous uncs could be cited as a source
Not usually a fan of people making noise on public transit but this guy singing and eating candy with his sweet little shaggy dog in the seat next to him was kinda nice. I hope they have a good rest of their day
Here’s my conspiracy theory: Internet creators planted the idea of entitled consumers and parasociality so nobody would complain when they get a decent patreon and immediately stop producing content.
