All My...Pride Flags

LGBTQ Flags = Timeless Classics + New Remixes

Oct 19, 2024

Like a lot of kids in my generation, I watched at least one soap opera most evenings with my mom. After dinner and homework were done. Her favorite, if we only had time for one, was All My Children.

I’m an only child, so she often addressed me as “All My Children.” The grand pomp and circumstance of her delivery always made me giggle.

It wasn’t until years later, hiding my sexuality from everyone, that I realized I was living more than one life. (My mom’s second favorite soap was, ironically, One Life To Live.)

For a few years, I tried to pretend I was interested in girls. After numerous failed attempts to appear anything but the gay boy I obviously was, I tended to default to becoming the asexual best friend. That mostly kept everyone, including myself, satisfied…until the hormone monsters really kicked in during college.

Eventually, I kicked my closet door wide open. And started adding primary colors and rainbows to my formerly black-and-white aesthetic.

Little did I know then that there were lots more Pride flags to discover. And make.

Like All My Children, the “cast” of Pride Flag characters were and continue to be created by a motley crew. Some of the flags grow up to become stars, some co-stars, some guest stars, and some extras. There also are a few whose age and lineage remain a mystery.

Most Pride Flags also share dramatic and/or traumatic timelines. Not all of them get along. And a few always seem to be fighting to upstage each other.

Amongst all the drama (that was made for people like me and my mama), never lose sight that Pride Flags were designed to help build community and encourage love and respect. Both from inside the Family LGBTQ+ and from outside.

Not to be dramatic, but Brendan isn't seeing heaven.

Personally, picking my favorite Pride Flag is akin to asking a parent to picking their favorite child. Even if they only have one kid, the best answer remains: “All My Children.”

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Clint

The following is a collection of some of our favorite Pride Flags.
Classic, original, new, and remixed designs are all included.
This is far from a comprehensive list.

Details about design history and symbolism to be added/updated.
New additions (and editions) are also a possibility.

ORIGINAL + REMIXED PRIDE FLAGS

These Pride Flags are original designs and/or remixed designs by Collide Press.

QUEER TOGETHER DESIGNED BY COLLIDE PRESS
RAINBOW FLAG (1978) DESIGNED BY GILBERT BAKER
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TOGETHER DESIGNED BY COLLIDE PRESS
RAINBOW FLAG (1978) DESIGNED BY GILBERT BAKER
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QUEER DESIGNED BY COLLIDE PRESS
RAINBOW FLAG (1978) DESIGNED BY GILBERT BAKER
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Q (IS FOR QUEER) DESIGNED BY COLLIDE PRESS
RAINBOW FLAG (1978) DESIGNED BY GILBERT BAKER
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AUTISM PRIDE FLAG DESIGNED BY OPENSOFIAS
RAINBOW FLAG (1978) DESIGNED BY GILBERT BAKER
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DESIGNED BY COLLIDE PRESS
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DESIGNED BY COLLIDE PRESS
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ORIGINAL DESIGN BY RED HOWELL
REMIX BY COLLIDE PRESS
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ORIGINAL DESIGN BY USER:DI (THEY-THEM)
REMIX BY COLLIDE PRESS
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CLASSIC + NEW PRIDE FLAGS

