Rainbow Flag
Groundbreaking Queer politician Harvey Milk saw the need for new Queer symbolism that weren’t based on oppresion. So, Gilbert Baker and other activists created the Rainbow Flag in 1978. Initially designed with eight colors: hot pink, red, orange, yellow, green, turquoise, indigo, and violet. Each symbolized, respectively, sex, life, healing, sunlight, nature, magic/art, serenity, and spirit. However, due to fabric availability it was simplified, and eventually we came to the six-stripe version widely recognized today. While the rainbow flag quickly gained popularity as a symbol of identity, solidarity, and visibility, its original intent as a radical statement of activism and protest has evolved into broader cultural recognition and mainstream acceptance.
In response to the flag’s broad acceptance and commercialization – which some feel diluted its political power – new flags emerged, explicitly centering protest and inclusivity. Notable examples include Philadelphia’s eight-stripe flag, adding black and brown stripes to highlight racial inclusivity, and Daniel Quasar’s Progress Pride Flag, emphasizing marginalized communities within LGBTQ spaces.
I wanted to create a Queer flag explicitly designed to embody Queer activism and protest. My intention was to honor key moments in Queer history while clearly differentiating it from the Rainbow Flag’s broader symbolism of pride and unity. By highlighting these historical connections, my design intentionally positions itself as a powerful and unmistakable symbol of active resistance and advocacy.
Pink Triangle
The pink triangle originated during the Nazi regime in Germany as a badge forced upon gay men and transgender women imprisoned in concentration camps. Initially, it was a symbol of shame and used to stigmatize prisoners identified as Queer. Following the end of World War II, those who were liberated from nazi concentration camps were freed by the allies except those who had pink triangles. Many of these people were arrested and put in prison for being Queer.
In the 1970s and 1980s, LGBTQ+ communities reclaimed the pink triangle as a powerful symbol of resistance, remembrance, and pride. Notably, the AIDS activist group ACT UP prominently featured an inverted pink triangle with the slogan “SILENCE = DEATH,” further transforming its meaning into a symbol of defiance against oppression and stigma.
Today, the pink triangle represents solidarity, resilience, and pride within the LGBTQ+ community. It also commemorates those persecuted under Nazi rule and reminds society of the ongoing struggle for LGBTQ+ rights and liberation. Memorials around the world, such as those at Buchenwald, Dachau, and other cities, utilize the pink triangle to honor LGBTQ+ victims of the Holocaust and anti-gay violence more broadly.
Black Canton and Paw Print
The pink triangle with a paw print against a black background was the symbol of the Pink Panthers Patrol, commonly known as the Pink Panthers. This was/is a civilian patrol group established in New York City in the summer of 1990 by members of Queer Nation. Their primary goal was to combat anti-LGBT violence, especially in Manhattan’s West Village. Volunteers conducted foot patrols carrying whistles and, in some cases, radios to scare off assailants or call for help, and they intervened directly when necessary to protect victims. The patrol group became particularly active in areas known for assaults against LGBTQ individuals, including the East and West Villages and Central Park’s rambles.
The group and the name was heavily inspired by the Black Panthers, who shared similar goals for their community.
Lavender Sprigs
The lavender springs represent “The Lavender Menace“, which was a lesbian feminist group formed in response to the marginalization of lesbian issues within the broader women’s liberation movement. It emerged notably during the Second Congress to Unite Women in New York City on May 1, 1970, as a direct reaction to Betty Friedan and Susan Brownmiller’s dismissing lesbian visibility in feminism as a Lavender Menace”.
A group of Queers took action on May 1, 1970, where they interrupted proceedings wearing lavender-dyed T-shirts with slogans such as “Lavender Menace” and carried signs proclaiming lesbian visibility within feminism. They distributed their manifesto, “The Woman-Identified Woman,” advocating for lesbian visibility in the feminist movement. This event significantly raised awareness of lesbian issues within feminism.
Following this action, the group continued activism under new names—first Lesbian Liberation, then Radicalesbians. Their protest had a lasting impact, prompting mainstream feminist movements to acknowledge lesbian rights explicitly as integral to feminist advocacy by 1971.
Conclusion
Queer history is a story of survival, resistance, and defiance, and these symbols stand as powerful testaments to that legacy. By reclaiming them, we honor those who came before us – individuals who faced violence, marginalization, and silencing simply for being themselves.
But remembering alone is not enough. The fight for Queer rights is ongoing, and these symbols serve as reminders of our collective responsibility – not just to honor our past but to actively shape our future. Our predecessors fought tirelessly to secure the rights we have today, and it is our duty to continue that fight – not only to protect those rights but to expand them for future generations.
Now is the time to raise our voices louder, to hold each other closer, and to stand in unwavering solidarity for the dignity, rights, and lives of all Queer individuals. I urge you to take action: speak out, educate others, support community activism, and confront injustice wherever it arises.
Silence is complicity. Neutrality is not an option. The comfort of inaction is a privilege we cannot afford. Stand boldly, stand unapologetically, and stand together