As the popularity of the flag grew, its design was adapted to meet demand, and by 1979, the six-color version became the official symbol for gay pride. Instead, it became a universal symbol for LGBT pride and began hanging from windows, flying high at demonstrations, and cropping up all over the country. Originally hand-stitched and hand-dyed with eight colors - pink, red, orange, yellow, green, turquoise, blue, and purple - the rainbow flag became much more than a simple reaction to homophobic behavior. Then, in 2018, graphic designer Daniel Quasar has added a five-colored chevron to the flag, according to Dezeen. In 2017, a group called More Color More Pride added two extra stripes of black and brown to the flag to better represent people of color who are part of the community. The pan flag itself is less widely known than the classic rainbow and bi flags, but its vibrant pink, yellow, and blue are instantly recognizable once you’ve seen them. The Pride flag has had a few other upgrades in recent years. The light blue is the traditional color for baby boys, pink is for. Many people identify as bisexual and/or pansexual, and feel represented by either term. In 1978, though, a gay artist and civil rights activist Gilbert Baker, alongside the Grove Street gay community in San Francisco, made the first rainbow pride flag as a response to an anti-gay community that began using the pink triangle the Nazis used to identify gay individuals. Monica Helms, a trans woman, designed this flag in 1999, and it was first flown at a Pride Parade in Phoenix a year later. You know the Pride flag well, but what is the meaning of the rainbow flag? Its history is as interesting as it is colorful.įrom peace movements to political parties, the rainbow flag has been the symbol of dozens of historical and cultural organizations. You've seen it on buildings, bumper stickers, and front lawns, and you've waved one at parades, rallies, and protests.