When I was young and newly out of the closet, around 2013, I saw LGBTQ flags for every community imaginable online, including esoteric variants, such as the green, black, white, and grey aromantic flag, and a pale pink and yellow flag for slim, hairless 20-something twinks. The now-familiar six-stripe flag is actually a redesign. Later that year, though, the flag lost its pink stripe because of fabric unavailability at the local manufacturer, and turquoise fell off the year after for the same reason. That earliest iteration included pink and turquoise stripes, symbolizing sex and art, respectively-parts of queer life that the designers thought were worth fighting for. The flag was then reduced down to seven colors when it was first mass produced, omitting the pink stripe - Baker said pink fabric was just too expensive the turquoise and indigo blue stripes were then condensed into a single royal blue and the flag into its six-color design known today.Since its first flight at 1978’s Gay Freedom Day Parade in San Francisco, the rainbow flag has evolved multiple times. According to San Francisco Travel, pink stood for sex, red stood for life, orange for healing, yellow for the sun, green for nature, turquoise blue for art, indigo for peace and harmony, and violet for spirit. The original rainbow pride flag had eight colors - pink, red, orange, yellow, green, turquoise, blue, and purple - each with their own special meaning. He told the San Francisco Travel Association that he knew his "whole life was going to be about the Rainbow Flag." The rainbow flag became a symbol of the LGBTQ community when Gilbert Baker, a gay man from San Francisco, was asked to create a unifying symbol for the gay rights movement by gay rights leader and city supervisor Harvey Milk in 1978. The inclusion of marginalized members within the LGBTQ community in the community's most prevalent symbol is especially important just days after the first year anniversary of the Orlando Pulse nightclub shooting, where 49 people were killed, many of whom were queer people of color. "Right off the bat, it has absolutely started a conversation, certainly in this city and beyond," Hikes said. Hikes has been encouraged by the interest in the new pride flag, telling CNN that other cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, and New York have reach out to her and her office in support of the new design. Hikes told CNN, "To see this at City Hall is such a profound statement." The new pride flag was officially raised last Thursday. Amber Hikes, director for Philadelphia's Office of LGBT Affairs, said in a statement that the new pride flag would make its "world debut" at Philadelphia's City Hall. The More Color More Pride campaign was developed by the Office of LGBT Affairs in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Tierney, a local marketing agency. It's an important and necessary step in addressing the racial intersectionality of queer identity, recognizing that people are not just one-dimensional beings. The original six-color rainbow flag has been redesigned to include eight colors, starting with black and then brown, as a symbol of racial inclusivity within the LGBTQ community.
One of the most iconic symbols of the LGBTQ community - the rainbow pride flag - is changing, getting a fresh new update for the first time in its nearly 40 year history. Around the country, LGBTQ communities are celebrating Pride Month.