Why Many LGBT People Have Started Using A New Pride Flag.
It’s been a tumultuous pride season, not least because of a global pandemic and over 500 cancelled pride events worldwide.
But there has been international focus on Black Lives Matters protests, vitriol in the UK press about trans lives—J.K. Rowling.
All sat alongside a debate in the U.K. about the rainbow, a universal symbol of hope being used for to show solidarity with NHS workers, while blurring with a universal symbol of LGBT people—the six stripe LGBT Pride flag.
For the last 42 years, in the particular form of a flag with six distinct colours, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet, Glibert Baker’s six stripe flag has been the internationally recognised symbol of the LGBT community.
But this year, Prides, brands and activists around the world have simultaneously and without any co-ordination, been adopting ‘The Progress Flag’ as their symbol for the community instead.
Designed by Danial Quasar in 2018, it features black and brown stripes to represent people of colour, and baby blue, pink and white to include the trans flag in its design.
From the London Mayor’s office, to Boston Pride and even cultural institutions like the U.K.’s Southbank Centre–the symbol being used represent LGBT people is changing.
And it’s all part of a drive to be more inclusive of the expansive breath of identity within the community.
What has driven the change to include new stripes? A number of factors have driven the community to arrive at a new flag, with little discussion or debate.
Ultimately the pandemic has been at the centre of them, which is inspiring a seismic change in the way we all think.
But so has Black Lives Matters, vitriol about trans people and the NHS rainbow debate.
“The NHS 'thank you' rainbow, which was not actually an NHS initiative but a way for people to show solidarity and gratitude for front line workers,”
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