Different Lesbian Flags & Their Meanings
In the past decades, artists have created lots of flags to represent each sexuality. These flags have served as symbols of pride for the LGBTQ+ community and allies to rally behind. However, as simple as flags may seem, every one of them has specific colors and patterns that symbolize deeper meanings. For the lesbian community alone, there are many different designs and flags with varying backgrounds and stories. Here are some of the different lesbian flags and their meanings:
1) LGBTQ+ Flag
Of course, the classic. Pride Palace’s best selling flag: the LGBTQ+ pride flag. The LGBTQ+ pride flag is a symbol of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and more (+), or LGBTQ+, pride and social movements.
Of course, the classic. Pride Palace’s best selling flag: the LGBTQ+ pride flag. The LGBTQ+ pride flag is a symbol of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and more (+), or LGBTQ+, pride and social movements.
2) New Progress Pride Flag
The Progress Pride Flag adds five arrow-shaped lines to the six-colored Rainbow Flag, which is widely recognized as the symbol of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. The flag includes black and brown stripes to represent marginalized LGBTQ+ communities of color, along with the colors pink, light blue and white, which are used on the Transgender Pride Flag. The New Progress Pride Flag now includes intersex in its design. If you love celebrating diversity and all identities, this is the perfect flag for you! If you stand for equality, this flag is a way for you to show it!
The Progress Pride Flag adds five arrow-shaped lines to the six-colored Rainbow Flag, which is widely recognized as the symbol of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. The flag includes black and brown stripes to represent marginalized LGBTQ+ communities of color, along with the colors pink, light blue and white, which are used on the Transgender Pride Flag. The New Progress Pride Flag now includes intersex in its design. If you love celebrating diversity and all identities, this is the perfect flag for you! If you stand for equality, this flag is a way for you to show it!
3) Lesbian Pride Flag
In 2018, Emily Gwen designed a new look for the lesbian flag. A lesbian is a woman who is emotionally, romantically or sexually attracted to other women. The stripes represent gender nonconformity (dark orange), independence (orange), community (light orange), unique relationships to womanhood (white), serenity and peace (pink), love and sex (dusty pink), and femininity (dark rose).
In 2018, Emily Gwen designed a new look for the lesbian flag. A lesbian is a woman who is emotionally, romantically or sexually attracted to other women. The stripes represent gender nonconformity (dark orange), independence (orange), community (light orange), unique relationships to womanhood (white), serenity and peace (pink), love and sex (dusty pink), and femininity (dark rose).
The above flags are all in stock at Pride Palace and can be purchased anytime. Aside from these Pride Palace favs, there are also other lesbian flags from varying time periods and artists. Some of them can be considered outdated or sensitive, but these are flags designed to represent the lesbian community in some type of way. They are:
4) Labrys Lesbian Flag
This is the oldest and first documented lesbian flag, dating all the way back to 1999. This flag was designed by Sean Campbell and published in June of 2000 in the Palm Springs Gay and Lesbian Times. The flag is made up of a black inverted triangle with a labrys. Unfortuntely, women considered anti-social by the Third Reich (meaning they did not conform to the Nazi ideal of a woman; often homosexuals) were condemned to concentration camps and wore an inverted black triangle badge to identify them. Because the Labrys Lesbian Flag was designed by a man and is associated with the Nazis, the lesbian community generally does not use this flag as representation.
Because the values do not align with Pride Palace, we took down the eight-stripe flag and instead use the famous six-stripe LGBTQ+ flag.
5) Lipstick Lesbian Flag
Introduced in 2010 by designer Natalie McCray, this flag includes six shades of red and pink colors, a white bar in the center, and a red lipstick kiss. Because the pink and the lipstick kiss can be considered femme-only and exclude butch lesbians, the flag was updated with variants of the colors and the removal of the kiss. However, even with the updated design, the flag has left many in the LGBTQ+ community uncomfortable and is not often used to represent lesbians.
Want to know more about the history of these lesbian flags? Check out our TikTok recommending which ones to use here!
Final thoughts: There is no right or wrong pride flag. Whichever flag you feel best represents you and your identity is the “correct” one! Although some of the lesbian flags can be considered outdated or not inclusive, it is up to you to learn about the flags and see what best represents you. Pride Palace has the largest pride flag selection in the world, so you will definitely find your flag here. If you would like to see a flag on our website that we do not have yet, make sure to DM us on Instagram with your idea!
Sources:
- https://www.womenshealthmag.com/life/a36523338/lesbian-pride-flag-meaning/
- https://www.odu.edu/life/diversity/resources/lgbtqa/symbols
- https://www.horniman.ac.uk/story/a-horniman-lesbian-flag/
