We’re delighted to announce the launch of our Pride Socks inspired by the internationally known pride flag! Lisa, our co-founder, explained: “We originally wanted to do the Progress Pride flag but, with 9 colours, the manufacturing equipment wasn’t up to it.”
However unfortunate it may be that we couldn’t include all the colours, we thought we’d break down exactly what the Progress Pride flag colours represent and their importance.
Where does the Progress Pride flag come from?
In 2017, Philadelphia introduced a “More Colour, More Pride” flag as part of a campaign from the state’s Office of LGBT Affairs. They added both a black stripe and a brown stripe to the original rainbow flag. The original pride flag was created by gay activist Gilbert Baker, friend of Harvey Milk, to better represent queer and trans people of colour.
But why is the Progress Pride flag significant to Philadelphia? The city wanted to address the ongoing problem with racism in gay bars. In fact, it was reported that 11 gay bars in the area had to take anti-racism training as a result of racial discrimination complaints.
Why is it called “Progress” Pride?
The Progress Pride flag as we know it today, with the trans flag and marginalized community stripes, was created by Oregon designer Daniel Quasar (pronouns xe/xem). Xe designed the flag to celebrate intersectionality. Xe commented: “The trans flag and marginalized community stripes were shifted to the Hoist of the flag and given a new arrow shape. The arrow points to the right to show forward movement, while being along the left edge shows that progress still needs to be made.”
The Progress Pride Flag colour and their meanings
|
Colour |
Meaning |
|
Red |
Life: The colour of blood, the ultimate life force and sign of vitality. In some cultures, red is seen as the colour for good luck and in others it’s seen as a passionate or romantic colour. Basically, it’s a positive colour all around.
|
|
Orange |
Healing: Orange is also seen as the colour of enthusiasm and joy. |
|
Yellow |
Sunlight: As the centre of the flag, the yellow is said to represent the sun which in itself is a symbol of optimism and hope. |
|
Green |
Nature: Otherwise recognised as prosperity, organic growth and freedom. |
|
Blue/indigo |
Peace and harmony: Calmness in the advent of tough times. |
|
Violet/purple |
Spirit: Similar to blue in that this colour symbolises tranquillity but with an underlying soulful element. |
|
Black/brown |
Representing people of colour: Diversity and inclusivity |
|
White/Blue/Pink |
Transgender and non-binary folk |
|
Yellow/Purple Circle |
Intersex people |
Other LGBTQIA+ Pride flags and their meanings
Historically, the original Gilbert Baker Pride flag included a hot pink stripe and a turquoise stripe, rather than the six-stripe pride flag that appeared a little later. The meanings of all the colours remained the same - apart from hot pink (sexuality) and turquoise (magic and art). It’s said the reason the hot pink and turquoise stripes were removed was because of dying and manufacturing issues,
Of course, there are many different types of Pride flag, some of which include:
- Transgender flag
- Intersex
- Lesbian
- Gay men
- Bisexual
- Asexual
- Genderfluid
- Polysexual
- Pansexual
The Progress Pride flag incorporates many elements of various Pride flags, making it one of the most inclusive designs so far!
Fancy a pair of GFW Pride socks? Take a look at our newly launched socks here!