Designed by San Francisco artist Gilbert Baker, the first rainbow pride flag made its debut on June 25, 1978. Let’s try to uncover what pride flags are really communicating (or are trying to communicate), and maybe this will help us understand how the communities they represent see themselves.įirst, let’s start with the rainbow flag that we all know and love. But we still got all these colors and symbols to contend with, and it’s the colors that are doing the bulk of the representing, so it really benefits the community to have some kind of a language that is easily understandable so that the members of those communities can find the banner they feel best represents them, right? Now, there is a very sound argument in favor of the idea that pride flags aren’t about colors at all, but about representation for the wide spectrum of LGBT+ identities out there and that each one deserves to be seen and the cultures they represent respected and that is 100% valid and true. This is also perhaps a reason why the flags designs are so all over the place. This doesn’t mean that pride flags are tools of colonialism it means that flags, as a tool of colonialism, are a confusing tool to use when showcasing the beautiful fluidity and diversity of the queer community. The flag and its functions are deeply rooted in colonialism, and it makes perfect sense that, in an attempt to assert identity and elevate representation, we use the tools of the dominant forces within our society (ie: colonialism). That usage and definition doesn’t necessarily change because of the hand holding the flag. When you plant or post a flag in the soil you are telling all those who see it that this land belongs to you. Aside from representing one's nation, a flag denotes ownership in the purest sense. I really stepped in it this time.įirst, let’s talk about the flag, what it is and what it does. And when I say “each” I mean that there are so many pride flags that there is no way on earth any two flags with the same meaning, even from the same country, would look exactly the same. Simply put, the colors are all over the place, and the ones that aren’t, are contradicting their intended purpose.Ī lot of it has to do with the fact that pride flag color language isn’t universal, and every country has their own variation of each pride flag. I’ve been dreading this day for a long time now, and in anticipation for it I tried, I tried so hard to discern a language from our contemporary pride flags and I just couldn’t do it.

Pride flag colors