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Progress Pride flag

Last modified: 2022-11-26 by randy young
Keywords: sexual orientation | progress pride | daniel quasar | unity flag |
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[Progress Pride flag]
image by Tomislav Todorović, 15 February 2020
See also:

About the flag

Progress Pride Flag was created in June 2018 by Daniel Quasar, artist from Portland, Oregon. [1] The design is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, with several additional requirements for commercial use, such as donating part of the profit from sales to a LGBTQ organization. [2]

The flag is inspired by expansion of the Rainbow Flag with black and brown stripes, to represent the "people of color", as was done in Philadelphia in June 2017, and subsequent further expansion with pale blue, pink and white stripes, to represent transgender people, as was presented in Seattle on 1 June 2018. Additional inspiration was the Victory Over AIDS FLag, where the Rainbow Flag was amended by a black stripe, to represent the victims of AIDS.

In Quasar's design, rainbow stripes occupy whole width of the flag, while the other five colors form an arrow shape, based at the hoist and pointing towards the fly, which stands for progress. [3] The arrow shape consists of a white triangle next to the hoist edge, followed by four chevrons in pink (innermost), pale blue, brown and black (outermost), each of those as wide as half of the rainbow stripes' width. According to Quasar's instructions, [4] the endings of partition line between pink and pale blue chevrons shall be in the flag corners; however, the author himself does not respect this rule, for all the flag images throughout his website display the design with the endings of partition line between pale blue and brown chevrons being in the flag corners; [1,2,3] moreover, the flag photos at the online shop display the same, [5] as do all the currently known photos of flag use (below).

One of earliest occasions of the flag use was in Calgary, Alberta, in August 2018, when the flag was hoisted at the Hillhurst United Church, with intention to fly it year-round. [6,7,8] In the UK, it was hoisted in Newham, London, on 1 February 2019 to mark the start of LGBT History Month. [9] The flag was seen again at the London Pride 2019 [10,11,12,13] and at the UK Black Pride 2019, which took place at Hackney, London, on 5 July 2019. [14] It was also hoisted in New Haven, Connecticut, on 15 September 2019. [15]
Tomislav Todorović, 15 February 2020
Sources:
[1] – Daniel Quasar's website - Portfolio: https://quasar.digital/
[2] – Daniel Quasar's website - Terms of use: https://quasar.digital/shop/terms/?v=a284e24d5f46
[3] – Daniel Quasar's website - About the design: https://quasar.digital/shop/progress-initiative/?v=a284e24d5f46
[4] – Daniel Quasar's website - How to use the design (in PDF format): https://quasar.digital/assets/HowToUse-ProgressPrideFlag-DanielQuasar.pdf
[5] – Daniel Quasar's website - Shop: https://quasar.digital/shop/product/progress-pride-flag/?v=a284e24d5f46
[6] – CTV News website: https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/calgary-church-unveils-new-pride-flag-to-raise-awareness-about-other-marginalized-groups-1.4069310
[7] – New Now Next website: http://www.newnownext.com/church-flies-trans-qpoc-centering-pride-flag/08/2018/
[8] – San Diego Gay & Lesbian News website: https://sdgln.com/news/2018/08/29/new-pride-flag-design-flies-over-church
[9] – Newham Recorder website: https://www.newhamrecorder.co.uk/news/new-lgbt-history-month-gay-pride-flag-raised-in-newham-1-5878609
[10] – Flickr - Photo from London Pride on 6 July 2019: https://flickr.com/photos/mangakamaidenphotography/48394467816/
[11] – Flickr - Photo from London Pride on 6 July 2019: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kool-photos/48301564107/
[12] – Flickr - Photo from London Pride on 6 July 2019: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kool-photos/48301564272/
[13] – Flickr - Photo from London Pride on 6 July 2019: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kool-photos/48301563772/
[14] – Hackney Gazette website: https://www.hackneygazette.co.uk/news/haggerston-park-hosts-uk-black-pride-2019-1-6149248
[15] – Greater New Haven Arts Council website: https://www.newhavenarts.org/arts-paper/articles/pride-flies-high-in-new-haven

