Polyamorous Pride Flag (2016, Monroe / RatLab Art)
Identity Pride Flag ·
A 2016 redesign of the polyamorous pride flag by Monroe (RatLab Art) that desaturated the original Evans colors, rearranged the stripe order, and replaced the Greek letter pi with an infinity heart symbol. The most widely cited intermediate design between the 1995 Evans flag and the 2022 Howell flag selected by PolyamProud.
Key facts
- Designer
- Monroe (RatLab Art)
- Created
- First documented public use
- In use
- 2016-2022 (primary circulation period)
- Aspect Ratio
- 3:5 · standard
- Stripes
- 3
- Represented Identity
- polyamorous
Also known as
- RatLab Polyamory Flag
- Infinity Heart Polyamory Flag (2016)
- polyamorous
- polyamory
- poly
Status Historical Variant
Archive categories Sexuality Pride Flags
Overview
To modernize the polyamory flag's aesthetics while preserving the original color meanings (openness, love, solidarity).
By 2016, dissatisfaction with the 1995 Evans flag had been building for years. The flag's garish websafe colors (a direct artifact of the Microsoft Paint and Windows 3.1 constraints Evans worked under) and the obscure pi symbol were frequent targets of criticism. The polyamory community had largely adopted the infinity heart as its preferred symbol, but the flag still used pi. Monroe's redesign was one of the first widely circulated alternatives to directly address these complaints: it desaturated the red and blue to softer tones, moved the black stripe above the red, and replaced the pi with an infinity heart. The infinity heart symbol itself was created by Brian Crabtree and placed in the public domain in the 1990s. [1][2][3]
Identity & Context
- Represented Identity
- polyamorous
- Subcommunity
- non-monogamous / relationship style
- Movement
- polyamory visibility and pride
Creators
The Creator
Monroe (RatLab Art)
Designer
Monroe, known online as RatLab Art, redesigned the polyamorous pride flag in August 2016. No further biographical information is publicly available. [1]
I redesigned the polyamory flag bc the old one seems a little jarring to me. I like the original meaning behind the colors, though.
Motivations
- To address the widely felt aesthetic dissatisfaction with the 1995 Evans flag while preserving its core color meanings [1]
Stated inspirations
- The 1995 Jim Evans polyamory flag (color meanings preserved, aesthetics revised)[1]
Broader influences
- The infinity heart symbol, which had become a widely recognized polyamory symbol by the mid-2010s[2]
Attribution notes
Monroe, posting under the handle RatLab Art, published the redesign in August 2016. Monroe stated: 'I redesigned the polyamory flag bc the old one seems a little jarring to me. I like the original meaning behind the colors, though.' The full name and biographical details of the creator are not publicly available beyond the RatLab Art handle. [1][2]
Origin
- Digital Origin
- true
Digital origin; no verified physical location.
Published online by Monroe (RatLab Art) in August 2016. [1]
Dates & Chronology
- Year Created
- First public use
- Period in Use
- 2016-2022 (primary circulation period)
The Monroe redesign circulated widely in polyamory communities online and was one of the most commonly cited intermediate designs in discussions about replacing the Evans flag. It did not achieve consensus adoption, and the community ultimately selected a different design (Red Howell, 2022) through the PolyamProud process.
However, it represents the first widely recognized attempt to address the 1995 flag's aesthetic shortcomings while respecting its symbolic framework. [1][2]
The Monroe flag was one of over 30 polyamory flag redesigns created between 1995 and 2022. Other notable intermediates include Emma Essex's September 2019 redesign (cyan, light red, and black stripes with a white field behind a light-red-and-cyan infinity heart) and Molly Colleen Bennett Wilvich's 2020 design (lime green, kelly green, sky blue, royal blue stripes with a white infinity heart, each color carrying detailed symbolic meanings). None achieved consensus until the 2022 PolyamProud vote, which selected Red Howell's design through a community process led by PolyamProud writer Dee Morgan and others. The common thread across almost all intermediates was the replacement of pi with the infinity heart. The infinity heart had been the community's preferred symbol since at least the early 2010s, when it displaced the older 'poly parrot' emblem (Ray Dillinger, 1997 or earlier) that had served as the logo of the alt.polyamory Usenet group. [1][2][3]
Lineage
- Direct predecessors
- Polyamorous Pride Flag
A direct redesign of the 1995 Evans flag. The 2022 Howell flag is not a descendant of this design (it was selected through a separate community process) but addresses the same dissatisfaction that motivated this redesign. This flag is a bridge in the lineage narrative: it documents the community's aesthetic trajectory between 1995 and 2022 even though the 2022 flag was not derived from it. [1][2]
Lineage tree
Every record reachable from this one through documented parent and child relationships: 2 records across 2 generations.
- Ancestor
- Polyamorous Pride Flag
- This record
- Polyamorous Pride Flag (2016, Monroe / RatLab Art)
Colors & Symbolism
Monroe explicitly preserved the 1995 flag's color meanings (blue for openness and honesty, red for love and passion, black for solidarity with closeted polyamorous people) while updating the aesthetics. The gold infinity heart replaced pi as the central symbol, reflecting the community's shift toward the infinity heart as its preferred emblem. [1][2]
| Colour | Hex | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | #1A1A1A | Solidarity with those who must hide their polyamorous relationships. Moved to the top stripe from the bottom in the Evans original. [1] | Approximated values from circulating images of the Monroe redesign. |
| Red (desaturated) | #B84A4A | Love and passion. Desaturated from the Evans original's websafe red. [1] | Approximated values from circulating images. Desaturated from the Evans original's websafe red. |
| Blue (desaturated) | #4A6B96 | Openness and honesty among all partners. Desaturated from the Evans original's websafe blue. [1] | Approximated values from circulating images. Desaturated from the Evans original's websafe blue. |
| Gold (infinity heart) | #C9A567 | — | Approximated values from circulating images. Alan M of Polyamory in the News observed the chosen tone reads more as tan than the brighter gold of Evans' pi. |
This flag has no official digital palette. Color values shown are approximate.
