The Meaning Behind LGBTQIA+ Pride Flags

A colourful guide to identity, visibility and belonging

Pride flags aren’t just colourful designs — they’re powerful symbols of identity, history and belonging.
Each one tells a story. Sometimes it’s about visibility. Sometimes survival. Sometimes it’s simply about saying, “I exist, and I’m proud of that.”

This guide is here to help you understand what different Pride flags represent, where they came from, and why they matter — whether you fly one at a parade, wear one quietly, or keep it close in ways only you can see.

The Rainbow Pride Flag

Meaning: Unity, diversity and the full spectrum of LGBTQIA+ identities

Originally designed by Gilbert Baker in 1978, the rainbow flag is the most recognised symbol of Pride worldwide. Each colour represents an aspect of life and humanity — from healing and nature to spirit and sexuality.

Today, it stands as a universal symbol of queer visibility and celebration.

Why it matters:

• Represents the LGBTQIA+ community as a whole

• Signals inclusion, safety and pride

• Recognised across cultures and generations

You’ll often see the rainbow used as a starting point — a shared symbol that invites conversation and connection.

Shop rainbow pride flag inspired Pride tops

The Progress Pride Flag

Meaning: Inclusion, equity and forward movement

An evolution of the original rainbow, the Progress Pride flag adds black and brown stripes to represent LGBTQIA+ people of colour, plus light blue, pink and white for the trans community.

The arrow design intentionally points forward — a reminder that progress is ongoing.

Why it matters:

• Highlights intersectionality within the community

• Acknowledges voices historically pushed aside

• Represents collective growth, not replacement

This flag is about making space — and making sure everyone is seen.

Celebrate inclusivity with our Pride jewellery collection

The Transgender Pride Flag

Meaning: Visibility, resilience and self-determination

With soft blues, pinks and white, the transgender flag was designed to feel gentle yet powerful. The white stripe represents people who are transitioning, non-binary, or questioning their gender.

Why it matters:

• Centres trans visibility and affirmation

• Offers representation in a world where trans voices are often marginalised

• Has become a vital symbol at Pride events and beyond

This flag reminds us that gender journeys are valid, personal and deserving of respect.

Check out Flamingay's transgender pride flag collection

While there are many more PRIDE FLAGS, we will cover the below in this blog and broken them into the following categories"

• Core Pride Flags: Rainbow Pride, Progressive Pride, Transgender Pride

• Sexual Orientation Flags: Gay Men, Lesbian, Bisexual, Pansexual, Polysexual, Asexual, Demisexual

• Romantic Orientation Flags: Aromantic

• Gender Identity & Expression Flags: Non Binary, GenderQueer, Genderfluid, Agender,

• Intersex Pride Flag

• Community & Subculture Flags: Bear, Otter, Twink, Drag Queen

At Flamingay, we celebrate LGBTQIA+ identity through colourful clothing, jewellery and gifts designed to help you express who you are — and to celebrate Pride every day.

The Lesbian Pride Flag

Meaning: Love, strength and community

The modern lesbian pride flag celebrates lesbian identity across a spectrum of experiences and expressions.

Why it matters:

• Represents lesbian visibility and pride

• Recognises diversity within lesbian communities

• Offers representation where it was once limited

Browse colourful Lesbian Kiss Pride Flag tops, tees and more

The Gay Men’s Pride Flag

Meaning: Identity, unity and belonging

Designed to complement the lesbian flag, this flag represents gay men across a range of gender expressions and lived experiences.

Why it matters:

• Expands representation beyond the rainbow

• Recognises diversity within gay male identity

• Encourages pride without stereotypes

Explore our Gay kiss Pride flag range of clothing, accessories and homewears

The Bisexual Pride Flag

Meaning: Attraction to more than one gender

The bisexual flag symbolises attraction across genders, with the overlapping colours representing connection and unity.

Why it matters:

• Validates bisexual identity (often misunderstood or erased)

• Creates visibility in both queer and straight spaces

• Encourages open conversations about attraction and fluidity

It’s a reminder that identity doesn’t need to be explained to be valid.

Pansexual Pride Flag

Meaning: Attraction regardless of gender

The pansexual flag represents attraction to people of all genders — including those outside the binary.

Why it matters:

• Affirms attraction that isn’t limited by gender

• Pushes back on rigid definitions of sexuality

• Celebrates openness and connection

Polysexual Pride Flag

Meaning: Attraction to multiple (but not all) genders

Often confused with pansexuality, polysexuality reflects attraction to more than one gender, without implying all.

Why it matters:

• Validates nuanced attraction

• Helps distinguish identities often lumped together

• Encourages self-definition on your own terms

Asexual Pride Flag

Meaning: Little to no sexual attraction

Asexuality exists on a spectrum and doesn’t mean a lack of love, intimacy or connection.

Why it matters:

• Challenges the idea that attraction = sexuality

• Validates ace experiences in a hyper-sexualised world

• Makes space for diverse relationship dynamics

Demisexual Pride Flag

Meaning: Sexual attraction formed through emotional connection

Demisexuality sits under the asexual umbrella and highlights attraction that develops after trust and closeness.

