Introduction
In 1977, Harvey Milk challenged Gilbert Baker, an openly gay activist, to create a symbol for the gay community. Baker made an 8-color variation on the rainbow flag, a prominent symbol of peace. Problems sourcing materials eventually condensed it back down to the classic 6-stripe rainbow in 1979.
It started a tradition of striped queer Pride flags. The next three weren’t until the bi flag (1998), lesbian Labrys (1999), and trans flag (1999). In 2009, Natalie Phox’s Intersex flag is posted to Wikimedia commons. It is the first flag unveiled online. With the exception of the Philadelphia City Hall flag, every flag since has been unveiled online.
Some, like the Asexual flag, are collaborative community efforts that may not have been possible without the Internet. As different online communities flourish, as new ways of thinking about identity form, flags pop up like mushrooms in the fertile soil.
Tumblr was founded in 2007. Amid it’s tumult and broken code, a queer community begins to form there. In 2010, Jasper, justjasper, posts the pan flag to Tumblr. Of the 26 flags in the current collection, 13 were posted to Tumblr. Countless more lesser known flags have been posted there. Tumblr has played an incredibly important role in an ever more vibrant, connected, and proud queer community.
I am writing this after Tumblr announcement about curtailing “adult content.” Born out of a combination of not believing they can sell ads next to “porn,” a desperate attempt to not be sued under SESTA/FOSTA in the US, and prepare for Article 13 in the EU. The chilling effect these laws are having on queer discourse has already begun. I worry very dearly for our future, and for the flags we might not be able to save from these fires of censorship. The Genderfluid primary source was removed two days after we secured an interview with the creator.
Although it's one of the oldest flags, the Labrys flag never really caught on. The Lipstick flag is from 2010, but it didn't gain traction until 2015 when it was reposted to Tumblr with the lips removed. Many butch lesbians felt excluded by the femininity of the Lipstick flag, leading to the creation of two butch flags in 2016 and 2017. In June of 2018, Lydia wrote a Medium article documenting the racism, biphobia, and general meanness on the Lipstick flag creator, along with a proposal for a new flag. This unleashed a campaign for a new lesbian flag and a trend of new designs. As of June 2019, the Sadlesbeandisaster flag appears to have won out as the next main lesbian flag.
As we collected Pride flags from various sources for our patches, we became keenly aware of all the context missing from the reposts. Who had made these flags? How old were they? What community did they incubate in? Why were they made and what did they mean to their creator? Was the current community meaning now different (see the bi flag)? In our keenness to disseminate them, we were losing important parts of our history.
This, then, is our attempt to collect what we do know about the flags that have made the biggest impacts in the community. We’ll add to it over time as we obtain new information or collect flags.
Agender Flag

Created by Salem in 2014
Unveiled at transrants.tumblr.com.
The history and meaning of the Agender Flag.
Our interview with Salem.
Aromantic Flag

Created by CameronWhimsy in 2014.
Unveiled at cameronwhimsy.tumblr.com.
The history and meaning of the Aromantic Flag.
Asexual Flag

Created by the AVEN Community in 2010.
Unveiled at asexuality.org.
The history and meaning of the Asexual Flag.
Bisexual Flag

Created by Michael Page in 1998.
Unveiled at BiCafe's first Anniversary Party.
The history and meaning of the Bisexual Flag.
Genderfluid Flag

Created by JJ Poole in 2012.
Unveiled at genderfluidity.tumblr.com.
The history and meaning of the Genderfluid Flag.
Genderqueer Flag

Created by Marilyn Roxie in 2011.
Unveiled at genderqueerid.com.
The history and meaning of the Genderqueer Flag.
Our interview with Marilyn Roxie.
Intersex Flag by IHRA/OII

Created by Morgan Carpenter in 2013.
Unveiled at ihra.org.au (formerly OII).
The history and meaning of the Intersex Flag by IHRA/OII.
Intersex Flag by Natalie Phox

Created by Natalie Phox in 2009.
Unveiled at commons.wikimedia.org.
The history and meaning of the Intersex Flag by Natalie Phox.
Lesbian Flag by Anurtransyl

Created by Jace in April 2018.
Unveiled at anurtransyl.tumblr.com.
The history and meaning of the Lesbian Flag by Anurtransyl.
Lesbian Flag by Apersnicketylemon

Created by Marion W in May 2018.
Unveiled at persnicketylemon.tumblr.com.
The history and meaning of the Lesbian Flag by Apersnicketylemon.
Butch Lesbian Flag by Butch Positivity