DESIGNED BY GILBERT BAKER
FROM HRC = “The original Pride Flag was created in 1978 after activist Harvey Milk asked artist Gilbert Baker to design a symbol of gay pride. Each color represents a different part of the LGBTQ+ community: hot pink represents sex, red symbolizes life, orange stands for healing, yellow equals sunlight, green stands for nature, turquoise symbolizes magic and art, indigo represents serenity, while violet symbolizes the spirit of LGBTQ+ people.”
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DESIGNED BY GILBERT BAKER
FROM HRC = “After the assassination of Harvey Milk, the rainbow flag was in high demand. Due to manufacturing issues, the hot pink stripe was removed. The turquoise stripe was removed from the flag as a design choice from Baker. The six color pride flag has represented the community for over 40 years and is still one of the most common LGBTQ+ flags.”
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DESIGNED BY SALEM FONTANA
FROM HRC = “The Agender Pride Flag was created in 2014 to represent those who have an unidentifiable gender, are gender neutral, or have no gender. The black and white stripes represent the absence of gender while the gray stripes stand for semi-genderless people. The green stripe represents non-binary people.”
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DESIGNED BY CAMERON WHIMSEY
FROM FLAGS FOR GOOD = “The current and most widely used Aromantic flag was created by Tumblr user @cameronwhimsy in 2014. The stripes represent:
- Dark Green: Aromanticism (opposite of red, a generally romantic color)
- Light Green: the aromantic spectrum
- White: Platonic or aesthetic attraction
- Grey: grey-romantic or demiromantic people
- Black: the sexuality spectrum
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DESIGNED BY AVEN USER “STANDUP”
FROM HRC = “The Asexual Pride Flag was created in 2010 following a contest by the Asexual Visibility and Education Network. Asexual individuals are people that do not have a sexual attraction to any gender. Each stripe has a different meaning: black represents asexuality, gray means gray-asexuality & demisexuality, whites stands for non-asexual partners and allies, and the purple represents community.”
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DESIGNED BY CRAIG BYRNES
FROM WIKIPEDIA = “The International Bear Brotherhood Flag, also known as the bear flag, is a pride flag designed to represent the bear subculture within the LGBTQIA+ community. The colors of the flag—dark brown, orange/rust, golden yellow, tan, white, gray, and black—symbolize species of animal bears throughout the world.”
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DESIGNED BY NO-BUCKS-FOR-THIS-DOE(?)
FROM HRC = “The creation of the Bigender Pride Flag is unknown. The flag represents those who have two genders. In some cases, this is both male and female, but it can also include non-binary identities. These two gender identities can occur at the same time or they can vary over time.”
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DESIGNED BY MICHAEL PAGE
FROM HRC = “The Bisexual Flag was created in 1998 by Michael Page to bring awareness o the bisexual community. The pink represents bisexual’s attraction to the same gender while the blue represents the attraction to the opposite gender. The purple stripe in the middle represents attraction to two genders.”
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DESIGNED BY DORIAN-RUTHERFORD
FROM UNCO: “The Butch Lesbian Flag is one variation of several lesbian flags, including the lipstick lesbian flag and labrys lesbian flag:
Flag Meaning
Blue: represents masculinity.
White: represents people across the gender and sexuality spectrums more broadly.
Purple: represents lesbian and woman-identified individuals.”
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DESIGNED BY TRANSRANTS
FROM GRAND RAPIDS PRIDE CENTER = ”A demiboy (sometimes known as a demiguy, demiman, demimale, or demidude person) is a person who identifies with aspects of masculinity—regardless of their sex assigned at birth.
Tumblr user Transrants designed the demiboy flag in 2015.
The demiboy flag has three colors. Here’s what they are thought to mean:
Blue represents manhood or masculinity.
White represents non-binary or agender identities.
Grey represents the grey areas and partial connections and the possibility of more genders rather than the two on the binary spectrum.”
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DESIGNED BY TRANSRANTS
FROM GRAND RAPIDS PRIDE CENTER = “The demigirl flag has three colors. Here's what they are thought to mean: Pink represents womanhood or femininity. White represents non-binary or agender identities. Grey represents the grey areas and partial connections and the possibility of more genders rather than the two on the binary spectrum.”