Why it matters:

• Normalises slower or connection-based attraction

• Pushes back against hookup-centric narratives

• Affirms emotional intimacy as valid and powerful

Core Pride Flags

These are the flags most people recognise first. They anchor Pride visually and culturally, acting as shared symbols of visibility, inclusion and community

Sexual Orientation Flags

These flags speak to who we’re attracted to and how we experience that attraction, offering language and visibility to identities long misunderstood or erased.

Romantic Orientation Flags

Attraction doesn’t always follow romantic scripts. These flags honour how people experience — or don’t experience — romantic connection

Aromantic Pride Flag

Meaning: Little to no romantic attraction

Aromantic people may still experience deep friendships, partnerships and chosen family — just without romantic attraction.

Why it matters:

• Expands how we define love and connection

• Validates non-romantic life paths

• Celebrates chosen family and platonic bonds

Gender Identity & Expression Flags

Attraction doesn’t always follow romantic scripts. These flags honour how people experience — or don’t experience — romantic connection

The Non-Binary Pride Flag

Meaning: Identity beyond the gender binary

This flag represents people who don’t identify exclusively as male or female. Each colour symbolises a different aspect of non-binary experience — from neutrality to multiplicity.

Why it matters:

• Affirms identities outside traditional gender frameworks

• Supports language, visibility and self-expression

• Encourages understanding beyond “either/or” thinking

Genderfluid Pride Flag

Meaning: Gender that changes over time

Genderfluid people may experience shifts in gender identity — sometimes daily, sometimes over years.

Why it matters:

• Validates evolving identity

• Challenges fixed expectations

• Normalises change as part of self-discovery

Genderqueer Pride Flag

Meaning: Identity outside traditional gender norms

Genderqueer is an umbrella term for people who don’t fit neatly into “male” or “female.”

Why it matters:

• Reclaims queerness in gender expression

• Encourages fluidity and individuality

• Rejects restrictive gender boxes

Agender Pride Flag

Meaning: Having no gender or being gender-neutral

Agender people don’t identify with male or female — or any gender at all.

Why it matters:

• Challenges the assumption that everyone has a gender

• Supports gender freedom and neutrality

• Expands language around identity

Intersex Pride Flag

Attraction doesn’t always follow romantic scripts. These flags honour how people experience — or don’t experience — romantic connection

Intersex Pride Flag

Meaning: Intersex identity and bodily autonomy

The intersex flag intentionally avoids gendered colours. The circle symbolises wholeness and integrity.

Why it matters:

• Raises awareness of intersex variations

• Advocates for bodily autonomy

• Pushes back against non-consensual medical practices

Community & Subculture Flags

Pride is also about chosen family and belonging. These flags celebrate subcultures within the community.

Bear Pride Flag

Meaning: Celebration of the bear subculture

Bears are typically gay men who embrace body hair, size, masculinity — and community.

Why it matters:

• Celebrates body positivity

• Challenges narrow beauty standards

• Builds strong chosen-family culture

Otter Pride Flag

Meaning: Leaner, hairy gay men within the bear community

Otters sit within bear culture and celebrate a different body type while sharing the same sense of belonging.

Why it matters:

• Expands representation within gay male culture

• Normalises diverse body identities

• Reinforces sub-community pride

Twink Pride Flag

Meaning: Youthful, slim gay men

Often stereotyped or dismissed, the twink flag reclaims identity and self-expression.

Why it matters:

• Pushes back against body shaming

• Reclaims autonomy and pride

• Affirms all expressions of masculinity

Drag Queen Pride Flag

Meaning: Performance, self-expression and chosen family

The drag queen pride flag celebrates the art of drag as a powerful form of self-expression, creativity and community. Rooted in queer history, drag has long been a space where identity is explored, exaggerated, challenged and joyfully reclaimed.

Why it matters:

• Honours drag queens as cultural and creative trailblazers

• Celebrates performance as a form of identity and resistance

• Recognises drag communities as spaces of belonging and chosen family

Why Pride Flags Matter (Even When They’re Subtle)

Not everyone waves a flag publicly — and that’s okay.

Sometimes Pride lives in:

• a small detail on a jacket

• artwork in your home

• something you wear close to your heart

• a design that quietly says “this is me”

At Flamingay, we see Pride flags as personal storytelling tools, not just bold statements.
They can shout. They can whisper. They can simply exist — and that’s enough.

For those who choose to express identity through art, fashion or everyday objects.

Explore our Custom Pride flag design and personalise your very own pride flag clothing.

Final Thoughts

Together, these flags form a layered, evolving picture of the LGBTQIA+ community — diverse, personal and deeply human.

Whether a Pride flag flies high, sits subtly in a design, or exists quietly in someone’s heart, its meaning is the same:

You belong.

Want to read some more fun LGBTQIA+ blogs, check out our "LGBTQIA+ Icons Who Shaped Pop Culture" blog

Want to learn more about Flamingay’s story and mission behind our Pride-centric designs? Visit our About page.