The colours of the rainbow flag reflect the diversity of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community. It was designed by San Franciscan, Gilbert Baker in 1978 and has undergone several revisions since. The modern flag has six predominant stripes, each colour carrying a symbolic meaning:
Red – Life. Orange – Healing. Yellow – Sunlight. Green – Nature. Blue – Serenity or Harmony. Violet – Spirituality
The 1978 original design also contained turquoise to represent art and magic, and hot pink which symbolises sexuality.
There are other variations of the rainbow flag, including the Bear Flag and the Transgender Flag.
The Transgender Flag
The Transgender flag, created by a transgender woman Monica Helms in 1999, was first shown at a Pride Parade in Phoenix Arizona in 2000. The flag represents the transgender community and consists of five horizontal stripes: two light blue, two pink, and one white in the centre.
Helms describes the meaning of the transgender flag as follows:
“The stripes at the top and bottom are light blue, the traditional colour for baby boys. The stripes next to them are pink, the traditional color for baby girls. The stripe in the middle is white, for those who are intersex, transitioning or consider themselves having a neutral or undefined gender. The pattern is such that no matter which way you fly it, it is always correct, signifying us finding correctness in our lives“.