The one that started it all! The original Pride flag was designed by Gilbert Baker in 1978 when San Francisco activist Harvey Milk asked him to come up with a symbol for the SGM community. Baker said of the flag: "Pink is for sex, red is for life, orange for healing, yellow for sun, green, nature, turquoise for magic, blue for serenity, and purple for the spirit. I like to think of those elements as in every person.” This original design was modified over the years: first the pink stripe was removed due to the dye being unavailable in the late 1970’s, then the turquoise and indigo stripes were combined into a single blue to make up an even number in 1979. The six-color version is still recognized world-wide as representing SGM communities.

In 2018, Daniel Quasar added a forward-facing arrow to the six-stripe rainbow flag, originating on the left side. Taking inspiration from the 2017 Philadelphia eight-stripe flag that added a black and brown stripe above the red to symbolize the marginalization of communities of color, Quasar added a brown and black stripe to his chevron. He also added light blue, light pink, and white which are the colors of the transgender flag. The black stripe also represents those living with AIDS and the stigma surrounding them. In Quasar's own words: “The trans flag and marginalized community stripes were shifted to the hoist of the flag and given a new arrow shape. The arrow points to the right to show forward movement, while being along the left edge shows that progress still needs to be made. The six-stripe LGBTQ flag should be separated from the newer stripes because of their difference in meaning, as well as to shift focus and emphasis to what is important in our current community climate."

Aromanticism is typically defined as the lack of or only having minimal romantic attraction to others. Aromantics may feel sexual attraction or not. The flag itself has five stripes: dark and light green represent the spectrum of aromantic identities, white represents friendship, and the grey and black stripes represent the spectrum of sexual identities in the aromantic community.

Asexuality (sometimes shortened to ‘Ace’) is a sexual orientation where someone does not experience sexual attraction. Ace individuals may or may not form romantic attachments. The Ace flag has four horizontal stripes: black represents asexuality, grey represents the spectrum of asexuality which includes Demi-sexuality (see Demi- below), white represents non-asexual partners of Ace people and allies, and purple symbolizes community.

A Bigender individual is someone who experiences exactly two genders either simultaneously or varying between the two. These two genders can also include non-binary genders. The flag contains five horizontal stripes: pink stands for femininity, white and yellow represent non-binary gender, purple represents androgyny, and blue represents masulinity.

Often shorted to ‘bi’, bisexuality is the attraction to genders both the same and different to one’s own. The flag consists of three uneven horizontal stripes: pink represents same-sex attraction, blue represents attraction to opposite sex, and the purple band represents the attraction to both sexes.

Demi-gender and Demi-sexuality are umbrella terms for non-binary gender identities that have a partial connection to a given gender. The flag depicted here is for Demi-flux, which represents individuals whose gender is partially fluid. The flag has seven horizontal bands. Four bands of the flag are solid bands of dark and light great which represents partial connection, a single white band represents agender, and then there are two bands which show a colorful spectrum to symbolize the fluid nature of the gender identity.

Intersex individuals are born with variations of physical sex characteristics that don’t fit medical or social norms for female or male bodies. The flag representing the intersex community is a purple circle on a golden background. The designer, Morgan Carpenter, notes this about the flag: “...the circle is unbroken and unornamented, symbolising wholeness and completeness."

Gay men are attracted to other men. As with the lesbian flag, the flag used in this banner is also a more modern version that is more inclusive of non-binary gender and shows a spectrum of blues and greens.

Also known as gender variance, individuals who are gender non-conforming identify has those whose gender expression does not match traditional gender norms. Unlike some of the other gender-related flags on this banner, gender variance is a behavior or expression as opposed to an identity. The flag contains seven bands of four colors showing pinks and blues exhibiting the traditional gender norms and purples and off-white which are the combination or absence of those norms.

Gender-queer is a term from the early 1990’s that refers to any non-normative gender identity and is an inclusive umbrella term. The flag that represents this community has three horizontal bands of lavender (representing androgyny), white (representing agender), and green (the inverse of lavender, representing those who identify outside of the gender binary).

Lesbians are women that are attracted to other women. The flag used in the banner is a relatively recent one which features seven horizontal stripes in reds, oranges, and pinks. From top to bottom, these stripes represent: gender non-conformity, independence, community, relationship to womanhood, serenity, love and sex, and femininity.

People whose gender identity does not fit within the traditional male/female binary. This flag has four horizontal stripes: yellow represents those whose gender is outside of the binary, white represents those with multiple genders, purple is for those whose gender is a mix of the gender binaries, and black represents those who are without gender.

Omisexuals are attracted to all genders, including those outside of the binary. The flag has five horizontal stripes in pinks and blues to represent variations on the gender binary as well as a deep purple band outside of the gender binary.

Pansexuals are attracted to all genders, including those outside of the binary. This is distinct from omnisexuality in that pansexuals often describe themselves as being attracted to people ‘regardless of gender’, whereas for omnisexuality gender may still play a role. The pansexual flag is three horizontal stripes: pink represents attraction to women, yellow to those outside of the gender binary, and blue attraction to men.

Polysexuals are attracted to multiple genders but not all, unlike pan- or omni-sexuals. The polysexual flag has three horizontal stripes: pink representing attraction to women, green representing attraction to non-binary individuals, and blue for attraction to men.

Being queer can be an identity and a movement for SGM individuals. The word has a broad meaning and scope depending on who is using it. The term was reclaimed by the SGM community in the late 1980’s from being a pejorative term. This version of the flag is lavender chevrons on a white background, lavender being a color often used to denote members of the SGM community and white encompassing all colors of visible light. The chevron is used as it is ’not a straight’ line.

SGL was adapted as an Afrocentric alternative to what are deemed Eurocentric homosexual identities which do not culturally affirm or engage the history and cultures of people of African descent. The term was first used in the 1990’s. The flag has multiple horizontal stripes. Brown stripes represent the Black/African-American community. The spectrum of red through blue represents the spectrum of femininity and masculinity in SGL people, with the purple, white, and yellow representing neutral presentation.

Transgender refers to those who do not identify as the gender assigned to them at birth. The transgender flag has three colors and five horizontal stripes. Blue represents men, pink women, and white those that are intersex, transitioning, or non-binary gender. Flag designer Monica Helms states: "The pattern is such that no matter which way you fly it, it is always correct, signifying us finding correctness in our lives."

Two-spirit is a relatively modern term for a long-held identity in the Native American and First Nations communities. The term encompasses traditional third-gender as well as gender-variant ceremonial and societal roles within indigenous culture. To find out more, check out the discussion between Bay Area American Indian Two-Spirit (BAAITS) executive director Amelia Vigil and the Lambda Alliance.