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DESIGNED BY SEAN CAMPBELL
FROM WIKIPEDIA = “The Feather Pride Flag is a symbol for the Drag community, which encompass those who are into Drag Queens, Fancy Kings, their courts and fetishes. The phoenix which the gay community has embraced for its own as a symbol of rebirth, it is symbolic display here for the fires of passion which the drag community had in the early days of HIV/AID epidemic, raising funds for research within the gay community. The flag was created by artist Sean Campbell in 1999 and first national use as an graphic element for a pride edition in GLT magazine in 2000.”
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DESIGNED BY UNKNOWN
FROM HRC = “This is the second version of the Gay Men’s Pride Flag. The original only had green, blue and white. This version has different shades of green and blue to include non-cisgender gay men.”
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DESIGNED BY JJ POOLE
FROM HRC = “The Genderfluid Pride Flag was developed in 2013 by JJ Poole to give space to those whose gender identity and/or gender expression fluctuates during different times and different circumstances. Each color represents a different aspect of the Genderfluid community: pink stands for femininity, while blue stands for masculinity, white represents the lack of gender while black symbolizes all genders, the purple stripe represents a combination of masculinity and femininity.”
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DESIGNED BY MARILYN ROXIE
FROM HRC = “The Genderqueer Pride Flag was created by Marilyn Roxie in 2011 to represent those people that reject the static categories of gender. Genderqueer people may see themselves as both or neither male and female or beyond the binary. The lavender stripe represents androgyny and other queer identities while the white stripe stands for agender people. The green stripe symbolizes those who fall outside of the binary.”
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DESIGNED BY VALENTINO VECCHIETTI
FROM HRC = “The Intersex-Inclusive Progress Pride Flag adds the intersex community to the Progress Pride Flag. With this update coming in 2021, this serves as the most up-to-date LGBTQ+ flag. The flag was created by Valentino Vecchietti of Intersex Equality Rights UK.”
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DESIGNED BY MORGAN CARPENTER
FROM HRC = “The Intersex Pride Flag was developed in 2013 by the co-chair of Intersex Human Rights Australia, Morgan Carpenter. Intersex people are those born with a variety of differences in their sex traits and reproductive anatomy. There is no one way to be intersex as everyone’s experience in unique. The creator chose yellow and purple as those are seen as gender neutral colors.”
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DESIGNED BY SEAN CAMPBELL
FROM WIKIPEDIA = “The labrys lesbian flag was created in 1999 by graphic designer Sean Campbell, and published in June 2000 in the Palm Springs edition of the Gay and Lesbian Times Pride issue.The design involves a labrys, a type of double-headed axe, superimposed on the inverted black triangle, set against a violet background. Among its functions, the labrys was associated as a weapon used by the Amazons of mythology.In the 1970s it was adopted as a symbol of empowerment by the lesbian feminist community.”
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DESIGNED BY TONY DEBLASE
FROM HECKIN UNICORN = “While not representing any specific sexual orientation or gender identity, this flag has been used by the leather subculture since the 90s and was quickly embraced by the gay leather community, signifying pride for the BDSM and fetish subculture. This flag was designed by Tony DeBlase in 1989, who was repeatedly asked to explain the meaning behind the colors and design, but refused. In his words: ‘I will leave it to the viewer to interpret the colors and symbols.’”
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DESIGNED BY EMILY GWEN
FROM HRC = “While there have been many iterations of the Lesbian Pride Flag, this has been in use since 2018. Since then, it has been widely accepted. The different shades of red, pink, and orange represent the different types of femininity in the lesbian community.”
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DESIGNED BY NATALIE MCCRAY
FROM WIKIPEDIA = “The lipstick lesbian flag was introduced by Natalie McCray in 2010 in the weblog This Lesbian Life.The design contains a red kiss in the left corner, superimposed on seven stripes consisting of six shades of red and pink colors and a white bar in the center.The lipstick lesbian flag represents ‘homosexual women who have a more feminine gender expression.’”
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DESIGNED BY PRIDE-COLOR-SCHEMES(?)