- Gold infinity heart
- Replaces the pi symbol from the 1995 flag. The infinity heart represents infinite love and the possibility of loving multiple partners. The very first version of the infinity heart was created and placed in the public domain by Brian Crabtree in the mid-1990s. By around 2010, the infinity heart had largely displaced the older 'poly parrot' symbol (Ray Dillinger, 1997 or earlier) as the community's preferred emblem. The gold color preserves Evans' original meaning: the value placed on emotional attachment. Alan M of Polyamory in the News observed that a brighter gold than Monroe's chosen tan would better preserve Evans' symbolism. [1][3]
Monroe explicitly stated they preserved the original color meanings. The key changes were aesthetic (desaturation, stripe reordering) and symbolic (pi to infinity heart), not semantic.
No creator-issued hex codes have been published. Values listed are approximations from circulating images of the Monroe redesign. The design uses desaturated versions of the 1995 Evans flag's blue and red, with a gold infinity heart. Exact shades would need to be sampled from the original post image to be confirmed.
Design
- Aspect Ratio
- 3:5 · standard
- Orientation
- horizontal
- Stripe Count
- 3
- Layout
- horizontal_stripes_with_symbol
- Stripes (Top → Bottom)
- Black, Red (desaturated), Blue (desaturated)
- Center Symbol
- Gold infinity heart
Three horizontal stripes with a centered gold infinity heart. The stripe order is black, red, blue from top to bottom, different from the 1995 Evans order of blue, red, black. [1]
Three equal horizontal stripes (black, desaturated red, desaturated blue) with a gold infinity heart centered on the flag.
Three horizontal stripes in desaturated tones (black at top, muted red in center, muted blue at bottom) with a gold infinity heart symbol centered on the design. Alan M of Polyamory in the News noted: 'Again the colors are more muted than the original's. The infinity heart is proudly center stage and grabs you from a distance. I might prefer a brighter gold rather than tan, keeping Evans' original symbolism that went with the gold color for the pi.' [1]
Usage & Adoption
- First Users
- Online polyamory communities
- Online Usage
- Tumblr and social media polyamory communities, Referenced in PolyamProud's history of polyamory flags
- Current Status
- historical
Circulated widely online as an alternative to the 1995 Evans flag but did not achieve consensus adoption. Superseded by the 2022 Howell flag selected through the PolyamProud community vote. [1][2]
Image Archive
Canonical 2016 redesign
Discourse & Debates
- Whether any individual redesign could achieve consensus without a community process. The Monroe flag was well-received but could not overcome the fragmentation problem: with over 30 alternatives circulating, no single design could claim community endorsement. This problem was ultimately addressed not by a better design but by a better process (the PolyamProud vote). [2]
Common confusions
- May be confused with the 1995 Evans flag (same three base colors, but desaturated and reordered, with infinity heart instead of pi).
- May be confused with the 2019 Emma Essex redesign, which also uses similar colors and an infinity heart but with lighter overall tones.
Criticisms
- Some community members suggested the gold should be brighter to better preserve Evans' symbolism of emotional attachment. [2]
The infinity heart (a heart outline with an infinity loop) was created by Brian Crabtree in the mid-1990s and placed in the public domain. It displaced the older 'poly parrot' symbol around 2010 and is now the dominant polyamory emblem. [1]
Footnotes & Citations
Sources and footnotes 4 sources
- 1. The polyamory flag is a grim, confusing failure. Let's do better.. Alan M.. Polyamory in the News (blog) (2020-07-27 (URL slug dates to 2019-10); updated 2021-06-15 and 2022-11-23). Accessed 2026-04-01
- 2. The History of Polyamory Flags. Dee Morgan. PolyamProud (2022-07-31). Accessed 2026-04-01 · Archived version
- 3. What should the polyamorous flag look like?. Unsigned house article. LGBTQ Nation (2022-06-17, updated 2022-07-26). Accessed 2026-04-01
- The polyamory flag is a grim, confusing failure. Let's do better.. Alan M.. Polyamory in the News (2020-07-27 (URL slug dates to 2019-10)). Accessed 2026-07-28
Image Sources
- Rendering
- Monroe/RatLab Art 2016 version
- The Polyamorous Pride Flag redesigned by Monroe (RatLab Art) in August 2016. The design takes the original Jim Evans 1995 polyamory flag and desaturates the red and blue, moves the black stripe above the red, and replaces the lowercase Greek pi with a gold infinity heart. Monroe wrote: "I redesigned the polyamory flag bc the old one seems a little jarring to me. I like the original meaning behind the colors, though." The redesign preserves the inherited color meanings (blue for openness and honesty, red for love and passion, black for solidarity with those who must hide their relationships) while updating the central symbol. · Credit: Monroe (RatLab Art) · Original 2016 redesign