The flag use is beginning to spread outside the English-speaking part of the world, too: a large bearing the flag pattern was carried at the Helsinki Pride on 29 June 2019 by a number of participants which included Antti Rinne, the then-current Prime Minister of Finland.
Tomislav Todorović, 17 June 2020
Source: The Press Democrat website: https://www.pressdemocrat.com/lifestyle/celebrations/9758995-181/celebrating-lgbtq-pride-month-around?sba=AAS&artslide=67
(NOTE: due to some unclear bug, the above address will not always lead directly to the "Slide 68 of 96", but it can always be reached by clicking the arrow buttons as many times as necessary; when that is completed, the said address is displayed.)

On a recent trip to Richmond, Virginia, we drove past the headquarters of Diversity Richmond, a civic organization dedicated to championing the diversity of the city's communities, with particular attention to Richmond's LGBTQ citizens and their families.[1] The building, right next to busy Interstate 95, has three giant flagpoles from which they fly the American flag, the Virginia flag, and the Progress Pride flag. When we drove past, the flag was plainly visible from the highway and was at least 8 ft tall by 13 ft long. Unfortunately, since I was driving, I was unable to snap a photo of it, but it was plainly visible to everyone in the car. They previously flew both the standard six-stripe rainbow flag (red at top) and the rainbow flag for people of color, but recently replaced it with the Progress Pride flag. According to an article in the Richmond Times-Dispatch newspaper, the three flagpoles were erected in late 2019 and the flags hoisted for the first time on 21 November 2019, "tall enough so drivers on Interstate 64/95 can see it and be reminded of the community's presence in Richmond."[2]
Randy Young, 21 July 2020
Sources:
[1] — Official website of Diversity Richmond: http://diversityrichmond.org/
[2] — Richmond Times-Dispatch article: https://richmond.com/news/local/government-politics/diversity-richmond-celebrates-20-years-of-helping-regions-lgbtq-community/article_10c69d14-3a8b-5a0f-b077-1bfab4bc2487.html#1

Not long after the creation of Progress Pride flag, there were comments about its similarities with the flag of Puerto Rico, and even more, the Puerto Rican Rainbow Flag which brought the suspicions that these similarities were exploited, with dubious benefits for the people the flag is supposed to represent. Part of reaction to that was the creation of the New Pride Flag by Julia Feliz, which was intended to represent the transgender and people of color in a less controversial way. In response to the accusations, Daniel Quasar has stated that any similarity is "entirely coincidental and unintenional." He also supported the creation of the New Pride Flag, saying: "The more flags, the more discussion, the better."
Tomislav Todorović, 22 August 2020
Source: Gay Star News website: https://www.gaystarnews.com/article/new-pride-flag-trans-people-of-color/

Variant

[Progress Pride flag variant]
image by Tomislav Todorović, 23 August 2020

The Progress Pride Flag's spreading has also initiated the creation of several modified versions. The earliest such example has been used in London since as early as 2018, as confirmed by Sadiq Khan, the current Mayor of London.[1] At the fly of his flag, a repainted pattern from the hoist is added symmetrically, with light blue, pink and white colors of the hoist pattern being replaced with magenta, lavender and royal blue, respectively - the colors of Bi-Pride Flag. The flag has been hoisted regularly before the City Hall for the Pride events,[1,2] as well as used by the participants, as was verified by the photos from Pride in London 2019,[3] when small hand-held flags were carried by the people surrounding the Mayor on a float participating the parade. The photos reveal that the flag ratio may vary, as do the color shades, but there is always a visible difference between pink and magenta, violet and lavender, as well as the three shades of blue.
Tomislav Todorović, 23 August 2020
Source:
[1] Forbes magazine website — Report on Progress Pride Flag, on 12 July 2020: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiewareham/2020/07/12/why-lgbt-people-have-started-using-a-new-pride-flag-nhs-black-lives-matters/#c5be6c8125a1
(image: https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/5f09bf871a2010000682e34f/960x0.jpg)
[2] Mayor of London at Twitter — Post on 1 June 2020: https://twitter.com/mayoroflondon/status/1267385674589769729
[3] Daily Mail newspaper website — Report from the Pride in London 2019: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7219091/Thousands-transform-London-rainbow-colour-citys-largest-Pride-parade.html
(image 1: https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/07/06/11/15703380-7219091-image-a-29_1562410559408.jpg)
(image 2: https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/07/06/12/15703888-7219091-image-a-46_1562411238979.jpg)

