“As a queer man of colour, I am very hopeful the adoption of the Progress Pride Flag by the wider community, it is a huge step forward for us all.”ĬONCORD, MA - JUNE 14: A small group of Black Lives Matter protesters met at Meriam's Corner and. “Many other movements are benefiting from this, for example the Black Lives Matter movement, and so of course there has been cross pollination to the LGBTQ+ movement where finally queer trans people of colour (QTPOC) and our issues are being recognised. Jason Jones, who successfully campaigned to overturn colonial anti-LGBT laws in Trinidad and Tobago–which could yet be returned again if the Government wins an ongoing appeal–thinks the pandemic has thrown us all into a new reality: “This flag recognises intersections within the LGBTQ+ community honouring LGBTQ+ people of colour–whose activism inspired the very first Pride-as well as different gender identities.” “The LGBTQ+ community make an enormous contribution to life in our city and it is so important for Pride celebrations to reflect the rich diversity of that community. “London is a place where diversity and difference are celebrated and embraced,” he tells me. The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan tells me he is proud to have flown a version of the progress flag from City Hall for the last two years: additional colours representing bi+ people for two years now. The flag was my way of saying we as a community need to step back and listen.The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, has been flying a version of the progress flag at City Hall with. We cannot ignore that and must make space for them to be heard. “Our world is so charged right now and the voices who have been screaming for years are getting louder and louder. “The inclusion of the additional stripes means placing emphasis on voices that need to be heard, especially now even more so than two years ago when I originally made the flag,” Quasar said. In an email to them., Quasar clarified that the Progress Pride Flag “was not meant as a replacement” for Baker’s iconic designs, but was intended “as a supplement to the many flags our community uses to represent us.” Those were phased out in a 1979 modification following the death of San Francisco assemblyman and LGBTQ+ rights activist Harvey Milk.
The first flag unveiled 42 years ago had eight stripes, with hot pink representing sex and turquoise for magic. The six stripes in the widely popularized rainbow flag of today each represent an idea that resonates with LGBTQ+ people: red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, blue for peace, and purple for spirit.īut Baker’s flag has changed numerous times throughout the years. The Progress Pride Flag and Philadelphia’s Pride banner made waves at the time, with critics claiming that Gilbert Baker’s 1978 design, which has since been included in the Museum of Modern Art’s permanent collection, didn’t need to be updated.
“We still have movement forward to make,” Quasar wrote at the time. In a statement posted to the campaign’s Kickstarter page, Quasar said the goal was to emphasize “what is important in our current community climate,” namely the inclusion of Black, Brown, and trans people long marginalized by the mainstream LGBTQ+ movement.