Created by Butch Positivity in June 2017.
Unveiled at butchspace.tumblr.com.
The history and meaning of the Butch Lesbian Flag by Butch Positivity.
Butch Lesbian Flag by dorian–rutherford

Created by dorian–rutherford in 2016.
Unveiled at dorian–rutherford.tumblr.com, since deleted.
The history and meaning of the Butch Lesbian Flag by dorian–rutherford.
Lesbian Community Flag by Erin Ptah

Created by Erin Ptah in June 2018.
Unveiled at leifandthorn.com.
The history and meaning of the Lesbian Community Flag by Erin Ptah.
Our interview with Erin Ptah.
Dawn Lesbian Flag

Created by Bridgette Rome in June 2018.
Unveiled at twitter.com/bridgette_rome.
The history and meaning of the Dawn Lesbian Flag.
Lesbian Flag by Folkvillain

Created by Folkvillain in January 2019.
Unveiled at twitter.com/folkvillain. (Account currently locked.)
The history and meaning of the Lesbian Flag by Folkvillain.
Labrys Lesbian Flag

Created by Sean Campbell in 2000.
Unveiled in the June 2000 edition of the Gay and Lesbian Times (Greater Palm Springs Edition).
The history and meaning of the Labrys Lesbian Flag.
Lipstick Lesbian Flag

Created by This Lesbian Life in 2010.
Unveiled at thislesbianlife.wordpress.com.
The history and meaning of the Lipstick Lesbian Flag.
NOTE: This has been the main lesbian flag for a while, but the creator is biphobic and racist, and butch lesbians haven't felt well represented by it. A movement is well underway to replace it.
Lesbian Flag by Lydia

Created Lydia June 2018.
Unveiled at medium.com/@lydiandragon.
The history and meaning of the Lesbian Flag by Lydia.
Lesbian Flag by Nillia

Created Nillia April 2018.
Unveiled at nillia.tumblr.com.
The history and meaning of the Lesbian Flag by Nillia.
Lesbian Flag by Oxaline

Created sometime prior to 11 march 2017.
Unveiled at sunlesbian.co.vu, since deleted.
The history and meaning of the Lesbian Flag by Oxaline.
Lesbian Flag by Sadlesbeandisaster


Created Sadlesbeandisaster in June 2018.
Unveiled at sadlesbeandisaster.tumblr.com.
The history and meaning of the Lesbian Flag by Sadlesbeandisaster.
Five color variant by taqwomen.
As of June 2019, this flag appears to be the new community standard Lesbian flag.
LGBT Rainbow Flag

(Gay Pride Flag)
Created by Gilbert Baker in 1978.
Unveiled at San Francisco Pride Parade.
The history and meaning of the LGBT Rainbow/Gay Pride Flag.
MLM Flag


Created by Raymond Roach on 6 July 2019.
Unveiled at twitter.com/roach_works.
MLM (Men loving men) definition.
The history and meaning of the MLM Pride Flag.
Nonbinary Flag

Created by Kye Rowan in 2014.
Unveiled at thejasmineelf.tumblr.com.
The history and meaning of the Nonbinary Flag.
Pansexual Flag

Created by Jasper in 2010.
Unveiled at pansexualflag.tumblr.com.
The history and meaning of the Pansexual Flag.
Our interview with Jasper.
Philadelphia City Hall Pride Flag

Created by Terney (ad agency) in 2017.
Unveiled at 1st Annual Pride Month Kick-Off at Philadelphia City Hall.
The Tierney ad agency was commissioned by the Philadelphia's Office of LGBT Affairs (city agency) to "highlight black and brown LGBTQIA members within our community."
The history and meaning of the Philadelphia City Hall Pride Flag.
Transgender Flag

Created by Monica Helms in 1999.
Unveiled at the 2000 Phoenix AZ Pride Parade.
The history and meaning of the Transgender Flag.
Most of the identity definitions on this page are from The Trans Language Primer. It is a fabulous resource. Please consider giving them some love on Patreon.
This is an ambitious project. Web hosting and site building tools aren't cheap. Gathering information, designing useful ways to explore it, and making it accessible all take time. Donations are greatly appreciated. You can also support us by buying a d20 Pride flag patch or A Brief History of Pride Flags zine from our shop. Custom colors are available on request.
If you have information you'd like to contribute, please send us an email through the contact form. Note that at this time we have collected more flags than we have documented here. Comments are disabled because every similar project I've seen with comments includes harassment, and I have no interest in providing a space for that.
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