The lesbian pride flag has gone through more redesigns than most people realize. From the lipstick lesbian flag to the sunset design that took over in 2018, this flag is about a community that fought hard to define itself on its own terms. If you've seen those warm orange-to-pink stripes and wondered what they mean, you're in the right place.
The short version
- The current lesbian pride flag is the sunset design proposed by Tumblr user Emily Gwen in 2018, with seven stripes running from dark orange to dark rose.
- Each stripe carries its own meaning, from gender nonconformity at the top to femininity at the bottom, with white in the center for unique relationships to womanhood.
- It replaced the 2010 lipstick lesbian flag, which many felt excluded butch, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming lesbians.
- A five-stripe version exists too. It combines the lighter shades, and both versions are considered correct.
- Displaying the flag at home, in a window, or at an event is one of the simplest ways to make lesbian identity visible.
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A Quick History of the Lesbian Pride Flag
The first lesbian flag that got real traction showed up around 2010. Blogger Natalie McCray designed the "lipstick lesbian flag," a pink-and-red striped design with a lipstick mark in the corner. It caught on in some circles, but it had problems. The design centered a specific type of femininity and excluded butch, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming lesbians. A lot of people didn't feel represented.
In 2018, Tumblr user Emily Gwen proposed a new design: seven horizontal stripes running from dark orange at the top to dark rose at the bottom, with white in the center. No lipstick. No narrow definition of what a lesbian looks like. The community responded, and this "sunset" version became the standard almost overnight.
The shift wasn't just about colors. It was about inclusion. The new flag says: if you're a woman or nonbinary person who loves women, this is yours. Full stop.
That kind of community-driven redesign is rare. Most pride flags were created by one designer and stayed put. The lesbian flag is one of the few that the community itself argued over, voted on with reblogs and shares, and eventually settled. That history is part of why people feel so strongly about it.
At 3x5 feet, the full seven-stripe gradient stays readable from across the street, which is the whole point of a visibility flag.
What Each Color Means
The seven stripes on the lesbian sunset flag each carry a meaning:
Some versions use five stripes instead of seven, combining the lighter shades, but the meanings stay the same. The gradient from warm orange to deep pink creates that "sunset" look that makes this flag instantly recognizable.
What makes this flag special is the range it covers. From gender nonconformity at the top to femininity at the bottom, with community and love in between, it tells the full story of lesbian identity without narrowing it down to one experience.
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Why Having Your Own Flag Matters
It might seem like a small thing. It's fabric. It's colors. But for a lot of people, seeing their identity reflected back at them changes something.
The rainbow flag covers the entire LGBTQ+ community, and it does that well. But lesbian women have a unique history of erasure. Lesbian relationships get dismissed as "just a phase" or treated as less real than other queer identities. Having a flag that says "this is us, right here" pushes back against that.
Flying a lesbian pride flag at home, hanging it in your room, or putting a sticker on your laptop does something concrete: it makes lesbian identity visible. And visibility is the first step toward normalizing what never should have needed normalizing in the first place.
There's also the quieter side of it. A flag in a window tells another lesbian walking past that she's not the only one on the block. For someone who hasn't come out yet, spotting those sunset stripes on a stranger's porch can matter more than the person flying it will ever know. You're not just decorating. You're signaling safety.
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2018 The year the sunset lesbian flag was created, replacing the older lipstick lesbian design and becoming the community standard. |
How to Display Your Lesbian Pride Flag
Got a flag and want to show it off? Here are the most popular ways people display theirs:
| 1 | Front porch or balcony. Mount it on a standard flag pole or porch bracket. The flag is 3x5 feet, which works with most residential flagpole hardware. |
| 2 | Bedroom or living room wall. Use removable hooks or flag mounting clips. Hanging it flat against the wall keeps the stripes visible and adds color to any room. |
| 3 | Window display. Hang it in a front-facing window so it's visible from outside. This works especially well in apartments where outdoor mounting isn't an option. |
| 4 | Draped over furniture. Throw it over a bookshelf, couch back, or bed frame for a casual, lived-in look. |
If you're hanging it outdoors, make sure you bring it in during storms or high wind. Polyester flags hold up well, but they'll last longer with basic care.