FROM PROUD ZEBRA = “Meaning of the colors in the Neutrois Flag. White represents neutral, unidentified, or questioning gender. Dark green as the inverse color of purple (mix of male and female), is representative of not having a gender. Black is representative of agender or genderless.”
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DESIGNED BY KYE ROWAN
FROM HRC = “The Nonbinary Pride Flag was created in 2014 to represent those individuals who do not identify with either binary gender or within the binary at all. The yellow stripe represents a gender outside of the binary. The white stripe stands for those who have multiple or all genders. The purple stripe symbolizes those who fall between the male/female binary. The black stripe represents those with no gender.”
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DESIGNED BY GEMMAFRYE
FROM WIKIPEDIA = “This is an LGBTIA/Queer Pride Flag made to represent all sexualities that are neither heterosexual nor homosexual (the poles of sexuality). It is intended to be an umbrella under which any nonpolar identification (like bisexual or pan) can exist. In this manner it follows the same pattern as gender/sex identities; i.e. binary or nonbinary.”
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DESIGNED BY JASPER V
FROM HRC = “The Pansexual Pride Flag was created around 2010 in order to bring awareness to the community. Pansexual people are those who have the potential for emotional, romantic, or sexual attraction to people of any gender though not necessarily at the same time, in the same way or to the same degree. The pink stripe represents attraction to women while the blue stripe represents attraction to men. The yellow stripe is for everyone else in-between and beyond the gender binary.”
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DESIGNED BY JIM EVANS
FROM HRC = “The Polyamory Pride Flag was created by Jim Evans in 1995 for all polyamorous people. Each color represents a different aspect of polyamory. Blue stands for openness and honesty of everyone involved, red represents love and passion, while black stands for solidarity with those who must hide their polyamorous relationships. The Pi sign in the middle signifies the infinite options of partners available to polyamorous people.”
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DESIGNED BY TUMBLR USER TOMLIN
FROM HRC = “The Polysexual Pride Flag was created online in 2012 for people that are attracted to multiple, yet not all, gender. The blue stripe represents attraction to men, pink stands for the attraction to women, while green is for attraction to those outside of the binary.”
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DESIGNED BY PETER TOLOS & SCOTT MOATS
FROM HECKIN UNICORN = “While not representing any specific sexual orientation or gender identity, this flag represents the rubber or latex fetish subculture in the LGBTQ+ community. The flag was designed by Peter Tolos and Scott Moats in 1995.”
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DESIGNED BY ANDRIA (ARADIA) PETTELL
FROM WIKIMEDIA COMMONS = “The Queer Femme Pride flag has 9 equal stripes: 8 Alternating Dark Pink and Black and one white center stripe, with a black kiss mark in the center.
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DESIGNED BY PASTELMEMER
FROM HRC = “While this flag is not as well known, this is the Queer Pride Flag. Created in 2015, the flag represents all aspects of queerness as the label ‘queer’ has become more celebrated. The pink and blue shades represented same-gender attraction while the orange and green stripes stand for non-binary and gender non-confirming individuals. The black and white stripes symbolize asexual, aromantic, and the agender community.”
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DESIGNER UNKNOWN
FROM VOLVO = “The Straight Ally flag is using the black-white ‘colors’ of the heterosexual flag as a field, it adds a large rainbow colored ‘A’ (for ‘Ally’) to indicate straight support for the Gay Pride/Equal Marriage movement.
A straight ally or heterosexual ally is a heterosexual and/or cisgender person who supports equal civil rights, gender equality, LGBT social movements, and challenges homophobia, biphobia and transphobia. A straight ally believes that LGBT people face discrimination and thus are socially and economically disadvantaged.”
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DESIGNED BY MONICA HELMS
FROM HRC = “The Transgender Pride Flag debuted at Phoenix Pride in 2000 and was created by US Navy Veteran Monica Helms. She created the flag as a symbol of both the diversity of the trans community and the rights that trans folks are fighting for today. The blue stripes represent the ‘traditional boy’ colors while the pink stripes represent the ‘traditional girl’ colors. The white stripes represent those who are intersex, transitioning, or have an undefined gender.”
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