The iconic rainbow flag has become a well-known symbol for LGBTQ+ pride, but did you know that there is a whole catalog of LGBTQ+ Pride flags that represent the diverse identities in this community?
Just like someone from a different state or country — or sports fan — might want to fly a specific flag to represent their identity, the same goes for people in the LGBTQ+ community! And it certainly doesn’t need to be Pride Month to embrace these banners.
One of these flags is the Lesbian Pride Flag, which is filled with a variety of warm colors that represent various aspects of the lesbian identity.
Here’s what you need to know about the Lesbian Pride Flag.
→ Explore the full list of all LGBTQ+ Pride flags
By the way, we’ve included some links to be able to buy this flag — and some of the links may include affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
About the Lesbian Pride Flag
History
While lesbians surely have existed throughout history, it wasn’t until 1999 that the first flag symbolizing lesbians came into the world.
This original Labrys Lesbian Flag was created that year but doesn’t actually look much like its modern descendants.
According to Them, the Labrys flag was designed by a gay graphic designer named Sean Campbell. It has a purple background — which has long been a color symbolizing the lesbian community — and features a white, double-headed ax (called a labrys) on top of an inverted black triangle.
A little over a decade later, around 2010, a new Lesbian Pride Flag emerged, as more community members sought a design that was made by someone who was actually a lesbian.
Designed by blogger Natalie McCray, the “Lipstick Lesbian Pride Flag” looks a lot more like the modern iteration of the flag, with seven stripes of various pinks and reds. However, this flag also features a lipstick mark in the top left corner.
This flag was not very inclusive to the full spectrum of community members who identify as lesbians, focusing on specifically “feminine” themes.
That’s when Emily Gwen’s design — the sunset Lesbian Flag — became the mainstream choice to represent lesbians (Target even made a dress to match it for a recent Pride collection).
With its striking array of warm colors, the modern Lesbian Flag, designed by Gwen in 2018, beautifully captures the spirit of the lesbian community.
From shades of orange to pink, the flag conveys the diversity of lesbian experiences, while pointing to values of love, visibility, and advocacy within the community.
Colors
Gwen’s 2018 flag design features seven colors (though, you might see it simplified as five stripes in some places). They include:
- Dark Orange: Gender-nonconformity
- Orange: Independence
- Light Orange: Community
- Pink: Unique relationship to womanhood
- Dusty Pink: Serenity and peace
- White: Solidarity with other marginalized LGBTQ+ communities
What Does It Mean To Be a Lesbian?
A lesbian is someone who identifies as a woman or nonbinary person whose physical, romantic and/or emotional attraction is to other women.
While most people likely have preconceived ideas about who lesbians are or what they look like, the community is full of diverse experiences (some nonbinary lesbians have even started brainstorming their own pride flags!)
Get a Flag: Flags For Good | Amazon
We’ve provided links to Flags For Good, which donates a portion of each Pride flag sale to LGBTQ+ nonprofits and has a fully carbon neutral production and distribution process. Use our links to save 10% off your entire order.
(We’ve also included links to Amazon for accessibility purposes.)
Plus, learn more about other Pride flags:
- All LGBTQ+ Pride Flags & Their Meanings
- Agender Pride Flag
- Androgyne Pride Flag
- Aromantic Pride Flag
- Asexual Pride Flag
- Bisexual Pride Flag
- Demigender Pride Flag
- Demisexual Pride Flag
- Drag Pride Flag
- Gay Men’s Pride Flag
- Genderfluid Pride Flag
- Genderqueer Pride Flag
- Gilbert Baker Pride Flag
- Intersex Pride Flag
- Lesbian Pride Flag
- Nonbinary Pride Flag
- Pansexual Pride Flag
- Philadelphia Pride Flag
- Polysexual Pride Flag
- Progress Pride Flag
- Queer Pride Flag
- Rainbow Pride Flag
- Transgender Pride Flag
- Two-Spirit Pride Flag
- … and read more LGBTQ+ good news
