Page chose a combination of Pantone Matching System (PMS) colors magenta (pink), lavender (purple), and royal (blue). Introduced on December 5, 1998, the bisexual pride flag was designed by Michael Page to represent and increase the visibility of bisexuals in the LGBT community and society as a whole. The International Bear Brotherhood Flag was designed in 1995 by Craig Byrnes.
Bear events are common in heavily gay communities. Bear clubs often serve as social and sexual networks for older, hairier, sometimes heavier gay and bisexual men, and members often contribute to their local gay communities through fundraising and other functions. The bear community has spread all over the world, with bear clubs in many countries. Some state that self-identifying as a bear is the only requirement, while others argue that bears must have certain physical characteristics, such as a hairy chest and face, a large body, or a certain mode of dress and behavior.īears are almost always gay or bisexual men transgender men attracted to other men are increasingly included within bear communities. There is ongoing debate in bear communities about what constitutes a bear. The bear concept can function as an identity, an affiliation, and an ideal to live up to. Bears tend to have hairy bodies and facial hair some are heavy-set some project an image of working-class masculinity in their grooming and appearance, though none of these are requirements or unique indicators. Related: The 15 Best LGBTQ Romance Movies of All Time, Ranked Pride Flag MeaningĮach color on the Pride flag has a specific meaning.Bear is an affectionate gay slang term for those in the bear communities, a subculture in the gay community and an emerging subset of the LGBT community with its own events, codes, and a culture-specific identity. They were soon mass-produced and flown at Pride events around the country, and the rainbow flag has become a ubiquitous symbol of Pride today.
Rainbow flags was first flown at the 1978 “Gay Freedom Day” parade in San Francisco, and they quickly became the most popular symbol of gay pride. Now the rioters who claimed their freedom at the Stonewall Bar in 1969 would have their own symbol of liberation.” A Rainbow Flag would be our modern alternative to the pink triangle. It was also found in Chinese, Egyptian and Native American history. “In the Book of Genesis, it appeared as proof of a covenant between God and all living creatures. The rainbow came from earliest recorded history as a symbol of hope,” Baker wrote. “A Rainbow Flag was a conscious choice, natural and necessary. He also considered the powerful symbolic significance of rainbows throughout history. We all felt that we needed something that was positive, that celebrated our love.”īaker thought a rainbow flag would better represent the beautiful diversity of the LGBTQIA+ community. It functioned as a Nazi tool of oppression. “Adolph Hitler conceived the pink triangle during World War II as a stigma placed on homosexuals in the same way the Star of David was used against Jews. However, that symbol “ represented a dark chapter in the history of same-sex rights,” he wrote. Related: The 21 LGBTQIA+ Flags (and Their Meanings) Up until that point, a pink triangle had symbolized the gay rights movement, Baker explained in his memoir, Rainbow Warrior: My Life In Color. He came up with the design after prominent gay rights leader Harvey Milk urged him to create a new, positive symbol that the entire LGBTQIA+ community could rally behind. The rainbow Pride flag was designed in 1978 by artist and gay rights activist Gilbert Baker.