Brighton Pride: What do LGBTQ+ flags in the parade mean?

Community groups and businesses will be celebrating by flying a range of flags from the LGBTQ+ community.

Here is your guide to some of the flags you are likely to see on Saturday.

Rainbow flag

A large rainbow flag being carried through North Street at last year's Pride parade

The rainbow flag is a classic symbol of LGBTQ+ pride and the movement for LGBTQ+ equality. Using a rainbow as a symbol for the community began in San Francisco but has become a common sight at LGBTQ+ events worldwide.

The flag was created in 1978 by Gilbert Baker, but originally had eight colours; hot pink, red, orange, yellow, green, turquoise, indigo and violet. However, due to a shortage of pink fabric and to have an even number of stripes to decorate street lamps on a Pride parade route, it was redesigned the following year to the six-stripe flag we know today.

The rainbow flag has been beamed onto world landmarks, including the White House, and was added as an emoji in November 2016.

Progress Pride flag

The Progress Pride flag being flown at Trans Pride last year

A variant of the original rainbow flag was designed in 2018 by Daniel Quasar to incorporate the colours of the transgender flag, as well as black and brown stripes to represent LGBTQ+ communities of colour.

The black stripe also has an additional meaning for those living with HIV/Aids, those who have died from the virus, and the stigma surrounding it.

A variant of the Progress Pride flag with the intersex flag

Another version of this flag, designed by Valentina Vecchietti, also includes the intersex flag.

Asexual flag

A large asexual flag being carried at Trans Pride 2019

The asexual flag represents people who lack sexual attraction to others and is made up of four horizontal stripes: black, grey, white and purple.

Designed in 2010, the black stripe represents asexuality, the grey stripe represents demisexuals - those who experience sexual attraction after forming a strong emotional bond with someone else, the white stripe represents allies, and the purple stripe represents community.

Bisexual flag

The bisexual flag (Image: Peter Salanki/Wikimedia Commons)

The bisexual flag represents those who experience romantic or sexual attraction to both men and women.

The flag was designed by Michael Page in 1998 to represent and increase the visibility of bisexual people in the LGBTQ+ community.

The pink stripe represents sexual attraction to the same sex, with the blue stripe representing attraction to those of the opposite sex and the purple stripe representing the overlap between the two.

Intersex flag

The intersex flag being flown at Brighton Pride (Image: .)

The intersex flag represents people born with sex characteristics, including genitals, that do not fit the typical binary notions of male or female bodies.

The flag, created in 2013, features yellow and purple - colours viewed as being free from gender associations.

Non-binary flag

The non-binary flag being flown at Brighton Pride in 2018

The non-binary flag represents those with gender identities that are not solely male or female. They may identify as an intermediate or separate third gender, identify with more than one gender or have no gender at all.

Created in 2014 by Kye Rowan, each stripe represents different types of non-binary identities; yellow represents those who identify outside of the gender binary, white for non-binary people with multiple genders, purple for those with a mixture of male and female genders, and black for “agender” individuals.

Pansexual flag

The pansexual flag represents people who are attracted to others regardless of their gender identity (Image: Unsplash/Mari Vlassi)

The pansexual flag represents those with sexual or romantic attraction towards people of all genders.

Originally credited to an anonymous account on the social media platform Tumblr, sources claim the flag’s pink stripe represents attraction to women, cyan attraction to men, and yellow attraction to non-binary people.

Transgender flag

Transgender flags being flown during Trans Pride 2019

The transgender flag represents people whose gender identity differs from that typically associated from the sex they were assigned at birth.

Designed by American trans women Monica Helms in 1999, the light blue stripes at the top and the bottom represent masculinity, the pink stripes next to them represent femininity and the white middle stripe represents those who are transitioning or considering themselves with an undefined gender.