Progress flag

Progress flag

Progress pride flag
Adopted	2018; 8 years ago (2018)
Designed by	Daniel Quasar

The progress pride flag is an inclusive variant of the LGBTQ rainbow flag that includes additional colored stripes representing transgender and people of color,^[1] inspired by the Philadelphia pride flag.^[2] The light blue and light pink colors of the flag represent people, and the brown and black colors represent people of color and the anti-racism movement. The flag's black color stripe is also used to include people living with HIV/AIDS.^[3][4]

Other similar variants have emerged to include other minority groups, such as intersex people, sex workers people with disabilities, among others.^[5][6][7]

The Progress Flag was designed in 2018 by Daniel Quasar, an American non-binary queer artist and graphic designer.^[8] Progressive pride flags are seen at LGBTQ parades, at events during Pride Month, or on commemorative dates such as International LGBTQ Pride Day and the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, used by LGBTQ organizations and activists, such as the Aliança Nacional LGBTI [pt] in Brazil.^[9][10]

Over the years, the pride flag has been renewed several times. In 2017, Amber Hikes updated the flag with black and brown colors to include racial diversity under the umbrella of "pride." According to NBC News, Amber said that "It's a push for people to start listening to the people of color in our community, start hearing what they're saying, and really to believe them and to step up and say, 'What can I do to help eradicate these issues in our community?'".^[11] Before Amber's flag, there was the QPOC (queer person of color) flag, which includes a raised fist in various skin colors,^[12] showing solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.^[13]

In 2018, Daniel Quasar updated the flag to include the colors of the flags designed by Amber Hikes and Monica Helms.^[14][15] The black stripe was previously used to represent "those living with or whose lives have been lost to HIV/AIDS",^[16] in the Victory over AIDS Flag, designed in the 1980s.^[17]

According to Daniel Quasar:^[11]

This new design forces the viewer to reflect on their own feelings towards the original Pride flag and its meaning, as well as the differing opinions on who that flag really represents, while also bringing into clear focus the current needs within our community.

In 2021, Valentino Vecchietti of Intersex Equality Rights UK,^[18] adapted the design of the Progress Pride flag to incorporate the intersex flag, creating this Intersex-Inclusive Pride flag, posting it via Twitter and Instagram.^[19][20] It includes a yellow triangle and a purple circle, to reflect the intersex community, and was adopted as the new pride flag after going viral on the internet.^[21][22] This flag appeared at the 27th Copacabana Pride Parade.^[23]

The flag has also been used by companies and entities such as Microsoft and the São Paulo Museum of Art.^[24][25]

The reception to the flags was mixed. Supporters praised the focus on inclusion and the highlighting of the role and discrimination faced by people of color within the LGBTQ community. On the other hand, some expressed concern that the changes acted merely as a "performance, creating the impression of inclusion without real commitment," or that they were "for branding purposes," though they did not reflect any "real material steps toward real equality."^[26] Others remained critical, arguing that the original design already acts as a symbol of unity, and emphasized that the original flag was designed without any racial dimension in mind. Other critics called the variations "paternalistic" and said they took away some "universality."^[27] Both the Philadelphia Pride Flag and the Progress Pride Flag were met with some controversy and backlash for these reasons, but also praise and widespread adoption.^[28][29]

Quasar's iteration of the Pride of Progress flag is licensed under a Creative Commons license, which excludes commercial use. This has been criticized for not aligning with Baker's original intent for the flag's first iteration. Quasar has openly stated that small organizations can use the flag commercially, and the license was chosen to impose restrictions on large corporations. Quasar stated: "A changing point for me was when I started to see it getting used in a way that I didn’t personally agree with. Companies were snatching it up, making stuff out of it, and selling it without my attribution attached. It was purely rainbow capitalism based marketing…If you’re going to make money off of something that I created within my community it’s only fair that you give back not just to me as the artist, but the community itself, too."^[30] Criticism of the flag has also come from LGBTQ people of color, who felt that the flag, despite its inclusive intent, was created without consultation with the community.^[31]

• Racism in the LGBTQ community