Unity Flag

[Unity Flag]
image by Tomislav Todorović, 24 August 2020

The flag with a new design, called the Unity Flag, was raised in Boston, Massachusetts, on 5 June 2020 before the City Hall in order to mark the beginning of Pride Month. It combines the original eight-striped Rainbow Flag (pink at the top) with the hoist device of Progress Pride Flag. Although varying lighting conditions make it rather difficult to tell, still the difference between two shades of pink is visible, as well as that between turqouise of the stripe and light blue of the chevron. It is still unclear whether this flag will be used in the future, in Boston at least, since the Boston Pride 2020 was replaced with a series of virtual events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including a virtual hoisting of the flag, and events beginning with Boston Pride 2021 will use a new flag which is yet to be designed.
Tomislav Todorović, 24 August 2020
Source:
[1] Boston Spirit website: https://bostonspiritmagazine.com/2020/06/boston-raises-unity-rainbow-flag-to-fly-over-city-hall-for-pride-month/
[2] CBS Boston website: https://boston.cbslocal.com/2020/06/12/boston-pride-solidarity-black-lives-matter-unity-flag/
[3] Boston Sun newspaper website - issue of 11 June 2020 (PDF format), pp. 1, 7: https://thebostonsun.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/TBS-0611.pdf
[4] Photo of Unity Flag at Twitter: https://twitter.com/onlyinbos/status/1269962380357898243

New Progress Pride flag

[New Progress Pride flag]
image by Randy Young, 6 July 2021

A new version of the flag has been designed recently, to include intersex people, according to an 8 June 2021 article at them.us (https://www.them.us/story/progress-pride-flag-intersex-inclusive-makeover). The new design was created by intersex columnist Valentino Vecchietti and was officially adopted by the British advocacy group Intersex Equality Rights UK in May 2021. While I haven't been able to find any examples of this design being used yet in the wild, it is being sold on several flag and LGBTQ+ websites.

The new design adds the purple ring on yellow of the intersex flag to the Progress Pride flag's hoist, reducing the original white triangle to a white chevron, alongside the pink, light blue, brown, and black chevrons that already existed.
Randy Young, 6 July 2021

The design has appeared on the handheld flags which were used in Vilnius, Lithuania, on 27 October 2021, at a meeting on the preparations for the upcoming Baltic Pride 2022 festival, which is to take place in Vilnius. The flags were displaying the pattern of the obverse only, the reverse being white, with the text announcing the event in black.
Tomislav Todorović, 2 December 2021
Source: Lithuanian Gay League website: https://www.lgl.lt/en/?p=24540

A "full-size" flag was brought to Kyiv, Ukraine, by a foreign visitor in September 2021 and carried at the Kyiv Pride, as can be seen here: https://www.localguidesconnect.com/t5/General-Discussion/Ukraine-Kiev-Chernobyl-Kiev-Pride/m-p/3122872. Later, the flag was hoisted in London, UK, on 22 January 2022. The photos are available here: https://www.gettyimages.dk/detail/news-photo/intersex-progress-pride-flags-outside-a-pub-in-on-22nd-news-photo/1237976965; and here: https://www.gettyimages.dk/detail/news-photo/intersex-progress-pride-flags-outside-a-pub-in-on-22nd-news-photo/1237976704.
Tomislav Todorović, 6 June 2022

