COLOR MEANINGS
The Meaning of Red
THE COLOR OF 2024
The red in the flag represents life. The crimson pulse of life, coursing through veins of resilience and defiance. In this chromatic symphony, red stands as the beating core, an anthem of existence. It embodies the warmth of community, the fire of activism, and the indomitable spirit that refuses to be silenced.
The Meaning of Lavender
THE COLOR OF 2023
Lavender has a long history in the LGBTQ community. Violet (or purple) represents spirit. Purple is often thought of as a regal, royal color that, on its own, denotes pride. Like blue, purple is considered a calming color, but rather than being associated only with calm, the color purple connects us to the spiritual realm.
THE COLORS OF 2021 and 2022
The pride flag colors each hold a different meaning, and each color represents an important value of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Red: The red in the flag represents life. This makes sense if you think about how blood is red and how often blood is thought of as a vital life force of the body. Red also represents passion among many cultures. And passion is ideally where life originates from.
Orange: Orange represents healing. As a color, orange is believed to be a fun and celebratory color. Fun and celebration are both healing activities.
Yellow: If you guessed that yellow represented sunlight, you would be correct. The color yellow functions as the flag's radiant and bright center. The color yellow is said to stimulate new ideas and thoughts.
Green: There's a lot of green in nature, which is what this color on the original pride flag is meant to convey. Nature is a healing place, and the color green is associated with prosperity and growth.
Indigo: The indigo or blue in the original pride flag was for serenity. Little is more important than the ability to feel calm and serene. Blue is known as a relaxing color that soothes the soul. The color blue is often used for nighttime consumer products to represent bedtime and calmness.
Violet: Violet (or purple) represents spirit. Purple is often thought of as a regal, royal color that, on its own, denotes pride. Like blue, purple is considered a calming color, but rather than being associated only with calm, the color purple connects us to the spiritual realm.
Black and Brown Represents People of Color: The colors black and brown were added to the Progress Pride Flag to represent people of color (POC). This was an important addition because people of color have often been left out of the queer narrative despite being the driving force behind the movement.
Pink, Baby Blue, and White Represent Trans People: Traditionally, the colors pink and baby blue have been used to represent whether a baby is a boy or a girl. Here, the colors denote those genders. The color white represents people who are transitioning, intersex, or identify outside of the gender binary.