The Pride flag, an emblem of the LGBTQ+ community’s unity and resilience, has undergone another transformation, this time to become more inclusive of intersex individuals. Designed by intersex columnist and media personality Valentino Vecchietti, the new iteration of the rainbow Pride flag was unveiled by the advocacy group Intersex Equality Rights UK in 2021. This design builds upon the iconic 2018 Progress Pride flag by Daniel Quasar, which introduced a five-striped chevron to honor LGBTQ+ people of color and the trans community. Vecchietti’s version incorporates a purple circle superimposed over a yellow triangle within the chevron, paying homage to the 2013 intersex flag created by Australian bioethicist Morgan Carpenter.
The choice of colors, purple and yellow, is significant. These colors stand in contrast to blue and pink, which have been traditionally associated with binary gender roles. The purple circle, inspired by Carpenter’s work, symbolizes wholeness and the right of intersex individuals to make autonomous decisions about their bodies. This is particularly important as intersex people still face non-consensual surgeries in various parts of the world. The addition of the circle is not only an act of inclusion but a declaration of the ongoing fight for bodily autonomy and human rights.
Vecchietti’s flag resonates with contemporary discussions about inclusivity within the LGBTQ+ spectrum. Intersex people, often underrepresented, have found visual recognition challenging within Pride imagery. This updated flag is a response to that disparity and mirrors the evolving nature of the Pride flag itself. Throughout its history, the Pride flag has adapted to include the concerns of different marginalized groups. Vecchietti’s design expands the color palette to 11 distinct hues, echoing the original flag created by Gilbert Baker in 1978, which featured eight colors.
In this new rendition, the Pride flag honors the intersex community’s journey for recognition and celebrates the diversity that defines the LGBTQ+ movement. It is a reminder that the fight for equality is an ongoing endeavor, one that embraces every color of the spectrum, every aspect of identity, and every facet of human experience. As Vecchietti aptly states, “Intersex inclusion — we need to see it!”