The flag has quickly and widely spread during 2022. A list of examples from the Pride Parades and other Pride events follows:
It shall be borne on reader's mind that this is certainly not a comprehensive list, but a list of the examples which happen to be the easiest to find online.
Tomislav Todorović, 22 October 2022
Sources:
[1] City of Springfield, MA, website - News report on 1 June 2022: https://www.springfield-ma.gov/cos/news-story?tx_news_pi1%5Baction%5D=detail&tx_news_pi1%5Bcontroller%5D=News&tx_news_pi1%5Bnews%5D=15654&cHash=5736a4bb29758e1e0e7a89a2f1223244
[2] Flickr - Photo from Capital Pride Parade, Washington, DC, on 12 June 2022: https://flickr.com/photos/my9oh4/52145192034/
[3] Flickr - Photo from Columbus Pride, on 18 June 2022: https://flickr.com/photos/orbakers/52163216902/
[4] Flickr - Photo from London, on 24 June 2022: https://flickr.com/photos/christeasley530/52193629659/
[5] Flickr - Photo from London, on 25 June 2022: https://flickr.com/photos/gary8345/52188269230/
[6] Flickr - Photo from London, on 25 June 2022: https://flickr.com/photos/gary8345/52187795098/
[7] Wikimedia Commons - Photo from Pride In London, on 2 July 2022: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:London_Pride_2022_-_52205437985.jpg
[8] Wikimedia Commons - Photo from Pride In London, on 2 July 2022: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:London_Pride_2022_-_52203894648.jpg
[9] Flickr - Photo from Pride In London, on 2 July 2022: https://flickr.com/photos/planetnd/52196701728/
[10] Flickr - Photo from San Francisco Pride Parade, on 26 June 2022: https://flickr.com/photos/thefigureofoutward/52177184456/
[11] Flickr - Photo from San Francisco Pride Parade, on 26 June 2022: https://flickr.com/photos/thefigureofoutward/52177674485/
[12] Wikimedia Commons - Photo from Cologne Pride, on 3 July 2022: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ColognePride_2022,_Parade-9468.jpg
[13] Wikimedia Commons - Photo from Cologne Pride, on 3 July 2022: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ColognePride_2022,_Parade-9469.jpg
[14] Wikimedia Commons - Photo from Cologne Pride, on 3 July 2022: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ColognePride_2022,_Parade-9911.jpg
[15] Wikimedia Commons - Photo from Bristol Pride, on 9 July 2022: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bristol_Pride_2022_115145.jpg
[16] Flickr - Photo from San Diego Pride Parade, on 16 July 2022: https://flickr.com/photos/124704820@N05/52226356712/
[17] Wikimedia Commons - Photo from Christopher Street Day Berlin, on 23 July 2022: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Christopher_Street_Day_Berlin_2022-07-23_08.jpg
[18] Wikimedia Commons - Photo from Christopher Street Day Berlin, on 23 July 2022: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Christopher_Street_Day_Berlin_2022-07-23_29.jpg
[19] Flickr - Photo from Messina Stretto Pride, on 23 July 2022: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Messina_Stretto_Pride_2022_23_07_2022_38.jpg
[20] Flickr - Photo from Pride Amsterdam, on 6 August 2022: https://flickr.com/photos/angel1965/52274629524/
[21] Flickr - Photo from Pride Amsterdam, on 6 August 2022: https://flickr.com/photos/angel1965/52274394123/
[22] Flickr - Photo from Brighton Pride, on 6 August 2022: https://flickr.com/photos/lupuskool/52272391646/
[23] Flickr - Photo from Leeds Pride, on 15 August 2022: https://flickr.com/photos/syman/52286547557/
[24] CTV News Windsor website - Report from Chatham-Kent, Ontario on 15 August 2022: https://windsor.ctvnews.ca/there-s-work-to-be-done-yet-flag-raising-in-chatham-kent-launches-ck-pride-week-1.6028140