Lesbian Flag Meaning: Colors, History & Versions
If you’ve ever watched the orange-and-pink lesbian flag wave at a Pride march and wondered what each stripe stands for — or why there seem to be several lesbian flags — you’re in the right place. The lesbian flag has one of the most layered and debated histories of any Pride flag, and behind every version is a community working out how to see itself. Here’s the whole story, told simply.
The lesbian flag at a glance
There isn’t one single “official” lesbian flag the way there’s one transgender flag. Instead, the design has evolved through three main eras: the labrys flag (1999), the lipstick / pink flag (2010), and the orange-to-pink “sunset” flag (2018) that most people fly today. Each one tells you something about what the community valued — and argued about — at the time.
The labrys flag (1999): the first lesbian flag
The earliest widely-shared lesbian flag was the labrys flag, created in 1999 by graphic designer Sean Campbell and first published in 2000. It places a white labrys — a double-headed axe associated with female warriors like the Amazons of Greek myth — over an inverted black triangle on a violet background. The violet nods to the poet Sappho, long understood to have been a lesbian; the labrys stands for feminine strength.
It’s a striking design, but a complicated one. The inverted black triangle was a badge the Nazis forced on women deemed “asocial,” which many lesbians later reclaimed — though for others that history is too heavy to carry on a flag. The fact that it was designed by a man has also kept it from being universally embraced. Important, but never quite the people’s flag.
The lipstick and pink flags (2010)
In 2010, a flag with seven shades of pink and red, a white center stripe, and a small red kiss in the corner appeared online — the lipstick lesbian flag, meant to represent femme, traditionally feminine lesbians. The kiss-free version, often just called the pink flag, circulated widely for years.
But it had two problems. By centering femininity, it left butch and gender-nonconforming lesbians out of the picture entirely. And its creator was later found to have posted racist, biphobic, and transphobic comments, which led much of the community to drop the flag for good. The search was on for something that represented all lesbians.
The sunset lesbian flag (2018): the one you see today
That something arrived in 2018, when a blogger named Emily Gwen shared a seven-stripe flag that runs in a warm gradient from deep orange at the top, through white in the middle, down to deep rose-pink at the bottom. Often called the sunset lesbian flag (or simply the community lesbian flag), it was designed to include every kind of lesbian — femme, butch, and everyone in between. It caught on fast and is now the flag you’ll see most often at Pride.
Here’s what the seven stripes stand for, top to bottom:
- Dark orange — gender non-conformity
- Orange — independence
- Light orange — community
- White — unique relationships to womanhood
- Pink — serenity and peace
- Dusty pink — love and sex
- Dark rose — femininity
Five stripes vs. seven stripes
Soon after the seven-stripe design spread, a simplified five-stripe version appeared, condensing the gradient into orange, light orange, white, pink, and dark rose. It’s cleaner to reproduce on pins, patches, and shirts, which is why you’ll see it a lot — and the five colors carry the same spirit as the seven. Both are “correct.” Fly whichever speaks to you. If you want a tour of the wider flag family, our guide to pride flags and what they represent is a good next read, and if labels themselves feel slippery, sexuality vs. gender identity untangles the basics.
How to wear your lesbian pride
A flag is a statement you can carry anywhere. Whether you want the actual pride flag to hang in your window, a pride flag shirt for the parade, or something from our full Lesbian Pride collection, wearing those orange-and-pink stripes does two things at once: it tells other lesbians I see you, and it makes the identity that little bit more visible for everyone watching.
Everything is designed in-house by our minority, gay-owned brand. We donate 10% of proceeds to LGBTQ+ foundations, ship free across the U.S., and offer discreet packaging if you’d rather your delivery stay private — no rainbow on the box unless you want one. Browse the rest of our pride shirts and tees to find your fit.
Lesbian Flag FAQ
What are the lesbian flag colors? The current sunset flag runs from dark orange, orange, and light orange at the top, through a white center, down to pink, dusty pink, and dark rose — orange shades for community and independence, pink shades for love and femininity.
Who designed the lesbian flag? The orange-and-pink flag in use today was shared by blogger Emily Gwen in 2018. Earlier versions include the 1999 labrys flag by Sean Campbell and the 2010 lipstick/pink flag.
Is there an official lesbian flag? No single design is formally “official,” but the seven-stripe (and its five-stripe simplification) sunset flag is by far the most widely recognized and embraced today.
What’s the difference between the 5-stripe and 7-stripe flags? They’re the same flag — the five-stripe is just a simplified version of the original seven-stripe gradient. Both are correct.
What does the labrys symbol mean? The labrys is a double-headed axe linked to ancient female warriors; on the 1999 flag it represents lesbian strength and empowerment.
