The History of LGBTQIA2-S Pride Flag

June is right around the corner, and we are excited. However, most of our LGBTQIA2S supporters look forward to the pride parade for the colors but do not understand what they mean. Worry not, the flag is dynamic and inclusive. Over the years, more colors have been added to foster inclusion in the community.

When you hear LGBTQIA2S, you think it’s one entity, but it is a collection of many different communities that have come together to celebrate pride.

History

You may be familiar with the rainbow flag, what you don’t know is that over the years it has been updated to include The intersectional diversity of Lesbians, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, and Two-Spirit communities.

Before the rainbow, a pink triangle acted as a visual representation. An adaptation of the badges gay prisoners in the Nazi concentration camps were forced to wear.  Other symbols include a purple handprint, the ace, the lambda Greek symbol, a green carnation, and a blue feather.

In 1970, Hervey Milk championed the rainbow design, which was intended to represent the then-gay community. Harvey was the first openly gay man to be elected to office. The election birthed the LGBTQIA2S flag we know today, designed by his friend baker.

The flag debuted in 1978 at the Gay Freedom Day Parade in San Francisco. They had eight colors each with a meaning.

·         Hot pink – Sex

·         Red – Life

·         Orange – healing

·         Yellow – Sunlight

·         Green – Nature

·         Turquoise – magic

·         Indigo – Serenity

·         Violet – Spirit

The flag was eccentric, but soon after the hot pink and turquoise colors were removed to manufacturing difficulty, hence the six-color flag we know now. Many communities within the LGBTQIA2S have come up with their flag. Now, there are specific flags that represent the bisexual, asexual, transgender, pansexual, bisexual, lesbian, and other communities.

In 2017, the black and brown colors were added to the flag by the Philadelphia office to include people of color. The inclusion was aimed at combating the longstanding discrimination against the BIPOC. In 2018, Daniel Quasar incorporated brown, black, white, pink, and blue into the Philadelphia Pride Flag creating the Progress Pride Flag.

The inclusion of historically marginalized communities by Quasar had a great impact on the 1969 uprising by the transgender community. The uprising is now commemorated yearly through Pride Month.

The intersex-inclusive Pride flag, with a purple circle over the yellow triangle, was designed by Valentino Vecchietti in 2021. The circle represents the intersex pride flag. Like the rest of the members of the community, intersex people are greatly underrepresented.

For now, and forever, we celebrate and uplift the LGBTQIA2S community.

LGBTQIA2S: How to deal with a transgender friend

The first, and most important, thing you need to remember is that your partner is the same person you fell in love with before. Their sexuality does not change their personality. No matter how hard it may be at first, keep chanting the mantra in your head before you act on any impulses. And if you already did, apologize and take the following steps to be a better partner for your transgender companion.

Educate yourself

I must mention that if this would be the first time educating yourself on a new topic, you are failing the entire human race and all the coming generations. Anyhow, do you know that the transgender community identifies according to the person’s identity and gender expression? It is confusing, but Human Rights Campaign has helped explain the difference here.

Read that and more articles to show your partner that you care. Learn about challenges faced by the community, how to be a good ally, non-binary gender, and more.

Ask what you don’t know, don’t assume

Many reasons show that using the correct pronoun is essential for body positivity. During the process allow them to be comfortable in their skin and at their own pace. Also, ask them what their preferred pronouns are. It is rude to assume. It is hard living in a body that’s not yours, doesn’t make their names hard too.

Give yourself space to feel it

It’s new, and you don’t know what it’s all about, nor do you know how to react to it. That is fine, take a deep breath, we prefer honesty to fakers. Your relationship just changed, and you are allowed to grieve and take an adjustment period. Don’t trash your feelings to focus on your partner’s, because you count too in this equation. openly voice your worries and concerns, it is hard out there for the transgender community, so it’s best to be on the know-how.

Also, learn effective ways to communicate with your partner to avoid being overly critical and angry.

Listen

You might think you know everything, but you don’t. you do not know what is best for your partner, only they know that. All you have to do is ask and listen to what they say. Humans have an uncanny way of only hearing what they want. Make your relationship healthy, which means no pressure. Make your environment safe for them to communicate to you about their needs. Be their safe haven away from heaven and a beacon of positivity.

Talk sex

There are Ways you can respectfully talk about sex with your trans lover. Many people avoid the topic altogether for fear of saying the wrong thing and upsetting their partner. However, that only leaves room for hurtful assumptions. The whole experience will be a bummer rather than a fun adventure. Start the conversation as a casual chat about likes and dislikes, then delve into needs. This way, the spotlight isn’t on your partner alone.

In conclusion, keep in mind that your relationship is not defined by your partner’s identity. Also, encourage your partner to reach out to LGBTQ communities for support through their journey. A community outside your relationship helps your partner feel accepted and secure.