I’d be asking the question “why does the existing pride flag NOT include/represent them”. It feels like it’s a slippery slope to a flag that looks like a Dulux colour chart…
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To be very blunt. In my opinion, when you start adding exclusive elements to a symbol that’s meant to already be inclusive of everyone, you’re going to start alienating folks through exclusion. Giving someone exclusive representation almost always means excluding someone else. Our society seems to gradually be drifting back towards exclusion, and it’s doing so in the name of equality. I find that really depressive.
I don’t like the pride movement because it too often exerts values of exclusion, as you attested to with the matter of racism, but I like what the pride flag symbolises. It’s inclusive and representative. I feel like the new design shifts that symbolism in the opposite direction and that can lead to toxicity.
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A good example of changing the logo to represent this new flag is the current LinkedIn logo, they’ve added bars to the top of the pride flag to represent the colours shown in the arrow 
The harm is that you are now actively excluding other groups which are not on it.
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That’s a question we’d need to ask those communities who don’t feel represented by the old flag
There are some good articles on this though -
And what happens next year when there’s another group, then another, then another?
The rainbow is obvious, easy to understand and it includes all.
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I do have to disagree with you on this, I don’t feel that adding more elements to make the flag more inclusive, will increase exclusivity. We’re not giving the BAME community and trans-community ‘exclusive representation’ here, we’re simply including them where they clearly didn’t feel they were before.
We wouldn’t have had a new flag created through a kickstarter campaign two years ago if the original pride flag was inclusive and representative, so while in your opinion it’s inclusive and representative, it’s quite clearly not to many other people who have supported the campaign, or campaigned for local prides and businesses to adopt the new flag.
From a personal standpoint, as a white gay man I don’t feel any less represented by the new flag.
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This comment insinuates that these two groups that are now included have just suddenly appeared and demanded representation.
This has been a 50 year battle for these communities to feel represented in their community, this flag helps them to achieve that representation.
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How? The flag was never about any race.
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Not at all.
And if it’s two groups, why is there 5 more colours?
But the recent expansion, you only have to look at the link further up when there’s a flag for hairy gay men, to see that what about when they want to be included on the flag?
To me (as an obvious outsider) that it feels very much “wHat aBoUt?!?!” when I thought the whole point of the rainbow was to say it includes everyone.
Those new elements exclusively represent specific groups of people. That’s the very definition of exclusivity.
I completely sympathise that the intention behind the change is to make those groups feel more included, and perhaps it might. But in doing so it’s now excluded others. You might not feel excluded because you belong to a majority subset of people that the pride flag already and still does represent. But there will be people now who did feel like the pride flag represented them, because they’re somewhere on that gender identity and sexuality spectrum, but now won’t because they don’t have a colour exclusive to them.
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To the person who flagged the first reply to this thread, which has already been liked by 17 members of the community, if you could explain your reasons for doing so that’d be great.
If you’re offended by my personal opinion of that flag, tough. It’s not appropriate to censor my opinion by use of a flag. By all means discuss with me why it’s an example of great design, and, indeed, relevant today.
If you’re offended by the word beginning with Q that I used, you do realise it’s an integral, accepted term which makes up part of the acronym LGBTQ+, don’t you?
But, yeah, awaiting your reasoning. Thanks.
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Oh, and moderators, when you’ve made a judgment on my opinion above, perhaps you could go back and make a similar judgment on my last two previously flagged posts.
It seems that, on this forum, if someone flags a me, and I choose to stand by my post and make no changes (which would trigger an automatic re-publish) then my comments just get left censored by default, which doesn’t seem right. Thanks.
The colours added represent the trans-community flag, which comprises of 3 colours, and black & brown to represent the BAME communities.
There are many flags for specific communities within the LGBT+ community, including bear, BDSM, leather etc… As well as bisexual, pansexual, intersex etc…
Your comment regarding bears specifically is an interesting one, this is a sexual preference/fetish subcommunity, I’m sure you didn’t mean to conflate adding colours to represent the trans-community and BAME community to adding colours of a flag intended for those with a sexual preference.
The better example you could have used would have been including colours from the bisexual, pansexual, intersex flags, etc… of which I would be in support of.
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The patronising tone of this.
The following Wiki article shows the diversity of flags that currently exist. The notion that we should try and add all of those onto the pride flag as well…? Good luck, flag designers!
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If trans and bi people feel they should be represented specifically on a flag which represents them already, by virtue of it being the flag for all LGBTQ+ people, then surely gays, lesbians, pan, inter, asex and everyone else in our fabulous and diverse world also have the right to ask to be individually represented, no?
In essence, that’s why I have an issue with the extra gender and sexuality colours being added.
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Of course it does. Actively including one subset means that subsets which are not on it are now actively excluded. It is really simple logic. It is why different colours on the flag should not be associated with different sexualities or races. The RAINBOW SPECTRUM covers them all. What you are trying to justify goes directly against that.
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I didn’t realise it republished. I never bother, but people on here are so delicate, it happens all the time.
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Yes, if you’re flagged you get a message stating it has been flagged for moderator attention, or you can change your post to make it visible again.
If you don’t change anything, apparently the moderators don’t bother to actually arbitrate on the issue, and it just remains hidden. Which sucks.
That isn’t 100% true as I had posts restored by someone without me doing anything.
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