For more ideas on displaying pride flags, check out our full guide on how to display a pride flag at home. And if you want the sunset colors on more than a flagpole, our lesbian pride collection puts the same palette on blankets, tees, and more.
Keeping Your Flag Looking Good
A flag that flies outside takes a beating from sun, wind, and rain, so a little routine care goes a long way. Direct sunlight is the biggest culprit. Every dyed fabric fades eventually, and a flag that faces south all summer will fade faster than one under a covered porch. If you can, hang it where it gets some shade for part of the day, or rotate between an outdoor spot and an indoor one.
Wind does the rest of the damage. The fly end, the edge farthest from the pole, whips constantly and frays first on every flag ever made. Bringing the flag in during storms is the single best habit you can build. It takes ten seconds and can add a season or more to the flag's life.
When it needs cleaning, keep it gentle. Spot clean small marks with a damp cloth and mild soap. For a full wash, hand wash in cold water, rinse well, and hang it to dry. Skip the dryer and skip the wringing, since twisting the fabric hard can leave permanent creases in the stripes. If you're storing it for the off-season, make sure it's completely dry first, then fold it loosely and keep it somewhere cool. A damp flag sealed in a bin is how you end up with mildew spots on the white stripe.
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Lesbian Pride Flag vs. Other Pride Flags
People sometimes mix up the lesbian flag with other pride flags, so here's a quick breakdown:
★ Quick Flag Comparison
| Lesbian Flag | Orange to pink sunset stripes (7 or 5 stripe versions) |
| Rainbow Flag | Six color rainbow, covers all LGBTQ+ identities |
| Progress Flag | Rainbow plus chevron for trans, POC, and intersex inclusion |
| Bisexual Flag | Pink, purple, and blue horizontal stripes |
The lesbian flag is the only one in the standard lineup that uses that orange-to-rose gradient. Once you know what to look for, you won't mix it up. The closest lookalike is probably the two-spirit sunset imagery some artists use, but no other widely flown pride flag runs warm orange into deep rose.
Want to learn about every pride flag? We've got a complete guide that covers all of them. And if you're trying to decide between the progress flag and the classic rainbow, we broke that down too.
The progress flag layers a five-color chevron over the rainbow, so it reads busier at a distance than the lesbian flag's clean horizontal stripes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the correct lesbian pride flag?
The most widely used version is the sunset lesbian flag designed by Emily Gwen in 2018. It has seven stripes ranging from dark orange to dark rose/magenta, with white in the center. You'll also see a five-stripe simplified version that uses the same color scheme.
What happened to the lipstick lesbian flag?
The lipstick lesbian flag (2010) fell out of favor because it represented a narrow view of lesbian identity. It excluded butch, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming lesbians. The sunset flag replaced it as the community standard.
Can nonbinary people use the lesbian flag?
Yes. The lesbian flag and the broader lesbian community include nonbinary people who feel connected to womanhood or experience attraction to women. The dark orange stripe is literally about gender nonconformity.
What's the difference between the 5-stripe and 7-stripe versions?
Same color scheme, different level of detail. The 7-stripe version has all individual colors. The 5-stripe combines some of the lighter shades into single stripes. Both are correct.
How do I clean a polyester pride flag?
Spot clean small marks with mild soap and a damp cloth, or hand wash the whole flag in cold water and hang it to dry. Avoid the dryer and avoid wringing it out, and store it only when it's fully dry.
Where can I get a lesbian pride flag?
Right here at Pride Belongs. Our flags are 3x5 feet, made from durable polyester, and built to be flown or displayed.
If you're also interested in individual flag deep-dives, check out our bisexual pride flag guide or learn about the history of the rainbow flag.
For a plain identity explainer, read Lesbian Meaning: A Plain Guide. It pairs well with lesbian flag history, visibility week, and broader LGBTQIA+ language guides.
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Fly Your Flag Pick up the sunset lesbian pride flag, or browse the full pride flag lineup. |
