Flags are, after all, meant to be flown - loudly and proudly! Below, we’ll walk you through the origin, meaning and colors of 21 LGBTQ flags, from the original pride flag to new pride flags flown today, so that you can understand which identity each flag celebrates. This was our new revolution: a tribal, individualistic and collective vision. Although the symbolic use of bright colors has long been connected to queer culture, these flags, fittingly, are a highly visible, widerspread signal of queer identity compared to some of the slightly more covert LGBTQ+ symbols that preceded them. A number of social media users were bewildered by the intricate flag the Brooklyn Nets posted on Twitter to celebrate the beginning of LGBTQQIP2SAA+ Pride Month. The two original eight-color rainbow flags flying at United Nations Plaza. Today, there are dozens of LGBTQ+ flags representing just as many gender identities, sexualities and intersections of communities.
Much like the communities they represent, these flags are in a constant state of evolution, expanding to better and more inclusively encompass every queer identity under the rainbow. Ever since the first rainbow-hued LGBTQ flag was created in 1978, pride flags have been a colorful symbol of queer identity.