A quick recap: What does LGBTQ+ stand for?

The LGBTQ community is extremely diverse and represents a variety of different sexualities and genders.

L: Lesbian (girl + girl)

G: Gay (boy + boy, also used as an umbrella term for the lgbtq community)

B: Bisexual (a person attracted to two genders)

T: Transgender (a person who identifies with a different gender than the one given to them at birth)

Q: Queer, an umbrella term for the lgbtq community and encompasses many different genders and sexualities.

The + stands for other identities within the community. These include:

Questioning: someone who is unsure of their sexual or gender identity and isn't ready to label themselves as a specific identity.

Intersex: someone born with reproductive anatomy that doesn't fit the boxes of male or female.

Asexual: someone who doesn't experience sexual attraction, but can still experience romantic attraction.

Pansexual: someone attracted to anyone, regardless of gender

Genderfluid: someone who has a changing or shifting gender identity

And many, many more.

Rainbow Pride Flag

The rainbow pride flag is used to symbolize the overall LGBTQ+ community. It is also probably the most recognizable symbol of pride. It was created in 1978 by Gilibert Baker. Each color has a specific meaning. Baker's original flag included

pink and turquoise,

but those two colors

were excluded so it

would be easier to

mass produce the

flag.

Color meanings:

Red: life

Orange: healing

Yellow: sunlight

Green: nature

Blue: harmony

Purple: spirit

Pink: sex

Turquoise: magic

The Philadelphia's People of Color inclusive flag was created in 2017 to include black and brown people in the pride flag.

The progress flag, created in 2018 by Daniel Quasar. It combines the colors from Philly's flag and the transgender flag.

Bisexual Flag

The bisexual flag was created by Michael Page, who wanted to create a flag specifically for bisexuals. Again, each of the colors holds a meaning.

Pink/Magenta;

same-sex attraction

Purple/Lavender:

attraction to both

sexes

Blue: opposite-sex

attraction

Pansexual Flag

It is unclear who made the pansexual flag, but it started showing up online in 2010. It eventually became a symbol for attraction to all genders.

Pink: attraction to

women.

Yellow: attraction to

all other genders.

Blue: attraction to

men.

Lesbian Flag

The original lesbian flag had a red kiss mark in the top left corner to symbolize lipstick lesbians instead of the stereotypical butch lesbian and included 7 shades of pink. It was created by Natalie McCray in 2010.

However, McCray was

accused of transphobia,

biphobia, and racism.

She later denied those

claims, but nonetheless,

a new lesbian pride flag

was created, putting

orange on the flag.

Color meanings:

Dark orange: gender non-conformity

Middle orange: independence

Light orange: community

White: unique relationships to womanhood

Light pink: serenity and peace

Middle pink: love and sex

Dark pink: femininity

Simpler flag created to make mass printing easier.

Original lesbian pride flag created by Natalie McCray in 2010.

Asexual Flag

The asexual flag was created in 2010 to bring awareness to the community. Asexuality is defined as a lack of sexual attraction. It is also a spectrum, as some people fall into gray asexuality, where they only experience sexual attraction

sometimes.

Black: asexuality as a

whole

Gray: gray asexuality

and demisexuality

White: sexuality

Purple: community