Queer Pride Flag

Overview

To provide a visual symbol for people who identify with the reclaimed term "Queer" broadly, rather than with a more specific sexual orientation or gender identity label.

The flag emerged around 2015, during a period when "Queer" was being actively reclaimed as a positive umbrella identity term across LGBTQ communities. The specific circumstances of its creation are not documented in available sources. ^[1]

Identity & Context

Represented Identity

Queer

"Queer" is used here as a broad reclaimed identity term encompassing people who do not fit neatly into other specific identity categories. The flag attempts to represent this expansive, umbrella usage.

Creators

The Creator

Attribution notes

The Queer Pride Flag was created in 2015 by DeviantArt user Pastelmemer, who also designed the omnisexual flag and the xenogender flag. Pastelmemer sells Queer Pride merchandise on Redbubble. A later community revision replaced some blue and pink shades with a lavender stripe; Pastelmemer supports the revised version and has noted that the lavender was 'ripped straight from the genderqueer design' and represents Queer people who are not attracted to the same gender or do not have a same or similar gender. The stripe listing documents the nine-stripe version circulated in photographs to date; the lavender revision is noted but not yet reflected in a recovered primary image. ^[2][3][4]

Origin

Digital origin; no verified physical location.

No origin location or platform has been confirmed. The flag appeared around 2015 and circulates online, but the specific context of its creation is undocumented. ^[1]

Dates & Chronology

Year Created

2015

Period in Use

2015–present

The flag's adoption has been limited but growing. Its earliest known photograph dates from July 5, 2019, in Kalamazoo, Michigan. In July 2021, it was part of the art installation 'Symbols' by Guillaume Vandame at Leadenhall Market, London, which was exhibited again in July 2022. That same month, balloons colored in the flag pattern were used at London Pride, and the flag was spotted at Bristol Pride on July 9, 2022.

In August 2022, several copies of the flag were seen at Amsterdam Pride. ^[2]

"Queer" has been used both as a slur and as a reclaimed identity term. Its reclamation accelerated in the late 1980s and 1990s through activist groups like Queer Nation and academic fields like Queer theory. The existence of a specific Queer pride flag is relatively recent and remains loosely documented compared to flags for more specific identities.

Lineage

Indirect influences

Rainbow Pride Flag

Related flags

Pomosexual Pride Flag, Progress Pride Flag

The rainbow flag has historically served as the primary symbol for the broader Queer community. This flag represents an attempt at a distinct Queer identity flag, separate from the rainbow flag's role as a general LGBTQ symbol.

Colors & Symbolism

The flag's stripes are intended to represent the breadth of identities encompassed by the reclaimed term "Queer," spanning same-gender attraction, nonbinary and gender non-conforming experiences, and asexual/aromantic/agender identities. ^[1]

This flag has no official digital palette. Color values shown are approximate.

The stripe meanings are from the HRC pride flags page. The HRC page does not specify the exact stripe count and order; the nine-stripe arrangement is drawn from photographs and community sources. ^[1][2]

No official hex values have been published by Pastelmemer. Specific hex values for the colored stripes are not confirmed.

Design

Aspect Ratio

3:5 · standard

Orientation

horizontal

Stripe Count

9

Layout

horizontal_stripes

Stripes (Top → Bottom)

Black, Light Blue, Blue, Green, White, Orange, Deep Pink, Pink, Black

Nine horizontal stripes, from top to bottom: black, light blue, blue, green, white, orange, deep pink, pink, black. The HRC page summarizes the color-to-meaning associations but does not specify a stripe order; the nine-stripe arrangement is drawn from documented photographs and the designer's published version. ^[1][2]

A horizontal nine-stripe flag. The color-to-meaning associations (pink and blue for same-gender attraction, orange and green for nonbinary and gender non-conforming identities, black and white for asexual, aromantic, and agender identities) are summarized on the HRC pride flags page, which does not specify stripe order. The nine-stripe arrangement comes from documented photographs and community sources. ^[1][2]

Usage & Adoption

Online Usage

Listed on the HRC pride flags resource page ^[1], Pastelmemer sells Queer Pride merchandise on Redbubble ^[3]

Event Usage

Kalamazoo, Michigan, July 5, 2019 (earliest known photograph) ^[2], London, UK, 'Symbols' art installation by Guillaume Vandame, Leadenhall Market, July 2021 and July 2022 ^[2], London Pride, July 2, 2022 (balloons in flag pattern) ^[2], Bristol Pride, July 9, 2022 ^[2], Amsterdam Pride, August 1, 2022 ^[2]

Current Status

limited

Not widely adopted as a canonical symbol. The rainbow flag and its variants remain the primary visual symbols for the broader Queer community.

Discourse & Debates

• The term "Queer" itself remains contested. Some community members embrace it as a reclaimed umbrella term, while others (particularly older generations who experienced it primarily as a slur) reject its use. A flag specifically for Queer identity inherits this tension.

Common confusions

• This flag is sometimes confused with the rainbow flag, which serves as a general LGBTQ symbol rather than a flag for Queer identity specifically.

Footnotes & Citations

Image Sources

Rendering

Reconstruction