What Is the Progress Pride Flag & What Does It Mean?

A waving Progress Pride flag with horizontal stripes from top to bottom: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. On the lefthand side, a triangle chevron of white, light pink, light blue, brown, and black.

Have you ever seen a rainbow flag with a black, brown, white, pastel pink, and pastel blue chevron waving proudly in your community and wondered what exactly it means? 

This is the Progress Pride Flag, and for members of the LGBTQ+ community, it symbolizes pride, safety, joy, and a storied history — during Pride Month and beyond. Many people refer to it as the “new Pride flag” as it’s continued to grow in popularity.

Whether or not you’re someone who identifies as LGBTQ+, it’s important to know the significance of this queer symbol. Here’s what you need to know about the Progress Pride Flag.

→ Explore the full list of all LGBTQ+ Pride flags

By the way, we’ve included some links to be able to buy this flag — and some of the links may include affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. 

About the Progress Pride Flag

History

Born from a desire to create a more inclusive symbol, the Progress Pride Flag was created in 2018 by queer, non-binary artist Daniel Quasar

By using Gilbert Baker’s iconic rainbow flag design, as well as the colors of the Transgender Pride Flag, Quasar seamlessly blends additional chevrons into the design to represent LGBTQ+ communities of color, as well as transgender community members.

Quasar’s flag acts as a reminder of the heartbreaking and empowering history of LGBTQ+ elders, the ongoing fight toward greater unity, love, and acceptance — and the importance of prioritizing the fight for equal rights across diverse intersections of the LGBTQ+ community.

Quasar is a graphic designer by trade but also works in mediums like film and video, motion graphics and animation, digital illustration, and photography. They told The Trevor Project that the original Progress Pride Flag designs were a product of frequent insomnia — and then they went viral. 

Many people, businesses, and organizations have swapped their original 6-Color Rainbow Pride Flags for the Progress Pride Flag in recent years, as an effort to symbolize further inclusion across the wide spectrum of identities and experiences of the queer community.

Some newer iterations of the Progress Pride Flag also include a yellow background and purple circle to represent intersex community members. The Intersex-Inclusive Progress Pride Flag was designed in 2021 by Valentino Vecchietti, an intersex activist.

“It was never my intention for my flag to be a replacement for the original Pride flag,” Quasar said in a 2023 interview

They recounted their time at Seattle Pride in 2023, seeing all of the Pride flags flown at once, including Gilbert Baker’s original designs, the Intersex-Inclusive Flag, and more. 

“It was incredible to me; I had an epiphany that all of these flags matter to each person and they’re flying them for their own reasons. It just shows the grand diversity and sheer individualism that we have within our community that is so beautiful,” Quasar added. 

“I wasn’t mad that I didn’t see my flag being flown. When they’re all together, it’s a sea of rainbows anyways.”

Colors

Horizontal stripes in the colors of the progress pride flag, from top to bottom: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple. On the lefthand side, a triangle chevron of white, light pink, light blue, brown, and black.

Quasar’s Progress Pride Flag includes many of the original colors and meanings of Baker’s 1978 design, but it notably includes some additions:

  • Black and Brown: Representing LGBTQ+ people of color, acknowledging their experiences, contributions, and struggles within the community.
  • Light Blue and Pink: Derived from the Transgender Pride Flag, representing trans individuals; light blue symbolizes trans men and boys, and pink symbolizes trans women and girls.
  • Red: Life
  • Orange: Healing
  • Yellow: Sunlight
  • Green: Nature
  • Blue: Serenity and harmony
  • Purple: Spirit

Get a Flag: Flags For Good | Amazon

We’ve provided links to Flags For Good, which donates a portion of each Pride flag sale to LGBTQ+ nonprofits and has a fully carbon neutral production and distribution process. Use our links to save 10% off your entire order.

(We’ve also included links to Amazon for accessibility purposes.)

Plus, learn more about other Pride flags:

Article Details

January 4, 2024 1:00 PM
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